Winch for trailer

[Sarge 3,463]

I'm going to try to remember to look at this week - have to run some errands over that direction anyway and hit the local welding supply . If the quality/metal is junk I'll report back . One issue with worm gear drives is most don't have a free-wheel function so you can pull the cable out . Dutton has one obscure model but I can't find it right now - 2spd with high/low , worm drive (far stronger/better built with bronze bushings or bearings) and a free-wheel option . Their web site is a pain to wade through and try to find the right model - maybe I'll give them a call like I did for the hydraulic press lift - that thing works awesome with little effort no matter how much iron I load onto the bed . Got a really bad back and deteriorated vertebrae so I have to be really careful what I lift . Need to find a different place with a decent garage or room to build a small metal shop . A lift table along with a hydraulic lift cart would sure help make it easier to do this stuff instead of having to wait for some poor sap to come over and help , lol . My son in law is almost to the point of avoiding me when I'm working on a project around here....been using him for a fork lift as he's young and pretty well built in his mid-20's .

 

Sarge

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,513]

27 minutes ago, Professor1990 said:

I looked at that same winch myself. I'm always one to read the reviews before making a purchase...the reviews I read through we're not good enough to convince me of the product

BTW, we also have a new store near me.  I hope they have some of these winches in stock so I can have a first hand look at them.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,319]

59 minutes ago, T-Mo said:

BTW, we also have a new store near me.  I hope they have some of these winches in stock so I can have a first hand look at them.

If you get a chance to look one over...please do and report back...our nearest store is almost 3 hrs away so can't really just run over to look at one 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,513]

15 hours ago, Professor1990 said:

If you get a chance to look one over...please do and report back...our nearest store is almost 3 hrs away so can't really just run over to look at one 

Will do.  It will probably be no earlier than this weekend though.

[rmaynard 15,633]

Just my 2 cents worth. I would look for one with a wired remote control. Mine has a 12 foot wired in/out/stop control switch. With that, I can be right with the tractor while winching. Only thing I would change would be the length. Another 6 feet would be ideal for my 12 foot trailer.

[Sarge 3,463]

I've built a lot of winch controllers over the years , they aren't hard to do and a simple search in the 4wd world will find the wiring diagrams for almost any winch made to date . Most of what I've done are in-cab hard wired controls mounted in easy reach in the cab - nothing worse than trying to run that remote cable and keep it out of big mud tires and obstacles - seen some accidents caused that way . Be wary of the Chinese hand held controllers - their switches can overheat and cause them to weld the contacts shut - you can't shut it off and should leave provisions to add a battery cutoff switch or use a heavy starter solenoid to provide master power so it can be shut down safely . Lot of the ATV and rock crawler guys have gotten mangled hands when the winch gets hot and won't shut down - some ugly videos out there .

Sarge

[Sarge 3,463]

I did get a chance to check out those winches at Harbor Freight the other day - not really impressed with the worm gear type as it has no provisions for free spooling the cable . That would be a true pain in the butt - it takes a lot of turns on the handle to get very far at all . Most components in it seem reasonably well built . The lighter duty 2k gear winch with steel cable is the best bang for the buck and not impressed with the flat strap style boat winch - that strap is some pretty cheap material and would probably fail easily before the winch's max pull was reached , only 900lbs max . The middle gear winch with cable is the best , seems decent quality parts and the frame on it is at least heavy enough gauge for it's rating . Gotta take all this with a grain of salt , I'm used to dealing with Dutton-Lansing and those are about as good as it gets in the hand winch world . If you want one for long term and don't have to worry about it failing and want the added features of a self-holding brake and easy reversing I'd stick the D/L brand or similar . Aside from the cost of the battery , it is pretty cheap putting an ATV winch on your trailer and use the 7th wire in a truck's plug system (if equipped) to keep the battery charged . Works great on a friend's trailer as he parts out old equipment and runs his winch pretty hard . Need to upgrade his truck to a heavier power source on the trailer plug and set it up with a charging circuit regulator - he's working his 3500lb ATV winch pretty hard and really should step up to a full size truck winch around 8k or better .

 

Sarge

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,319]

Thanks for the input and taking the time to look at the different winches. I was actually thinking about running a battery cable off the battery in my truck back to the rear bumper with one of those quick connect welding lead plugs on the end of it, then putting a matching cable on the winch where I can just plug it in and run it off the truck battery so as to not have to buy a separate battery for the trailer

[82Caddy 851]

I'm sure most of you have found this and bookmarked it by now, but if you haven't...  here's a harbor freight coupon database.  

 

http://www.hfqpdb.com/

 

% off coupons, No purchase required, free with purchase and so on.  Everyone I know is getting a tape measure and screwdriver set for Christmas.  Why?  Because I drive by a Harbor Freight every day going to work so I stop and get something.

[Sarge 3,463]

Be aware that even a small ATV winch will draw 50-100 amps easily - that's a pretty big battery cable to run the length of the truck and at the gauge required would cost double the winch easily unless you get lucky and find some free welding leads .

I built the friend's setup with a cheap L&G battery for that reason - it works great and can pull full load for at least 15mins before any real voltage drop occurs . I suspect the limit is really the 30a circuit on the truck's center power wire in the 7-wire hitch plug . On our shops old race car hauler we finally just went with a full size truck winch and generator setup to run additional lighting for night work at the pits during races . Great thing was the old generator also had a battery charging post and jump starting setup built into it - the thing could run the winch until it melted , lol - which did finally happen trying to straighten part of the cars frame from a wreck in the heat race . Dirt Modifieds will teach you how to straighten metal quickly..

 

Sarge