Steve and I took apart the winch for a more in-depth view of gears and barrel condition. Found the part added to the drum was not needed anymore and we removed it. Now winch will be able to take a higher load. Looking closer at the gears we noticed wear on barrel gear than the worm gear. Worm gear seems to have an odd 'bite' out of the bottom of it. Nothing too scary, but something to keep on eye on during rest of this winches life. The barrel gear is definitely worn. We will keep an extremely close eye on this gear. Not that it's a worry for raising mast, but something will be done for the new year. Kurt has ordered a new winch that is exactly the same so for the new year shift they will have a brand new winch tool.
Fun times!