Winch Fairlead Pivot

1 . A winch, comprising:

a rotatable drum for winding and unwinding a line therefrom;

a guide for positioning the line during winding;

wherein the guide moves the line along the rotatable drum length during winding;

wherein guide movement is directed by at least one guide-rod connected to a housing for the rotatable drum;

a fairlead;

wherein the fairlead is surrounded by a rotatable fairlead-frame, with the fairlead and fairlead-frame being components within the guide;

wherein the fairlead-frame pivots within the guide based on load direction; and

an upper and a lower support-pin attached to the guide for supporting the fairlead-frame.

2 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the fairlead comprises at least one aperture, hole, and/or orifice through which the line penetrates.

3 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the fairlead-frame comprises an upper and a lower cavity into which the upper and lower support-pins insert.

4 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the fairlead-frame comprises rounded edges on the side of the fairlead that faces the rotatable drum.

5 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the fairlead-frame comprises one or more rollers on the backside of the fairlead directed toward the rotatable drum.

6 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the fairlead-frame comprises a stopper that protects the fairlead-frame from forceful impacts of any line attachments when letting in the line.

7 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the upper and the lower support-pins comprise a lubricant.

8 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the upper and the lower support-pins comprise a smooth surface and/or threads, ridges, grooves, channels, ruts, ridges, creases, furrows, and/or any surface inconsistencies that interact with contrasting formations in upper and lower cavities of the fairlead-frame.

9 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the upper and the lower support-pins comprise a joint that connects the support-pins to the fairlead-frame.

10 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the upper and the lower support-pins are comprised of a stronger material composition than a force applied to the fairlead-frame, such that the upper and the lower support-pins provide structural stability to the fairlead-frame.

11 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the guide comprises a catch to stop rotation of the fairlead-frame.

12 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the guide comprises a hole into which a pin is inserted to eliminate the ability of the fairlead-frame to pivot.

13 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the guide comprises one or more resistive elements to minimize wobbles of the fairlead-frame when letting in the line.

14 . The winch of claim 11 , wherein the one or more resistive elements of the guide comprise bands, elastics, springs, and/or other flexible mechanisms that provide a slight degree of fairlead-frame rotational resistance.

15 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the fairlead is comprised of sharp and/or rough edges on the outer surface lateral to the line.

16 . The winch of claim 1 , further comprising a motorized power source.

17 . The winch of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises smooth edges, grooves, and/or rollers such that any contact between the housing and the line has little, if any, friction.

18 . A method for reducing friction between a line and a fairlead when pulling in or letting out a line comprising:

rotating a drum of a winch;

reeling in and/or letting out a line attached to the drum;

moving a guide, to which the fairlead is attached and through which the line passes, along a length of the drum; and

pivoting the fairlead within the guide toward a load such that friction between the line and the fairlead is reduced.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising resisting rotation of the fairlead to reduce wobbling.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising attaching the line to a side load.