Maxwell 3500 HWC Horizontal Windlass — Owner's Manual

Position & Mounting

1. Chain run straight from the bow roller to the chainwheel, no more than 2° from horizontal; bow roller with a vertical groove to suit the chain. For side pocket anchors fit a grooved chain roller above the hawse pipe.
2. A chain stopper is essential, aligned with the chain and clear of the anchor shank; a tensioner is recommended. If the hawse pipe is angled outboard, angle the stopper by half the hawse pipe angle (vertical if the hawse pipe angle is less than 4).
3. At least 600mm (23") between the underside of the deck and the chain piled in the locker; the chain must gravity feed. Footswitches at least 700mm (28") from the windlass; motor starter (or solenoid valves) dry and close by, never in the chain locker.
4. The mounting area must be flat, rigid and strong enough for loads up to beyond the breaking strength of the chain (structural fillers to level). Deck cut-out details are in the manual for reference only – check every dimension before cutting.
5. Bolt down with four 12mm (½") 316 stainless steel bolts, bedding compound between deck, pad/gasket and case, the four insulating bushes in place and stainless washers under the bolt heads; large thick washers or a stainless clamp plate under deck.
6. Through-bolt the chainpipes with 316 stainless countersunk screws; align the stripper arms squarely in the chainwheel groove, bevelled end close to but clear of the root.
7. Steel or aluminium decks: insulate the windlass (timber pad or non-conductive gasket), fixings and chainpipes, and the anchor and chain from the hull. Tighten nuts progressively and evenly, no power tools.

Power & Controls

• Two-cable, ungrounded, fully insulated negative return system; isolated earth motor. DC motor terminals “F1”, “-” and “F2”: “-” straight to battery negative, F1 and F2 to the solenoids (swap for rotation). Hold the lower motor nut while tightening the upper.
• Hydraulic: pressure and return ports to a solenoid controlled valve (not supplied by Maxwell).
• Controls (footswitches, single or dual speed pendant, helm switch, chain counter) are wired in parallel; with footswitches fit an isolator switch in the wheelhouse. Control wiring no smaller than 1.5mm² (AWG 16) and a manually re-settable, ignition proof 3A breaker or fuse within 1m (40") of the main breaker/isolator.
• Spray terminals, ports and fittings with CRC 3013 Soft Seal; boat builders should coat the windlass with CRC 3097 Long Life and wrap it for delivery.

Cable length runs from the battery terminal to the motor terminal via the solenoid box and back to the battery. Copper with insulation rated at least 90°C; sizes allow a maximum 10% voltage drop over the total length.

Anchoring

• Lowering under power: engage the friction clutch fully (clutch nut lever, clockwise, any position), remove the handle, release the pawl, disengage stopper and tensioner (jog up if needed), then use pendant, helm switch or footswitch. Turn off the controls isolator when done.
• Retrieving: clutch engaged, pawl released, handle removed, stopper/tensioner released. Motor over the anchor to cut the load; jog in the last meter (3-4') to seat the anchor. Engage stopper/tensioner afterwards.
• Manual lowering: tighten the clutch, release stopper/tensioner, then ease the clutch nut anticlockwise and regulate speed with it; never let the chain free fall unrestricted. Tighten firmly when enough chain is out.
• Emergency crank: stopper (or pawl) engaged, clutch released, pawl end of the lever in the emergency crank collar against a chainwheel dog; pull back, engage the pawl, push forward and repeat. Very slow – emergencies only.
• Never run under power with the clutch handle in the clutch nut or crank collar, never engage the pawl with the chain running, and do not reverse direction before the windlass stops.

Warping Drum

• Footswitch control is recommended for all warping. Engage stopper and/or pawl, ease the clutch nut anticlockwise and the drum turns independently.
• Take several turns, keep enough tension on the tail and run the drum the same way the line is wrapped; use no more turns than needed and let it slip under sudden loads.
• Avoid riding turns: they can only be cleared by paying out.

Schedule

• Grease: lithium complex based, consistency between NLGI No.1 and No.3; no soap based grease. Never mix greases or oils – if in doubt, remove the old lubricant and clean the parts.
• Gearbox oil: API GL-4 or lower (low sulphur) single weight gear oil between SAE 90 and 110w; quantity for DC and hydraulic drives 0.35 litres.
• Anti-corrosive coatings: CRC 3013 Soft Seal, Boeshield T9, Lanocote. Anti-seize: International Paints Res-Q-Steel.
• Shaft, bronze clutch cones and capstan must be coated in Shell Nautilus NLG12 Marine Grease, Castrol Boating Grease, Valvoline Val Plex EP or equivalent on assembly.

Strip & Rebuild

• Outside the case: stripper arm off the chainpipe, prise off the cap, remove the CSK screw and retaining washer, clutch nut, outer clutch cone, chainwheel and inner cone with disc springs, then key, 2 retention clips, washer, spring and the emergency crank collar (port side also washer and circlip).
• Inside: support gearbox and motor, release the circlips each side of the gearbox and slide the shaft out; remove the bolts and lower gearbox and motor. The motor can come off first.
• Rebuild in reverse with anti-seize on threads, keys, keyways, shaft and inside the spacer tube. Disc springs: smaller diameter towards the lower cone, bigger diameter towards the chainwheel; grease the conical faces for free fall.
• Port side chainwheel: circlip in the outermost (square) groove plus washer before the crank collar.
• Tools on board: metric hex keys, ring/open spanners 13, 17, 19mm, 10mm flat screwdriver, circlip pliers.