Lone Star Advantage

We know anchoring systems and we know your boat. LSM build products with consumer satisfaction in mind first & foremost, over the long term. This has led LSM to pioneer many innovations in the field with several worlds first designs and over 12 Patents and Design Registrations under their belt for innovation. Lone Star’s current GX Series feature the first and only IP68 motors with proven certification (Dec 2015). They feature oversized drum shafts, a twin shaft bearing design for less side load on the transmission, Italian Manufactured gears and cases, oversized custom designed and manufactured motors, an Emergency Manual Release as standard, and a 316Ss frame, spool, and shaft construction. GX Series motors are the highest speed and torque models on the market today per drum size, and are made for real longevity, not to an easy sales pitch. GX Series motors feature a 6160 T6 hard anodised aluminium external construction, not stainless steel. Find out why here : Aluminium vs. Stainless in Thermal Dissipation GX Series are the fastest on power down and up under load per drum size on the market. Average mid size drum winches will drop at around 100-120ft per minute. Ours do it at around 150. Our winches also retrieve at about the same speed as they pay out. They are also extremely power efficient, only using what is required to do the job! The working scope on the GX Series is wider than most others on the market. This is the sort of performance that just cant be faked, and is why the GX series is so popular with commercial operators. All this means you are purchasing a fast, ultra reliable winch right out of the box with no clutches to fail or add ons. At LSM Reliability is paramount. Before you spend $1,500-$3,000 or more on a new anchor winch, view the full drum winch shootout above.

Robust and Reliable, LSM systems feature only the highest quality drives and fittings. All are manufactured to spec and not re-purposed from industrial applications.

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-Motors

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We wanted the perfect drum winch motors-so we had them made from scratch. Our motors (internals) are designed & custom made to OEM spec for drum winches by the largest American Owned DC motor manufacturer in the world, and are exclusive to LSM. In other words you won't find our drives in an 'off the shelf' catalogue or used in other industries. Motor development typically takes 12-18 months per model and are tested up to 6000 duty cycles. LSM use oversized motors on every drum size for efficiency and longevity. LSM focus not only of the performance of our motors but the corrosion resistance and waterproofing as well. All LSM motors are finished in AU made machined & hard anodised marine grade aluminium, Certified AS/NZS 60529 Spec, and rated at IP68. In a nutshell they are the most waterproof winch motors available. You certainly wont find any GX or Elite series winch motors patched up with paint or globs of silicon sealant. Utilising fine CNC machining, innovative design, marine grade anodised aluminium, and in house assembly our motors are made to work hard & get wet!

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-Transmissions

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LSM transmissions are among the best available with no mild steel, plastic or poly parts. Each oil filled gearbox features oversized high ratio gears, large quality worm drives, open high speed bearings, and marine grade (not mild steel) mariner bronze & stainless steel outputs. GX series transmissions are Marine Grade (not industrial) & 100% Manufactured in Italy. Elite transmissions are Manufactured in Australia & utilise work hardened Italian Made gear sets and SKS bearings.

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-Stainless Steel

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Every GX, Elite, GXC, CR, & CX series product feature marine grade 316 stainless steel construction, made right here in Australia with all welding and assembly in house. All winches feature a minimum of 6mm plate construction (a lot of companies use 4mm) & solid shafts from 24-60mm. All stainless steel is chemically polished for superior finish and corrosion resistance. This process is actually a removal of material, not a coating. This is the same process used for high precision medical instruments.

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-Machined & Anodised Aluminium

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All GX & Elite series winches feature bearing covers, gearbox collars, and motor externals that are machined and anodised for marine use. There are no load bearing cast fittings to get brittle or crack with age and stress in a saltwater environment.

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-Special Features

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Each LSM winch features a minimum of 6mm 316 stainless plate in a mirror like finish. Solid spool shafts are minimum 24mm and the assembly spins on 2 triple sealed maintenance free bearings. LSM is the only manufacturer to utilise a triple sealed twin bearing system on the spool shaft. This only allows for very tight tolerances in winch construction and assembly, however our customers are still reaping the benefits of this system after many years of use. Our rates on transmission issues is a testament to this fact. Drives on all GX and Elite series winches are adjustable to 24 positions for easy installation. LSM GX & Elite series winches also feature an emergency manual release in the event of power loss and a 5 + Life recreational Warranty.

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-Standard Inclusions

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-Each winch kit includes backing plates, 400 amp H/D solenoids, Genuine MP (USA) circuit breakers, up/down switch panels, and every nut and bolt needed for installation. For the home installation this simply means you will not have to waste countless hours running back and forth looking for fittings.

As of 2015, 85% of our products (by volume) are manufactured in Australia. LSM utilises local staff & helps support a great local manufacturing economy, keeping millions of dollars in materials and skilled labour costs in Australia every year. We are proud to be part of the Australian Made Campaign (license #7352).

