{"id":1227,"date":"2026-06-29T03:01:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T03:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/?p=1227"},"modified":"2026-06-29T03:01:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T03:01:57","slug":"winch-drive-planetary-gearbox-for-tugger-winch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/winch-drive-planetary-gearbox-for-tugger-winch\/","title":{"rendered":"Winch Drive Planetary Gearbox for Tugger Winch"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Winch Drive Series \u2014 Marine & Offshore Equipment<\/p>\n

Winch Drive Planetary Gearbox for Tugger Winch<\/h1>\n

Tugger winches are the workhorses of every vessel deck \u2014 used for line handling, cargo positioning, mooring operations, and towing assistance in conditions ranging from harbour berths to offshore platforms in extreme weather. The winch drive planetary gearbox<\/a> behind each tugger winch drum must deliver fast, controllable line speed with high starting torque, survive continuous wash-down and salt spray, and hold loaded lines statically without brake creep across watch changes lasting 12 hours or more.<\/p>\n

500 \u2013 30,000 Nm output torque<\/span>
\nIP67 \/ IP68 marine seal<\/span>
\nHigh-speed line handling to 60 m\/min<\/span>
\nSAE \/ IEC motor interface<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The tugger winch is one of the most frequently operated pieces of deck machinery on any working vessel \u2014 executing dozens of line-handling cycles per day during cargo operations, port calls, and mooring manoeuvres. Unlike anchor windlasses that operate in relatively long infrequent cycles, a tugger winch may be engaged and disengaged hundreds of times during a single port call, placing severe demands on the holding brake, the input shaft seal, and the gear lubrication film at low-speed high-torque starts. Korea Ever-Power supplies planetary winch drive gearboxes for tugger winch applications on commercial vessels, offshore platforms, drillships, and shipyard lifting gantries \u2014 covering output torques from 500 Nm for small deck tuggers through 30,000 Nm for heavy offshore mooring and towing assist winches, with marine-grade engineering as the baseline specification across the entire range.<\/p>\n

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Tugger Winch Applications: Vessel Types and Operating Demands<\/h2>\n

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\"Tugger<\/div>\n

Commercial Vessel Deck Tuggers (500\u20135,000 Nm):<\/strong> Cargo ships, bulk carriers, container vessels, and tankers carry multiple tugger winches \u2014 typically four to eight units \u2014 for line handling during port calls and mooring operations. These winches pull mooring lines from fairleads to bollards, take up slack during tidal rises, and provide the controlled tension needed for safe berthing in adverse current and wind conditions. Line pull of 5 to 50 kN, line speed of 20 to 40 m\/min. The duty cycle is intense during port calls \u2014 the winch may make 50 to 100 haul-and-pay cycles in a four-hour mooring operation \u2014 but the vessel then proceeds to sea and the winch is idle for the voyage. This cycle pattern imposes a demanding start-under-load requirement: after sitting idle at sea temperature, the gearbox must start immediately at full torque without the warm-up period that would be expected in a plant machinery context.<\/p>\n

Offshore Platform and Jackup Rig Tuggers (3,000\u201315,000 Nm):<\/strong> Fixed and mobile offshore platforms use heavy tugger winches for pipe handling, equipment positioning, and emergency towing operations. These applications are characterised by intermittent high-torque demands \u2014 a single pipe joint may weigh 8 to 15 tonnes and require precise controlled lowering or lifting across a moonpool or over the platform edge. Line pull of 30 to 150 kN, line speed of 10 to 25 m\/min (slower than vessel deck tuggers due to the precision positioning requirement). The marine environment on an offshore platform is more aggressive than a vessel deck \u2014 continuous salt spray, high-pressure wash-down after drilling operations, and potential chemical contamination from drilling fluid spills.<\/p>\n

Offshore Construction Vessel and Pipelaying Vessel Tuggers (8,000\u201330,000 Nm):<\/strong> The largest tugger winch applications are found on offshore construction vessels (OCVs) and pipelaying vessels, where tugger winches assist with pipe tensioning, abandonment and recovery (A&R) operations, and controlled lowering of subsea structures. These winches operate in water depths to 3,000 metres, often with dynamic positioning (DP) vessels requiring absolute control over the load at every point in the lowering operation. Line pull up to 300 kN, controlled speed from 0.1 m\/min (subsea structure positioning) to 30 m\/min (free-hanging wire retrieval). The gearbox ratio must be selected to cover this wide speed range with a single motor-gearbox combination, requiring ratios in the range of 100:1 to 800:1 with the winch drum diameter as the defining constraint.<\/p>\n

