hobbs 2000 lowering device, questions..

Friedrich · Mar 29, 2024

hello,
i searched the forum but couldn’t find the information..
somebody offered me a hobbs 2000 device with the straight drum and rollerbearing fairlead at the back of the drum for a good price. if i recall correctly, there where rope overlap problems with this design. or did they solve that problem with the bearing?
i quite like the big drum compared to the h2.

also another question, is it possible to change out the drum on the h2?

greetings,
friedrich

Merle Nelson · Mar 29, 2024

Not sure of anything with regard to your questions. But I thought the new drum upgrade was to get one more wrap of 3/4 rope to fit on the drum.

evo · Mar 30, 2024

I think overlap problems are essentially part of any of the bollard winches. Hobbs or GRCS, the lack of pegs to fairlead straight out from the drum.
Also how level the devise is upon installation plays into it as well. If the bollard has a upward tilt crossing wraps can be more of a issue.

Friedrich · Mar 30, 2024

Merle Nelson said:
Not sure of anything with regard to your questions. But I thought the new drum upgrade was to get one more wrap of 3/4 rope to fit on the drum.

on pictures the old drum looks like it takes more wraps but that might be wrong of course..

Merle Nelson · Mar 30, 2024

Huh...

chris_girard · Mar 16, 2025

Just saw this thread. The GRCS has had extensive issues with the wrap jumping the spool during rapid lowering operations and this has happened to us so often that I sold our GRCS years ago and bought a Hobbs Lowering Device H2. There is no such thing as a hobbs 2000.

We have never had a problem like that with the H2, because Don Blair and Ken Johnson designed the H2 so that it has a great fairlead pin that allows either rapid slack removal or lowering off the nose.

Also, the hourglass shape of the aluminum spool on the H2, vs the flat shaped Harken Winch that is on the GRCS, discourages rope jump and subsequent lock up issues.

evo is right. The overlap problems will happen with any bollard/winches, if they have a lack of pegs to fairlead the lines.

Also, what I have done on some of my smaller bollards, is welded either a horizonal or vertical post on the rigging bollard fairlead, that allows me or my groundworkers to stand parallel, or perpendicular to the bollard and lower from a 180-degree range (see the attached photo of a lowering bollard like this, made in Germany).