Antioverlap apparatus and method for winching devices

Apparatus for preventing overlap of coils of a cable on a rotatable winch drum, said apparatus comprising,

• a rotatable winch drum having an outer, curved, peripheral surface for receiving an incoming end portion of a cable and for permitting the formation of multiple, adjacent coils on said peripheral surface during operation of the winch drum as the winch drum is rotated,
• said winch drum being rotatable in one direction to start the formation of an incoming coil of cable on the said drum,
• a rotatable roller mounted at a selected location with respect to the axis of rotation of the winch drum, said selected location being near the incoming coil of cable,
• said rotatable roller having an outer surface engageable with a side surface of the incoming coil of the cable as the incoming coil is being formed,
• said rotatable roller exerting a sufficient force through the roller and the cable of the incoming coil to maintain a roller engaged portion of the incoming coil at the location of the rotatable roller and to shift all previously formed engaging adjacent coils of the cable sufficiently longitudinally on the peripheral surface of the winch drum in a direction along the axis of rotation of the winch drum so as to make room for the formation of the incoming coil directly on the surface of the winch drum and without any crossing or overlapping of the incoming coil on the previously formed adjacent coils.