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Planetary Drive Architecture for Tugger Winch: Why High-Stage Ratios Matter<\/h2>\n

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\"Winch<\/div>\n

The tugger winch gearbox ratio is the parameter that most directly determines the balance between line speed and line pull for a given motor. A lower ratio produces higher line speed but lower line pull; a higher ratio produces lower line speed but higher line pull. Since most tugger winch applications require both fast free-spooling speed and high-torque slow-speed positioning capability, the gearbox ratio must be carefully optimised against the motor torque-speed characteristic:<\/p>\n

Hydraulic Motor Tuggers:<\/strong> Hydraulic motors for tugger winch applications are typically fixed-displacement axial piston motors with rated speeds of 300 to 1,500 rpm and rated torques of 50 to 500 Nm. The line speed at maximum motor speed and the line pull at maximum motor torque define the operating envelope. At a winch drum diameter of 400 mm and a motor speed of 1,000 rpm, a gearbox ratio of 100:1 produces a line speed of (\u03c0 x 0.4 x 1,000\/100) \/ 60 = approximately 21 m\/min \u2014 suitable for active line handling. The same gearbox at maximum motor torque of 200 Nm produces a line pull of (200 x 100) \/ 0.2 = 100,000 N = 100 kN \u2014 adequate for heavy mooring line tensioning.<\/p>\n

Electric Motor Tuggers:<\/strong> Electric tugger winches use AC induction or permanent magnet motors controlled by VFDs, providing continuously variable speed from creep to full speed. The VFD enables constant torque from zero speed to base speed, and constant power from base speed to maximum speed \u2014 a torque-speed characteristic that is inherently well-matched to tugger winch duty without the two-speed gearbox that some hydraulic tuggers require. The gearbox ratio for electric tugger drives is therefore typically lower than for hydraulic motor drives, as the VFD provides the speed reduction at low speed that a hydraulic motor achieves by running at reduced flow. Korea Ever-Power planetary gearboxes for electric tugger applications are supplied with IEC B5 flanges in frames IEC 90 to IEC 200 and integrated speed sensor provisions for VFD feedback.<\/p>\n

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Korea Ever-Power Winch Drive Range \u2014 Tugger Winch Selection Guide<\/h2>\n

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\"ZL55<\/p>\n

Korea Ever-Power planetary winch drive gearboxes for tugger winches span a wide torque range. The ZL55 and ZR75 compact series serve light deck tuggers on commercial vessels, with 1 to 5 planetary stages providing ratios from 3.7:1 to 4,884:1 \u2014 enabling a single housing design to cover both fast free-spooling and heavy-pull applications by simply varying the number of active stages.<\/p>\n

For offshore platform and OCV applications, the 407AW, 417W3, and 419W3 heavy series provide the output torques required for pipe handling and mooring operations, with IP68 FKM marine sealing, SAE flange input, and SAHR brake integration as standard. All models are available with or without integrated holding brake and with either left-hand or right-hand motor mounting to accommodate the drum layout of any winch frame design.<\/p>\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mod\u00e8le<\/th>\nCouple de sortie<\/th>\n\u00c9tapes<\/th>\nPlage de ratios<\/th>\nTypical Application<\/th>\nInput Flange<\/th>\nSeal Grade<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
ZL55<\/td>\n500 \u2013 2,000 Nm<\/td>\n1\u20135<\/td>\n3.7 \u2013 3,497<\/td>\nLight deck tugger, vessel mooring<\/td>\nSAE \/ IEC<\/td>\nIP67<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ZR75<\/td>\n1,500 \u2013 6,000 Nm<\/td>\n2\u20135<\/td>\n5.1 \u2013 4,884<\/td>\nMid-range deck tugger, bulk carrier<\/td>\nSAE \/ IEC<\/td>\nIP67<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
407AW<\/td>\n3,000 \u2013 10,000 Nm<\/td>\n2\u20133<\/td>\n50 \u2013 1,200<\/td>\nPlatform tugger, pipe handling<\/td>\nSAE B\/C \/ IEC<\/td>\nIP68 FKM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
414W3<\/td>\n8,000 \u2013 22,000 Nm<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n100 \u2013 2,500<\/td>\nAHTS towing assist, OCV A&R<\/td>\nSAE C\/D \/ IEC<\/td>\nIP68 FKM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
417W3<\/td>\n15,000 \u2013 30,000 Nm<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n100 \u2013 2,500<\/td>\nHeavy offshore tugger, pipelaying<\/td>\nSAE D \/ IEC<\/td>\nIP68 FKM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