The GX Series drop speeds are from 139ft to 170ft in the first minute (with a full drum), depending on which of the 6 models you choose. This is without any additional fastfall devices. An even bigger difference between the GX series and our competitors however, is our retrieval speed under load. In 2014 the team at LSM set out to develop the ultimate anchor winch motor range, and with the help of the Worlds Largest DC motor manufacture 5 new GX Series motors were developed. These have proven to be a quantum leap forward in performance and reliability, proof being that no other winch manufacture can claim their retrieval speeds under a standard load being the same or close to the same as drop speeds under no load! Our engineering at play here is the same principle used when choosing an outboard for your boat. You could use a 50hp for a 20ft boat, you will eventually get where you want to go, but it will be slower and the motor will be working harder, which will ultimately lead to a poor performance, poor efficiency, and a shorter working life.

The best thing to do is correlate your boat size with the desired rope and chain capacity to suit your anchoring depth. This will give you your ideal LSM Model. Note smaller winches can be used on much larger boats in shallow water or placid conditions.

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Lone Star GX and Elite Series winches are classed by drum (not motor) size:

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Size 1-200mm, Size 2-250mm, Size 3-300mm, Size 4-350mm, Size 5-420mm, Size 6-550mm, Size 7-750mm

Motor size. Guys there are just too many companies stretching the truth these days, which is why it pays to buy from reputable companies. One companies 500w motor is another companies 1500w motor. “Motor Size”, weather stated ‘’spec’’ or physical dimension alone is no indication of ultimate output, quality, pulling power, speed, efficiency, rating status, duty cycle, or ultimate longevity. Motor output is only relevant in relation to the to the drum diameter & gearing, not boat length or weight. LSM Motors are conservatively rated to output efficiency and duty cycle. All LSM winch models use well oversized motors and gearboxes per drum diameter, more power than you’ll ever need & are purpose built to pull the heaviest possible rode per recc. boat size.

There are several mounting options for fitting a new Lone Star winch to your pride and joy. Please visit our Fit Ups page and view the winch dimensions by choosing the 'Specification' tab under the model description to give an idea on spacing. We are more than happy to help with fit-up advise, feel free to ring or email for more information.

Absolutely Not. From an engineering standpoint it is not possible to create a free fall unit that is as reliable, over many seasons of use & a variety of conditions, than a non-freefall unit. All LSM winches are direct drive, our units do not rely on one way bearings, magnetic breaks, actuators, or additional gearing for deployment. Simply stated there are less parts to fail & no break or removal of the solid shaft from the gearbox. Your anchor will deploy at a controlled drop speed every time. This eliminates any possibility of the winch letting go while underway (a potential life threatening situation), ensures higher load ratings while at anchor, keeps maintenance to a minimum, avoids chain piling on top of your anchor under deployment, and helps to prevent overruns and tangles while deploying the anchor. Consumer Satisfaction is paramount with LSM. As such we do not, and will not, create a product that has the potential of causing more problems for a consumer than they fix. So, to combat the issue of getting your anchor down in current, the GX series was engineered to drop up to 50% faster than most other units on the market under power. Even with this fast drop rate they are still #1 in retrieval speed under load. In our experience customers have a higher level of satisfaction over seasons of use and variety of depths with non-freefall units. Our commercial users especially appreciate the simplicity and durability of our non-free designs. All GX and Elite series winches feature an Emergency Manual Release for emergency deployment only.

Of course not, although it is a line we've heard from time to time by those pushing inferior products. Cheaper products will always reveal a loss in quality, performance, longevity, or customer support. They often reveal a high dose of misleading marketing as well. High quality anchoring systems from LSM may cost 10-20% more than some cheaper brands, but that small increase will reveal several times the amount in benefits, reducing the the real cost of ownership over time. "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten".

No, well they shouldn't. Tangles can occur in four ways.
1. The drum is overfilled with rope and it spills off to the side. Our rope and chain kits are perfectly suited for each Lone Star Winch model, so when using our kits there is no chance of the rope and chain overflowing.
2. The winch is mounted drastically to one side. Mounting the winch more than 25% off centre to the bow sprit can cause the rope to bunch up on one side. Unless the drum is overfilled with rope however, this still shouldn't be an issue.
3. Rope is continually paid out after the anchor is on bottom and starts to coil in the anchor well. After your anchor reaches the bottom the boat should be in reverse until the proper amount of line is let out, this will eliminate the chance of an overrun.
4. Your anchor line digs into itself on the drum. This is avoided by spooling your winch with rope under load the first time it is loaded. If you are unsure if your winch has been packed under load simply let the majority of your line out on your first trip out then spool it back in with a little resistance from the vessel.

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Drum winches by design do not twist anchor rope like a capstan, any twist occurring during drop or retrieval is easily alleviated by a dual anchor swivel.

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Be wary of any manufacturer who claims theirs prevents line twist, it is simply not an issue on any drum winch.

We are always available by phone and email for any questions with your Lone Star Winch, regardless of place of purchase. Every Lone Star Winch is backed by an 5 + Life Warranty. We keep all spares in stock at our distribution facilities so you can rest assured if your winch ever does require attention you will be back on the water in no time at no additional cost

No. The only servicing for recreational use is a light freshwater wash down after use. If your winch in in a sealed anchor locker a non-water soluble spray can be used annually instead.

The owner is a Texan, enough said.

Please visit one of our friendly retailers  https://www.lonestarmarine.com.au/retailers/ or contact us directly for your best solution.