Maxwell HRC FF6, FF7 & FF8 Free Fall Windlass — Owner's Manual

Location & Fitting

1. In the box: clutch handle (Allen key), deckplate gasket, solenoid, deck cut-out details (rear of manual), spare pressure arm, small parts, windlass.
2. Plan the location: rode feeds correctly, flat deck (plinth if not), avoid bulkheads, wiring and piping, strong enough mounting area, clear run from bow roller to chainwheel, room for the clutch handle.
3. Allow at least 200mm (8") unobstructed fall from the bottom of the chute; the rope must enter the chainwheel at an angle between 0° and 30°.
4. Use the deck cut-out template (part no. 7406, in the PDF): check the scale, align the gypsy with the bow roller, cut the holes in order A to D. The template also marks the motor cable hole and the chain counter sensor cable hole.
5. Seal hole edges with epoxy (not for steel or aluminium), lower the deckplate into place and tighten progressively and evenly; no power tools. Use a non-acid cure flexible sealant, never a permanent adhesive.

Electrical

• Wiring by qualified technicians to USCG, ABYC, NMMA, CE requirements. A circuit breaker/isolator and an up/down control switch are required.
• Breaker/isolator no further than 1.8 m (6 ft) from the battery, accessible and dry. Solenoid pack in a dry area close to the windlass, not in the chain locker.
• Footswitch approximately 500 mm (20") from the windlass, below-deck part dry, arrow showing the direction; up/down switch where the operator can see the windlass.
• Hold the lower motor nut (A1) while tightening the upper nut (B1). Swapping F1 and F2, or connections 1 and 3 on the solenoid box, reverses rotation: check it before fitting chain or rope.
• Ring terminals and sleeved terminations; once tested, seal terminals with CRC2403 “plasti-coat”, CRC3013 “soft seal” or CRC2409 “clear urethane”.
• HRCFF6-7-8 use a permanent magnet motor; control circuit: manually resettable breaker, minimum 1.5mm (No.16 AWG) conductor.

Anchoring

• Lowering: press down on the up/down switch (or Down footswitch), watch the rode and tie off on a chain stopper, snubber or cleat.
• Raising: press up, motor up to the anchor, bring in the last meter (3') slowly; hold the anchor in the roller with a tensioner or snubber, not the windlass.
• Manual release: loosen the clutch nut anticlockwise with the clutch handle; turning it clockwise controls the descent. Retighten when the rode is out and remove the handle. Never let the chainwheel free-wheel uncontrolled.

Safety

• Your windlass must have a working load limit at least three times the combined weight of anchor and rope/chain; the anchor must fit the bow roller and be self-launching.
• Tie the bitter end to a secure fixture in the locker. Never operate from a remote station without a clear view of the windlass.
• Never use the windlass as a mooring point, to pull the boat up to the anchor, to break out a fouled anchor or to haul a person up a mast: use cleats, bollards and the engine.
• Secure the anchor when under way; switch the breaker/isolator off when the windlass is not in use. Never reverse before the windlass has stopped.

Automatic Free Fall

• Engaged, the windlass free-falls when lowering and re-engages the clutches automatically when raising; it can be left in this mode.
• Engage or disengage only with the clutches fully engaged. Engage: slide the lever left and lift up. Disengage: slide it left and push down to secure.
• To lower, pulse Down until the anchor falls freely; with enough rode out, press and hold Up until the rode starts to retrieve (clutches re-engage).
• Never hold Up to stop rode running out at high speed; very high pay-out speeds can tangle the rode in the locker.
• Always use a Maxwell reversing solenoid in free fall mode: others may damage the windlass through motor overrun.

Schedule

Removing the Chainwheel

1. Secure or remove the anchor and line to take the load off; isolate power.
2. Remove the plastic cap from the clutch cone, then the central screw and washers. Disengage the free fall lever.
3. Loosen the clutch cone anticlockwise with a 10mm Allen key.
4. Remove the port case (4 cap screws), then the washer and the chainwheel assembly with stripper by sliding it off the main shaft.
5. Grease clutch cone and shaft (lithium complex grease, NLGI No.1 to No.3) and reassemble in reverse order, with pressure arm and stripper correctly located.

Troubleshooting

• Does not operate: breaker/isolator on; connections at up/down switch, footswitches, breaker, reversing solenoid and motor; battery condition; solenoid clicks when activated.
• Motor runs, chainwheel does not turn: clutch nut too loose; chainwheel jammed (reverse to free it); rough running or excessive noise means the gears may be damaged.
• Rope does not retrieve or pay out: wrong rope size/type; fouled rope or anchor; twists or knots in the chain pipe; worn or stiff rope (wash in fresh water with fabric softener); too much rope in the locker; worn splice; rough deck hole; twisting chain (fit a swivel).
• Runs slowly: power cable too small, low battery voltage, worn motor brushes.

Never wrap the motor in grease cloth: it stops the motor cooling.