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Holding Brake Design for High-Cycle Tugger Duty<\/h2>\n

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\"417W3<\/p>\n

The holding brake in a tugger winch gearbox faces a fundamentally different duty cycle compared to an anchor windlass brake. A windlass brake may be applied and released 50 to 100 times per year during anchor operations. A tugger winch brake on a busy container vessel may be applied and released 200 to 500 times during a single port call \u2014 engaging momentarily as the line is held between adjustment cycles, and releasing as the winch takes in or pays out slack.<\/p>\n

Multi-Disc Brake Design for High Cycle Life:<\/strong> The SAHR multi-disc brake on Korea Ever-Power tugger winch gearboxes uses sintered metal friction discs rather than the organic friction material used in some lower-cost alternatives. Sintered metal discs maintain a consistent coefficient of friction across a wide temperature range \u2014 critical for a tugger winch brake that may be warm from recent operations or cold from a long sea passage \u2014 and have a cycle life of 50,000 to 100,000 full engagement-release cycles before requiring inspection. The disc pack is a replaceable cartridge that can be exchanged during routine maintenance without removing the gearbox from the winch frame.<\/p>\n

Brake Release Speed:<\/strong> A tugger winch brake that is slow to release loses valuable time during the rapid line-handling sequences of mooring operations. Korea Ever-Power SAHR brake units for tugger applications use a high-flow hydraulic release circuit with a minimum hydraulic connection port diameter of G3\/8 \u2014 ensuring the brake releases within 0.3 seconds of hydraulic pressure reaching the release piston, even with 15-metre hydraulic hose runs from the deck hydraulic power unit to the winch.<\/p>\n

Fail-Safe Hold Under Variable Tension:<\/strong> A tugger winch holding a mooring line is subject to continuously varying tension as the vessel moves with wind, current, and wave action. The brake spring force is calculated to hold the maximum specified line tension plus a 1.5 safety factor, ensuring the line does not pay out under the highest expected dynamic load without operator action. Korea Ever-Power specifies this brake holding torque in the product documentation against the actual winch drum diameter and rope diameter specified by the customer \u2014 not as a generic percentage of rated gearbox torque \u2014 to ensure the brake sizing is directly linked to the line tension the vessel crew will experience in service.<\/p>\n

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Marine Sealing and Environmental Protection for Deck Tugger Winches<\/h2>\n

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\"419W3<\/p>\n

Tugger winches are among the most exposed pieces of equipment on any vessel deck. Positioned at the ship sides, on forecastle and poop decks, and on offshore platform main decks, they receive the direct force of breaking waves, high-pressure wash-down hoses, and in some applications, splash from cargo handling \u2014 all in a continuously salt-saturated environment. The sealing system must handle this abuse without any maintenance intervention between dry-dock periods of 2.5 to 5 years.<\/p>\n

Output Shaft Seal:<\/strong> The output shaft of a tugger winch gearbox connects to the winch drum shaft \u2014 a rotating interface that is directly exposed to deck wash and spray. Korea Ever-Power marine-duty units use a floating face seal cassette (FKM primary seal faces) at the output shaft interface, providing metal-on-metal sealing force independent of shaft runout or vibration. This seal design outperforms radial lip seals in deck machinery applications by a factor of 3 to 5 in service life before oil loss is detected.<\/p>\n

Housing Joint Sealing:<\/strong> The housing joint between the gearbox stages is sealed with a liquid silicone RTV gasket applied at assembly rather than a pre-cut gasket \u2014 the RTV compound flows into surface imperfections and achieves a more consistent seal than a compressed gasket under the cyclic thermal expansion of a deck-mounted gearbox. All housing joint surfaces are machined to Ra 1.6 surface finish before RTV application, and the joint is sealed with stainless steel fasteners torqued to the specified value using a calibrated torque tool at assembly.<\/p>\n

