JonRie’s New Assist Winch for Bisso Towboat

The new JonRie Series 230 Ship Assist Winch is a new version of the Series 230 winches line. The winch features JonRie’s independent drive level wind, but with the additional installation of a Logan clutch on the drive. When the winch is heaving or paying out hawser the level wind drive is engaged, and when the tug is working under heavy ship assist loads the level wind is unclutched. This feature helps reduce the counter loading on the level wind when the tug is working with a ship, JonRie said. The independent level wind will allow the spooler carriage to move faster than the drum to cross weave rope or adjusted to any speed required, the unit can be stopped and run in manual to any position on the drum. Theses controls are all at hands length in the pilot house to be used by the master.

The JonRie Series 230 winch also features a larger drum to accommodate more hawser (500’ of 8”) and has a brake rated at 300 tons. According to the manufacturer, the winch boasts a line pull of 15 tons and a line speed of 100 FPM. The system comes complete with JonRie’s foot control to allow the master to run the winch without taking his hands off the Z Drive controls. Also included in the winch system is JonRie’s Active Heave Compensation System allowing the winch to pay out at a high speed in a controlled free wheel mode to help the tug maneuver in the strong Mississippi currents. The system comes with a hawser scope meter and back light tension meter with dimmer for use during night operations on the river. 

The power for the winch comes from a JonRie 60 HP HPU. The HPU features digital temperature and level indicators and led DIN connectors for ease in troubleshooting. The JonRie designed and built in house soft starter and controls include fault messaging and LED indication.