King Power Winches were made by Koenig Iron Works of Houston, Texas, who were also well known for their All Steel Jeep Cabs and Jeep Body Extensions. Winches could be driven from the front, rear or middle power takeoff (PTO) points, but the most common were the front-mounted.
King Model 100J Operating and Installation Instructions (140K GIF) for CJ-2A, 3A and 3B Jeeps.
King Model R100J Installation Instructions (120K GIF) for CJ-2A, 3A and 3B Jeeps.
King Bulletin 555 Supplement (50K GIF) describes the differences in mounting King Model 130J, 131J, 150J and 151J winches on flatfender Universal Jeeps versus CJ-5 or CJ-6 models.
King Model 100 Parts List (120K GIF).
There isn't a huge number of parts in the King winch itself. Rafael Teran laid out all the parts of his winch before re-installing it on the front bumper of his 1953 CJ-3B in Mexico. See also a top view and front view of the parts (60K JPEG's).
Greg wrote: "There are some things I learned when fitting the winch to my CJ-3A (80K JPEG) I would like to pass along."
The following is his useful list of tips:
The drive shaft routing for the winch is as tight as it can possibly be and there are no options. it has to go where it has to go. The Universal Jeep exhaust (160K JPEG) is tucked up under the driver's side, goes over the transmission crossmember, and continues back with the muffler transverse at the back of the body tub. This puts it right in the space the drive shafts and PTO for the winch need to go.
Koenig literature said to cut the exhaust head pipe, heat it, bend it down out of the way, and run the exhaust under the transmission crossmember. In their winch kits they even provided a short length of exhaust pipe to weld in the gap caused by this modification. This modification did make room for the driveshafts, but it was a lot of work and it put the exhaust in a position where it hung down so low it was vulnerable to being easily damaged on the trail.
My research found that the early military jeeps (MB, GPW) used a different exhaust routing. It turned out to be the perfect thing to run with the winch. It cleared everything and still tucked up out of the way. On my 3A it was a super easy installation. It bolted right up to the stock exhaust manifold. The military exhaust uses a flexible head pipe which you just bend around obstacles. It crosses from the driver's side to the passenger side in front of the transmission, puts the muffler under the passenger seat and exits in front of the rear wheel.
I bought a complete, brand new system (head pipe, muffler, tail pipe, hangers, hardware) on eBay for $129. That was cheaper than paying the muffler shop to cut and bend the existing system. Best of all it doesn't hang down where it can be hit.
The PTO mounts to the transfer case with 5 special Allen-head bolts and special high collar washers. To install the PTO you need to remove the 5 plugs on the back of the housing (80K JPEG) and feed the bolts into position through the plug holes using a long allen wrench. This can be tricky since you are working blind and if you drop a bolt during installation it ends up inside the PTO housing with the gears and chain. Then the only way to retrieve it is to remove the PTO. A trick is to put something tacky like gasket sealer (I use a dab of Pematex form-a-gasket) on the end of your Allen wrench to hold the bolt on it while theading it into position.
Another thing I'll mention about installing the PTO to the transfer case (90K JPEG). You may be lucky and the PTO may slide right into position, but I have seen many people find that they had a clearance issue with the body tub.
The Jeep body tub was mounted to the frame using rubber spacers (vibration insulators). On most flatfender Jeeps these have deteriorated over the years or may even be gone. The PTO was designed to fit with the body properly spaced off the frame (about 3/4-inch). If the rubber spacers have deteriorated and compressed, or if they are gone, the body tub is closer to the frame, or may be in direct contact with it. If the body is closer to the frame it may interfere with the installation of the PTO (this is common).
If this is the case you have two options: you can raise the body off the frame and put in new spacers, or you can lower the transmission crossmember. On my 3A the body spacers were long gone. I lowered the transmission crosmember by loosening the bolts that attached it to the frame and inserting a 3/4 inch spacer, then retightening the bolts. This lowered the transmisson/transfercase and gave me the needed space for the PTO. It worked fine and was much less work than raising the body off the frame.
