Hydraulic Worm Gear Winch, Upright Mounting, Under Wind Worm Brake Rotation, 9:1 Worm Gear Ratio, Left Hand Worm Gear, With Drum Clutch, 3.50 Barrel Dia, 8.25 Flange Dia, 7.87 Barrel Length

Horizontal placement of the worm shaft below the drum is mandatory for adequate lubrication. Putting it in other positions will starve the gears of oil. You also need to keep the worm brakes below the oil level to prevent complete failure, which is exactly why upright mounting is required.

For holding a suspended load, a worm brake is the setup you want, and this unit is configured with an underwind worm brake rotation. With brake winches, the cable has to be wound to match the brake setting, and underwind means the cable spools under the drum in the direction of the brake housing.

It means the cable needs to spool under the drum in the same direction as the brake housing to work right. Get that backwards and the brake won't do you any good.

For a winch with a worm brake, the cable has to be wound to match the brake setting or it will not hold a suspended load the way it should. This unit is set up for underwind, meaning the cable spools under the drum in the direction of the brake housing.

Mounting position is critical with worm gear winches like this one. The worm shaft has to stay horizontal and below the drum. Any other arrangement can leave parts running without enough lubrication, which shortens the life of the unit fast. Upright mounting on this winch is set up to meet that requirement right out of the box, so as long as you follow that orientation you're in good shape.