Winch drum protection from rust?

So, originally started thread looking for M8000 brake help. Decided to just order a new brake assembly with a new drum. New Amsteel winch line on order as well. The old Amsteel line was surely looking the worse for wear and time (15 years). Quite a few abrasions, and the tail end where it was attached to the drum is rust colored and looks a bit degraded. Will toss it behind the back seat for use as an extension if needed.

Decided to rebuild the M8000 out of the Gen1 before I sell it so I can throw it in the C4 Fab Lo Pro on the Gen3. Decided to pull it apart, replace all the seals and bushings, and make sure all was good before I threw it in the new truck for hopefully another 15 years of service.

Everything nice and tight. No evidence of water or dirt intrusion. Which surprised me because that thing has been subjected to some serious and continuous soakings while off roading down really shitty rain soaked and muddy roads.

Anyway, only part (other than seals and bushings) I felt I need to replace was the drum. Rusted badly. Clearly the synthetic line has been holding water / not drying out, and corroded the drum severely. Enough that I just ordered another one. Probably doesn't help that I am parked literally 30' from the ocean in the marina. I don't think it's worth saving $110 for a new drum (or the time to remove rust, sandblast, and powdercoat the existing drum) to risk chancing the integrity of the drum in the middle of a winch pull in the middle of nowhere.



Any tips for preventing this in the future? Photo is after I chipped off / removed a hell of a lot of rusted metal.

Unwinding the synthetic line and allowing it to dry after every time it gets wet (rain, off roading, car wash, etc.,) clearly not a reasonable option. Coat drum with a light coating of grease or anti-seize once a year or so? Maybe a spray on bed liner type coating on the new drum before spooling up the line? Holy shit, I'd of never thought it would be so bad that I'd have to worry about the integrity of the drum....but it is that bad. Rest of the winch (internal and external) looks great once it got cleaned up.

 

Its crazy right, we see that... a lot.

For us when we take disassemble new winches, or when rebuilding, take new drums and powder coat them. That keeps them rust free for a very long time. Don't use any oil if using a synthetic line, the oils will break down the fibers quicker. If not wanting to powder coat, Rustolium professional primer and enamel work quite well.

 

POR15? Or some marine epoxy paint. Both dry very hard.