It is advisable to install everything loosely until everything is in place, then tighten all the bolts. It is a very tight fit and goes together like a puzzle. The PTO goes in first, then the winch, then the driveshafts.
The driveshafts should be assembled with the u-joints and center bearing in place and lifted into place as a unit. The short shaft is the rear shaft and the center bearing goes on this shaft. Note that each of the u-joints is different from the others and will only work in its specific position. To install let the center u-joint hang down while starting the front and rear u-joints onto the winch and PTO. Once started, lift the center u-joint into position. This will slide the front and rear u-joints the rest of the way onto the winch and PTO.
The last thing is to mount the center support bearing to the bellhousing. Since you have the F-head engine you can discard the small spacer attached to the center support bearing's second hole and bolt it to your bellhousing using both bolt holes. The spacer is only used with the L-head engine. The bearing mounts using the stabilizer cable bolt and the one next to it on the bellhousing.
Once everything is installed and you are sure everything fits, and the shafts and u-joints are evenly spaced, you can tighten everything up. Put a drop of blue locktite on the Allen-head set screws on the u-joints to make sure they don't vibrate loose over time.
The PTO shares lubrication with the transfer case so it uses the same 90w gear oil. Holes drilled in the PTO allow the 90w to circulate between the two. After the PTO is installed just top off the fluid level in the transfer case and you are ready to go. Check the fluid level in the transfer case after the first use of the PTO. The winch needs its own lube -- Koenig recommended EP150w gear oil. U-joints use regular grease.
After installing the complete setup you may find you need to adjust the steering stop bolts on the front axle steering knuckles to limit the travel of the steering bellcrank. The front drive shaft for the winch passes between the front crossmember and the bellcrank with little room to spare. You want to make sure the bellcrank doesn't touch the driveshaft as it travels through its arc. On my 3A I had to back off the stop bolt on the passenger side by 2 turns. Driver's side was fine.
Most winches you see have steel cable wound on them. I personally don't like cable. I prefer AmSteel rope (plasma rope). Here is why:
The winch is designed to use 5/16" cable or rope. Drum capacity is 150 feet. Pulling capacity is 8,000 pounds. Hoisting capacity is 1,500 pounds.
The winch is designed so that the drum shaft turns constantly while the PTO is running. The drum is then either engaged or disengaged to the rotating shaft. The engagement lever is locked in the fully engaged or fully disengaged position by a lock pin (the pin the brake is attached to). The engagement lever has an arm attached to it with two holes in it. The locking pin is inserted in one or the other of the holes to lock the engagement lever in the desired position.
To use the winch, be sure the drum is disengaged, then release the brake from the drum and spool out the amount of cable or rope required. Engage the winch by pulling the lock pin forward until it releases the locking arm under the A-frame. Move the engagement lever to engage the drum to the shaft. Reinsert the lock pin through the proper hole in the locking arm to lock the engagement lever in the engaged position.
Start the engine. Depress the clutch, put the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in gear (use 1st gear whenever possible). Engage the PTO then let out the clutch. The winch speed is controlled by engine speed. Winch direction can be reversed by shifting the transmission into reverse. To stop the winch put the transmission in neutral.
The drum brake's only function is to keep cable or rope from freespooling off the drum when the drum is disengaged from the shaft. It is not to be used with the winch in operation or with the cable or rope under load. (See a story about plasma rope.)
When not in use make sure the drum is disengaged from the shaft and the brake is on. Also make sure the PTO is disengaged. Driving the Jeep with the winch engaged can damage the winch, the Jeep, or both.
Thanks to Greg and to Pablo Rodriguez for sending the above tips. Thanks to Joe Zindle, John Hubbard, Jim Pigg, Dell Kronstedt and Rafael Teran for photos. -- Derek Redmond
Elsewhere on the web, see Koenig Winch Rebuild at Off-Road.com, and Koenig manuals and parts lists at Billys56Willys.com.
See also PTO Winch Installation on Verno.com.
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