Wash-Down Resistance:<\/strong> Deck wash-down with a 100 bar pressure washer is routine on working vessels between port calls and cargo operations. The gearbox IP68 rating must be maintained under this pressure, and the paint system must resist the detergent-pressure combination without delamination. Korea Ever-Power marine tugger winch gearbox paint systems use an epoxy-polyurethane combination with maximum solvent concentration in the topcoat layer \u2014 ensuring flexibility and adhesion under pressure wash impact rather than the brittle failure mode of high-solids industrial paints applied to outdoor marine equipment.<\/p>\n

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Offshore Platform Tugger Winches: ATEX Zones and Hazardous Area Requirements<\/h2>\n

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\"Winch<\/div>\n

Tugger winches on oil and gas production platforms, FPSOs, and drillships operate in potentially explosive atmospheres \u2014 the deck areas adjacent to wellheads, pipe manifolds, and hydrocarbon processing equipment are classified as Zone 1 or Zone 2 hazardous areas under IEC 60079. This classification imposes additional requirements on the tugger winch gearbox beyond the standard marine sealing and corrosion specifications:<\/p>\n

Surface Temperature Limitation:<\/strong> In Zone 1 and Zone 2 ATEX areas, the maximum surface temperature of any equipment \u2014 including gearbox housings \u2014 must not exceed the ignition temperature of the most likely hydrocarbon gas present, minus a safety margin. For most offshore hydrocarbon environments, the applicable temperature class is T4 (maximum surface temperature 135\u00b0C). Korea Ever-Power offshore tugger winch gearboxes are thermally rated against the T4 class \u2014 the gear mesh efficiency and lubricant specification are selected together to ensure that at maximum rated load and rated ambient temperature, the gearbox external surface temperature remains below 120\u00b0C, providing 15\u00b0C of margin below the T4 limit.<\/p>\n

Spark-Free Breather:<\/strong> The breather-desiccant assembly on an ATEX-rated gearbox must not generate sparks during normal operation or under pressure surge conditions. Korea Ever-Power offshore-rated winch drive gearboxes are fitted with a stainless steel flame arrester on the breather outlet \u2014 preventing any internal ignition source from propagating to the external atmosphere through the breather path.<\/p>\n

Hydraulic Fluid Compatibility:<\/strong> Many offshore platforms use fire-resistant hydraulic fluids rather than standard mineral oil in their deck machinery hydraulic circuits, to reduce fire risk in the event of hydraulic line rupture near ignition sources. Korea Ever-Power SAHR brake release circuits on offshore-rated winch drive gearboxes are compatible with HFDU (water-glycol) and HFDR (phosphate ester) fire-resistant hydraulic fluids, with the internal hydraulic circuits manufactured from stainless steel and PTFE-lined hose rather than standard carbon steel to prevent corrosive attack from these fluids.<\/p>\n

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Manufacturing and Testing: Built for 25 Years of Deck Service<\/h2>\n

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\"Korea<\/div>\n

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\"Planetary<\/p>\n

Every Korea Ever-Power tugger winch gearbox undergoes a production test protocol before shipment. The test bench replicates the actual torque, speed, and brake cycling conditions of the target application \u2014 not a simplified no-load spin test:<\/p>\n

Cyclic Load Test:<\/strong> The gearbox is operated for 200 cycles of haul-hold-pay sequence at rated line pull, simulating the mooring line handling duty of a busy port call. Oil temperature and vibration are recorded continuously. Any temperature rise beyond the specified stabilisation limit, or any vibration signature change between the first and last cycle, triggers investigation before shipment.<\/p>\n

Brake Cycling Endurance:<\/strong> The integrated SAHR brake is cycled 500 times \u2014 engage under load, hold for 10 seconds, release, repeat \u2014 before the disc pack is inspected for wear, glazing, or deformation. This test verifies the disc pack quality and the hydraulic release circuit response time against specification.<\/p>\n

Oil Leak Check:<\/strong> After the load test, the gearbox is pressure-tested at the specified IP rating \u2014 for IP68 units, the housing is pressurised to 0.15 bar and monitored for bubble formation in a water bath. All housing joint and seal interfaces must show zero bubble formation over a 10-minute test period.<\/p>\n

