Winch assembly with stepped bores

A winch, comprising:

• a gear housing with a first flange of a first maximum diameter extending from the gear housing,
• the gear housing including reduction gears and configured to extend through a first bore of a first plate of a frame;
• an input housing with a second flange of a second maximum diameter, different from the first maximum diameter, extending from the input housing,
• the input housing including an input coupling, coupled to the reduction gears, and configured to extend through a second bore of a second plate of a frame, the second bore being coaxial with the first bore;
• a drum, between the gear housing and the input housing, having a barrel, a first collar at a first end of the barrel, and a second collar at a second end of the barrel;
• and
• a tie element connecting the second flange of the input housing and the second collar of the drum.

A pipelayer machine, comprising:

• a boom;
• a hook suspended from the boom;
• and
• a winch assembly, comprising:
• a frame comprising a first plate and a second plate separated from the first plate, the frame having:
• a first set of stepped bores including a first bore in the first plate and a second bore, co-axial with the first bore, in the second plate, the first bore larger than the second bore, and
• a second set of stepped bores including a third bore in the first plate and a fourth bore, co-axial with the third bore, in the second plate, the third bore larger than the fourth bore;
• a hook winch disposed in the frame through the first set of stepped bores, the hook winch configured to raise and to lower the hook, the hook winch comprising a first housing extending through the first bore and a second housing extending through the second bore;
• and
• a boom winch disposed in the frame through the second set of stepped bores, the boom winch configured to raise and to lower the boom, the boom winch comprising a first housing extending through the third bore and a second housing extending through the fourth bore.