OT Winch size

[550Doug]

I want to get a winch for my trailer but I dont know how to calculate its capacity. The heaviest tractor that I currently have is about 7000 lbs, so would a 2000 lb winch suffice if I double up with a block? I figure on a 30 degree ramp I"d need 3500 lbs pulling capicity, so maybe that would work. I would have a 12v battery box running it. What is your experince with loading iron?
Thanks

 

[IBorange in TX]

On the winches, remember that pulling force is when the cable makes its first wrap around the drum and it decreases as the cable is wound around the drum. If you use several pulleys, you could move iron with a small boat winch. The number pulleys will multiply your pulling force, but you have to give up both speed and cable. In other words, you must have a very long cable.
HTH
mb

 

[Mark - IN.]

It should as long as cable is long enough to use enough snatch blocks, AND as long as your mounting will take it. For every snatch block you add, you cut the force to the winch and blocks by 1/2. The blocks use leverage to cut or reduce the load.

My first use of a winch was a total failure and disaster. Was in Germany on a loaded 5 ton 6x6 mired in mud. Mired, mired, buried, stuuuuuuck. Cable was probably 5/8" as I recall, and was a long drag out to that huge tree that nearly killed me to begin with, and didn't use one of the several snatch blocks available on hand. What a friggin snot nosed know nothing punk nitwit I was, and sometimes still am. Once around that huge tree, engaged that huge PTO driven winch, and eased off of the clutch. It started to pull, cable got banjo tight, and the pin that locked the winch drum to the shaft sheared off. That winch was done, the cable pulled so tight (bit) into the cable loops on the drum that could've had 10 guys jumping up and down on the cable and not loosened it, and the truck wasn't going nowhere. And on top of it, the cable cut into the tree bark, and the Germans didn't take kindly to that. I ultimately got the shaft to spin enough so I could punch just enough of the sheared pin to catch between the drum and shaft to back off the cable, and the bridge builders used a huge Cat to get that truck unstuck. Never made that mistake again. No matter the winch, always use snatch blocks to cut the weight/drag...unless is a winch on the "back" of a 10 ton military wrecker, with about a 1" cable, and good luck dragging that guy out.

 

[Leland]

harbor freight has some decent 8000+ winchs pretty cheap ,but it probley would take more than 1 battery to load since those winchs drain small batterys fast .you may have to run a wire back from truck to charge battery to use winch or buy one of those huge 12v batterys that is as big as 4 car batts they work good for winchs .

 

[led]

Leland made good point, I use a deep cell battery with 7 pin hookup on trailer which charges battery while you drive.

Led

 

[Mark - IN.]

You are exactly right. Enough pulleys/blocks, can move a building with that thing, but is a slow drawn out pull. Muscle doesn't move fast though.

IB eh? They were something. Saw a guy selling one as part of a package deal on Ebay out of Arkansas with a Two-Twenty about a year ago, but were too far away. The saliva was oozing out of both sides of my mouth and went into a mindless tranz for a day or two-twenty.

 

[Anonymous-0]

My 8000 or 8500 winch will down a battery by the time the rear wheels of the tractor touch the ramps on the gooseneck. An "A" John Deere will do that. Only way to make a winch work in my opinion is to hook directly to the pickup charging system and or use a snatch block to cut the load. Mine works great on plows but a hydraulic winch is the best for good pulling power.

 

[Oldmax]

Get the biggest you can Pay for a 10,000 if you can . I use a home brew Hyd winch powerd by a 5 1/2 HP honda gas engine. made from parts I collected over the years total cost about $70 .

 

[HENRY E NC]

Harbor Freight has a 3000 lb winch for a little over 100$ that I use to load my M. I USE A sNATCH block on the tractor and bring it back to the front of the trailer. Also have a deep cycle trolling battery from Wal-Mart for power. Good for two loads before charging Only loaded it twice so far just to test it out.

 

[KEB]

I have an 8,000 lb Champion winch I got from Costco (think its the same one HF sells) and a run of the mill deep cycle battery mounted on the trailer. I've never run the battery down loading anything. I've put two non-running tractors on the trailer and still had plenty of power left for the winch.

I do have the battery wired to charge from the tow vehicle like an RV, but I don't normally leave the truck running when I'm using the winch.

I usually use a snatch block just to slow down the speed at which stuff comes up the ramps, plus it reduces strain on the winch. I try not to push cheap stuff to anywhere near its rating. I suspect that might have something to do with the battery lasting longer also, since the winch motor doesn't generate anywhere near as much heat with the snatch block. The wire size in the motor is probably marginal, and putting a really heavy load on it results in a lot of energy loss as heat due to the undersized windings. Even though it runs twice as long with the snatch block, it draws a lot less than 1/2 the current...

Its not a Warn, but it works for what I need and was less than half the price of a good one.

 

[KEB]

I have an 8,000 lb Champion winch I got from Costco (think its the same one HF sells) and a run of the mill deep cycle battery mounted on the trailer. I've never run the battery down loading anything. I've put two non-running tractors on the trailer and still had plenty of power left for the winch.

I do have the battery wired to charge from the tow vehicle like an RV, but I don't normally leave the truck running when I'm using the winch.

I usually use a snatch block just to slow down the speed at which stuff comes up the ramps, plus it reduces strain on the winch. I try not to push cheap stuff to anywhere near its rating. I suspect that might have something to do with the battery lasting longer also, since the winch motor doesn't generate anywhere near as much heat with the snatch block. The wire size in the motor is probably marginal, and putting a really heavy load on it results in a lot of energy loss as heat due to the undersized windings. Even though it runs twice as long with the snatch block, it draws a lot less than 1/2 the current...

Its not a Warn, but it works for what I need and was less than half the price of a good one.

 

[buickanddeere]

A 8000lb winch is best not loaded over 4000lbs. And that's on the 1st wind of cable on the spool.
As previously stated the load should be moved with a 2 to 1 ratio pulley block.
There is no hurry. The slower speed causes less wear/tear on the winch. Plus if something starts to go wrong with the haul. It's not going to happen as fast.

 

[neblinc]

This link is a good read. Learned something about the clamps myself.

http://www.innovation-engineering.co.uk/theory.htm

Randy