Documentation Package:<\/strong> Each unit ships with material certificates for all structural and gear components, gear accuracy inspection reports (tooth profile, lead, pitch error measured on a gear measuring centre), dimensional inspection report against the agreed drawing, load test chart, brake holding torque certification, and paint DFT measurement report. This documentation package supports classification society approval and vessel delivery documentation without additional testing on the vessel.<\/p>\n

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Common Tugger Winch Gearbox Failures and Prevention<\/h2>\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mode de d\u00e9faillance<\/th>\nCause premi\u00e8re<\/th>\nDetection<\/th>\nPrevention<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Brake disc overheating<\/td>\nContinuous partial engagement during sustained line tension hold \u2014 disc slipping rather than fully locked<\/td>\nBurnt smell from brake area; reduced holding torque at next port call<\/td>\nVerify brake release pressure is fully applied before haul operations; inspect disc pack at each dry-dock<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Input shaft seal wear<\/td>\nHigh-pressure wash-down forcing seawater past a lip seal not rated for directional pressure<\/td>\nMilky oil appearance; water in oil sample at monthly check<\/td>\nSpecify FKM floating face seal at input; avoid directing pressure washer jets directly at shaft seal area<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ring gear tooth wear<\/td>\nProlonged operation with degraded oil \u2014 overextended oil change interval in high-cycle duty<\/td>\nIncreasing noise at haul speed; metallic debris at drain plug<\/td>\nChange oil at 500 h in high-cycle tugger duty \u2014 shorter than standard 1,000 h interval<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hydraulic release circuit blockage<\/td>\nContaminated hydraulic fluid or corrosion in release circuit \u2014 brake slow to release or fails to release<\/td>\nSluggish brake response; gearbox overheating from brake drag during haul<\/td>\nAnnual hydraulic circuit flush; use fire-resistant hydraulic fluid with anti-corrosion additives in offshore service<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Housing paint delamination<\/td>\nInadequate surface preparation before paint application \u2014 mill scale not fully removed from casting surfaces<\/td>\nBlistering paint at housing ribs; substrate corrosion visible at blisters within 2 years of installation<\/td>\nSpecify Sa 2.5 blast standard before paint application; verify DFT at each coat before proceeding to next coat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

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Why Shipbuilders and Vessel Operators Choose Korea Ever-Power for Tugger Winch Drives<\/h2>\n

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\"Korea<\/div>\n

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100k<\/p>\n

Brake cycles \u2014 sintered metal disc pack endurance rating before inspection is required, verified in production endurance testing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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0.3 s<\/p>\n

Brake release time \u2014 high-flow hydraulic circuit ensures fast brake response for rapid line-handling sequences in port<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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IP68<\/p>\n

Sustained immersion and 100 bar wash-down resistance on all heavy-series units \u2014 FKM floating face seals on output shaft<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ATEX<\/p>\n

Zone 1 and Zone 2 offshore platform configurations \u2014 T4 surface temperature rating with stainless flame arrester breather<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Korea Ever-Power application engineers provide free tugger winch gearbox sizing based on your specified line pull, line speed, motor type, and drum diameter. For vessels requiring winch drives for multiple applications \u2014 anchor windlass, tugger winches, and cargo cranes \u2014 we can supply all drive units under a single supply agreement with consistent documentation and compatible spare parts.<\/p>\n

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\"Korea<\/p>\n

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Source Your Tugger Winch Drive Planetary Gearbox<\/h2>\n

Whether you are specifying new tugger winch drive gearboxes for a vessel under construction, replacing worn units on an operating vessel, or sourcing offshore platform winch drives for a hazardous area installation \u2014 Korea Ever-Power delivers marine-grade planetary winch drive gearboxes built for the full vessel design life. Send us your line pull, line speed, motor specification, and drum diameter for a free gearbox sizing, brake holding torque calculation, and dimensional drawing within 48 hours.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcd1 View Winch Drive Range<\/a>
\n\ud83d\udcde Request Application Review<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Edit by Cxm<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winch Drive Series \u2014 Marine & Offshore Equipment Winch Drive Planetary Gearbox for Tugger Winch Tugger winches are the workhorses of every vessel deck \u2014 used for line handling, cargo positioning, mooring operations, and towing assistance in conditions ranging from harbour berths to offshore platforms in extreme weather. The winch drive planetary gearbox behind each […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[965],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-application-and-technical-guid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1227"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1229,"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1227\/revisions\/1229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetary-gearboxes.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}