winch for open trailer

[shortrack]

ok bought a used open trailer, all metal, 16ft 3500lb tandem axle with beavertail, yeah 18 would have been better but the car will fit and the space I have to park it is VERY tight....Im going to want to winch the car on.....what do you guys use?....the biggest manual boat winch I saw at the supply store was 2500lbs, I figure the car will probably wiegh somewhere between 32 and 3500lbs....does anyone use electric?....the electric ones I saw were not cheap....manual? electric??....any ideas? thnx D

[edog1]

Buy the electric winch it will cost more initially but after loading a few cars it is well worth the money. I would suggest at least a 5000 lb winch. You could probably get away with a smaller winch but when you start trying to drag cars on to the trailer with flat tires, brakes locked and angle of the ramp it puts a heavy load on the winch. The line speed is something you might want to consider when you start shopping.

[gearheads78]

I have a 10K Ramsey that cost me $75.00 on mine. (I got lucky and found it sitting in a field on an old wrecked ramp truck that had been sitting 15 years. I had to take it off and bought a solinoid kit to get it working) It will pull a car upside down out of a mud pit if needed.

[shortrack]

thanks - I saw one winch that had a 2000lb "dead pull'' rating and a 6000lb "rolling stock" rating....Ive never heard of a "rolling stock" rating....anyone know anything about that??

[Randy67]

This will help you with winch selection.

http://www.superwinch.com/Trailer_Winch_Selection.html

[David Pozzi]

I have a 3000 lb Superwinch and it's worked beautifully, highly recommend it. I think anything smaller would let you down if the battery was a bit low or the power leads were on the long side. Lots of things happen to cut power, like every added cable wrap on the spool reduces power. You want a winch with reverse and one that has the freespooling feature so you can just pull the cable out to reach the car without having to run the motor in reverse all the way.
David

[Rileys68Camaro]

Dead pull would be like lifting the vehicle, rolling stock would be if it the weight is on the ground but being pulled.

Kind of like pushing a vehicle. A couple guys could push it as it's rolling load, but those same guys could never lift it.

[rwhite_692]

I have one of the little $69 harbor freight 12v winches on the front of my car trailer and it works like a charm. I run it using a portable battery jump-starter pack. It even has a wireless remote. I'm sure it's not going to last forever but for the occasional use, it's been fine. When it dies I'll happily buy another one.

[shortrack]

This will help you with winch selection.

http://www.superwinch.com/Trailer_Winch_Selection.html

thats what I needed..thanks!

[shortrack]

I have a 3000 lb Superwinch and it's worked beautifully, highly recommend it. I think anything smaller would let you down if the battery was a bit low or the power leads were on the long side. Lots of things happen to cut power, like every added cable wrap on the spool reduces power. You want a winch with reverse and one that has the freespooling feature so you can just pull the cable out to reach the car without having to run the motor in reverse all the way.
David

the place nearby sells Superwinch.....the reverse would be good when the car doesnt go on straight but the freespooling feature is something I never even thought of, a real time saver for sure, thanks....thanks for the "Winch 101'' everyone and I didnt even have to watch "Extreme 4x4" lol......D



oh and did you know TIPS stands for "to insure prompt service"

[dropit69]

just watch ebay i snagged a warn works 3700 one for 245 shipped to my house ..there are usually plenty of them on there just sit when ya got time and snipe one ..i love mine itll pull anything up it..

[JWilson]

I still have a SuperWinch 3500 on my trailer from my dirt tracking days. It performed flawlessly, and some times loaded more of a dead pull than a rolling one.

[tommycomfort]

Although I am a hater of foreign built stuff, I bought a Harbor Freight 10,000 lbs winch that has been working great for us since 2006. We have drug countless parts cars up on the trailer and some with no wheels and tires (or suspension for that matter) without issue. I think we waited for a sale and bought it for around $350.

[TT302Z28]

I am using a 9000XDI from Warn but I had it left over from my 4 x 4 days. I added the remote control feature so now I can drive the car on using the remote to control the wench.

I have seen the $75 harbor freight units work well but burn up fast if over loaded.