Lofrans Windlasses General Information

ECS supply the full range of Lofrans products; horizontal windlasses and vertical windlasses, including Royal, Dorado, Kobra, Cayman 88, Tigres, Falkon, Titan A B C, Ercole and Super Ercole, Marin, Scorpion, Vertical Ercole and Progress. ECS also supply a full range of Capstans and accessories for Lofrans Windlasses & Capstans.

Lofrans General Information | Project Windlasses | Suitability Chart | Dimensions

LOFRANS WINDLASSES & CAPSTANS The choice of model and power should be made considering both length and displacement of the boat. On the following pages there are helpful selection charts to choose the correct model for your boat. This covers a lot of important parameters, which will address some of your questions to the different choices. Because it is not possible to generalise with formulas, calculations etc, as there are plenty of situations due to the type of boat, the skill of the person who is making the anchoring operation, the wind force and sea condition. These selection charts are the result of over thirty years of experience and it must be considered as an important reference. Most of the comparisons between windlasses are done following the data declared from the manufacturer against which windlass is recommended for a specific length of boats. That could be a mistake! From Lofrans� point of view, to get a correct evaluation the windlasses should be compared for sizes, weight, mechanical strength, power and other visible features, so please do not compare windlasses having different features just because both the manufacturers recommend them for the specific length of boat. Most of our anchor windlasses are available with two different electric motors, a powerful electric motor which is faster and has more pulling power, or a smaller one with a lower current draw so it is possible to use smaller cross section electric cables. To make windlasses, it is extremely important to select light weight, high mechanical strength and corrosion proof materials to increase durability by chemical or galvanic treatments thus improving their anti-corrosion properties. It is essential to manufacture and design all the components of the windlass avoiding the use of motors, gearbox or other components that are not designed for a marine environment. They are certainly more economic, but far less appropriate in the harsh environment that yachts and boats find themselves sailing in. For this reason, all the components of a Lofrans� windlass are designed and manufactured for a sea environment, despite the increase on our costs in comparisons with industrial components available on the market. Hot forged components, e.g. wingnut, gypsy, gear wheel, clutches are supplied on the most of our windlasses. The hot forging process is more expensive than the traditional casting process, but provides high mechanical strength components, a more compact molecular structure and a better surface condition. LIST OF MATERIALS ON SOME RELEVANT WINDLASS COMPONENTS: The main shaft is in stainless AISI 431 with a high mechanical strength. The body of the windlass, the drum and various components are made in a special alluminium alloy, polished and anodised or powder coated white polyester paint. The worm wheel is in alloy bronze - worm is in 38NCD4 steel. Screws and outer components are in stainless AISI 304 or AISI 316. WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO INSTALL AN ANCHOR WINDLASS? The two main reasons are Safety and Utility. The anchor windlass on your boat allows you to handle different anchoring situations, even the most critical, always completed safely. Every anchoring operation will be extremely simple, fast and firmly under your control. No more fear of failing to recover your anchor and every anchoring will be a pleasure. No more heavy and complicated operations! Installing an anchor windlass means making an investment on the safety of your crew and your boat!
	WHY CHOOSE A LOFRANS� ANCHOR WINDLASS? The strong point of every successful manufacturer is the quality and the reliability of its products. Does the product work properly as the advertisement said? Is the product worth the price paid for it? Is the product still reliable after years? If the product is a Lofrans� the answer to these question is Yes! We did not say this by ourselves, but it is said by the thousands and thousands of our customers all over the world who chose our products making Lofrans�today the most popular manufacturer of anchor windlass. This important result testifies more than any other topic the quality of our product and the good reputation of the Lofrans� brand. VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL? There are two different types of anchor windlass, vertical anchor windlass and horizontal anchor windlass. The best way to decide is to weigh up which option meets your requirements. VERTICAL The main advantage of this type of anchor windlass is that the profile deck is very compact as the electric motor and the gearbox are under the deck. They are lighter than the horizontal anchor windlasses and their price is more competitive. Their attractive design make them suitable for all kinds of boat, sailboat or motorboat. With most of the mechanical components are under deck, the maintenance operations are less simple than the horizontal anchor windlasses. HORIZONTAL These are the classic anchor windlass design, practical and useful. Normally they are entirely installed above deck. All mechanical components and the gearbox are protected by the body and the electric motor by the cover. This makes maintenance operations easy. The installation is very simple and it takes less time than the verticals. They can be mounted into the anchor locker to further reduce the above deck profile.
Our gearbox at high mechanical efficiency are designed and made for marine use. The ratio from 1/50 up to 1/75 is the right compromise between performance and speed. The long life oil bath lubrication protects the internal components of the gearbox from wear and tear and reduces the noise. The gear case is black anodised for a long-life protection.
	Our electric motors are designed and made for marine use. THEY HAVE PARTICULAR FEATURES: Manufactured IP 56 degree of protection (DIN 40 050) - protection against sea water. Shaft, screws, nuts and cover made in stainless steel. Electric motor case protected by a black paint. Most of Lofrans�electric motors are series-wound. They have the advantage in comparison with the less expensive permanent magnet motors to produce an initial starting torque, which can be useful in critical situations.
For each model it is indicated the haulage speed at a specific load, in kilograms. This specific load was chosen according to the features of the windlass and their average uses. For instance a 400-Watt model we considered a specific load of 25 Kgs, for a 1000 Watt model the specific load is 50 Kgs. Naturally powerful models ask for greater specific load. It is important to consider the haulage speed of the windlass depending on the lifting load, increasing when the load is lower, so the electric motor of the windlass changes speed in order to the request torque to lift chain and anchor. It is the maximum pull that a windlass can provide for a few seconds. This is measured by a dynamometer put between the gypsy and the bow roller. The greater this value the more the windlass is able to get the anchor afloat. This value does not coincide with the maximum lifting ability of the windlass, which is influenced by other factors, e.g. using a medium quality bow roller and with a working angle of 90 degrees, the real maximum lifting ability is approximately half of the maximum pull. The values are reliable during the recovery of the chain under normal conditions. Even the current draw changes according to the load being lifted. A brief peak of current, superior of what indicated, it is possible when you get the anchor afloat. This catalogue states many technical facts about the performance of our windlasses. It is important to know these specifications have been extracted from real tests, made in our factory, under fixed and repeatable conditions The data we provide can not always be compared to that is declared from other windlass manufacturers, because test criteria and tools may differ. The type of bow roller, the type and capacity of batteries, the allowance in efficiency between electric motors and other factors, could lead to different values from what we publish in this catalogue.