Our club uses a mid seventies Tost winch with a Skylaunch throttle system
and a second hand 454 cid chevvy big block and standard truck autobox,
running 4.5mm stranded wire.

The engine was imported second hand from USA three years ago It seems to
be a mid seventies perhaps early eighties truck motor with associated
gearbox, sourced from a scrapyard and fitted with a few mods but NO
alterations save to disable kickdown and to run with lpg we did not look
inside the engine and it used less than 5 litres of oil in 3000 launches.

It is very smooth partly due to all the rollers and associated bearings
being renewed. As John noted the gearchanges on this standard autobox are
imperceptible and completed by approx 10' AGL . Driving is much the same
as before but less variable owing to the throttle guide system.

The old engine was a 425 cid oldsmobile engine with stock autobox which
was finally retired spewing oil and rattling but still launching. The
biggest differences arose with the new rollers and LPG both make these big
winches much smoother.

Simple cheap and very effective

Jon

Dorset Gliding Club, UK