[sdbob]

Thinking about buying winch to load car onto trailer.I won't use it alot.I want something reliable,good dedign. Tractor supply, harbor freight, or name brand on sale? Thanks Bob

[DOC]

I use a 4500lb "Viper" ATV winch I bought off ebay. it has pulled cars and a full size pickup onto the trailer easily. These did not have locked brakes or flat tires but otherwise, easy pull up the trailer. I welded a receiver hitch onto the trailer and then made a bracket that allows me to slide the winch into the receiver. This also allows me to keep the winch inside when not in use. the winch wiring is a welding connection plug and use a 12v car battery in an oversize battery box mounted to the frame. The winch relay is mounted inside the battery box to keep it clean and dry. this battery also takes care of the emergency brakes for the trailer as well.

[buds56]

I bought a cheap 12,000 lb. one from harbor freight last year
I believe with a super coupon it was $299
It pulled a 62 catalina conv. with four flats up a hill on to the trailer with no problem
I only use the trailer a few times a year and it sure beats the come along I've used for years.

[marxjunk]

ive had a bunch of warn winches, NO MORE..my new one is a super winch...just a great piece, and dead quiet..very reasonable on the money too

one thing i checked was service parts...because i got tired of paying 100+ bux for controllers for Warns (last one was $160... what a joke)..and then the relay controller pack was really expensive for warn..and ive replaced 2.,,,after i replaced the last warn controller, it was time to change, i bet ive bought enough controllers over the past decade to pay for 3 winches...believe me it sucks when the controller dies in your hand because they are just junk...and thats why i changed..until now, ive never had anything but a warn..the winch part its self was a good piece on the warn...and if i used mine 3 or 4 times a year prob more than i ever needed.but when ya use it at least 2 or 3 time a week.and some times 3 or 4 times a day for weeks...they just wont last

[The Boss]

Originally Posted by buds56

I bought a cheap 12,000 lb. one from harbor freight last year
I believe with a super coupon it was $299
It pulled a 62 catalina conv. with four flats up a hill on to the trailer with no problem
I only use the trailer a few times a year and it sure beats the come along I've used for years.

Same here, had a mount fabricated to fit into a receiver in two directions so I can mount it in my hitch or on my trailer. Dragged this TA onto the trailer with flat tires & in park without even straining.

[sdbob]

Looked on offroad,garage webs.Preferences seemed to be all over.I was thinking warn,hmm,about controller. Thanks

[Jim Scites]

I have a 600lb Superwinch that has been great. I have a 20ft plus 2 foot ramp tilt trailer and it has pulled everything up on it except for the F2504X4 that weighed almost 8000 lbs.

[The Boss]

The harbor freight model has an 80' cable & comes with a 12'? wired remote but for another $35 you can get the wireless one - well worth the money!

[sdbob]

Decision time. Thanks guys.going to look at HF Tuesday.

[JSPONT]

Make sure she is tall and has meat on her bones to pull 4000 lbs. Have her sign a pre nup though.
Oh I'm sorry you said winch!

[mechanic17]

I use a $25 hand winch for a boat trailer that I bolted onto a receiver hitch. Maybe $75 total investment. Double the 5/16 cable and the worm gear goes slow, but a 5000 car will go up with no wiring, no battery drain, and no rust because I toss it in back of the truck seat. You check the alignment of the car as she goes up and rest as you check. Will never not work, unless you have a heart attack, in which case your troubles are over

[marxjunk]

when you buy harb freight stuff you get what you pay for..low end stuff..if you use it once in awhile prob not a bad thing..the truth is when i gave up on my warn..i looked everywhere and at everything...and the super winch was not much more, i mean 40 or 50 not 100s..and the quality was so much better....just a side note....

[lust4speed]

...and on the bottom end of the scale is a cute little 2,500 pound rated winch that came with the used enclosed trailer I purchased. Just barely pulls my 3,300 pound drag car up the loading ramp. It's on the list of upgrades we plan to do shortly. Then again, this little electric winch is better than giving myself a heart attack using mechanic17's manual boat winch.

[sdbob]

Winch on hold,long story. Thanks for the info guys. Probably save up for Super winch.

[Trulyvintage]

Originally Posted by marxjunk

when you buy harb freight stuff you get what you pay for..low end stuff..if you use it once in awhile prob not a bad thing..the truth is when i gave up on my warn..i looked everywhere and at everything...and the super winch was not much more, i mean 40 or 50 not 100s..and the quality was so much better....just a side note....

Are you speaking from firsthand experience ?

I switched to HF winches about (4) years ago.

I use mine daily over 300 days a year.

Never had a problem.

My current model is the 12K one w/ the wireless remote mounted on the winch plate sold separately inside my trailer next to a 12VDC deep cycle marine battery
that remains charged off the 7 way plug on my tow vehicle.

This model has a drum tensioner which helps keep the cable from tangling.

Every day I use it - I get a lot more than I paid for.


Jim

[Carl S]

I bought a 12,000 HF winch about a year ago. I have tortured that poor thing and it's still working great. It has long paid for itself because it pulled some scrap cars out of the mad that had been sinking there for 25+ years. I sold those cars when scrap prices where up and LONG paid for that winch ($299 on sale).

They like my story so much they use it at the bottom of their coupon when the winch comes on sale.If you want to see how much I love that winch, you can read my testimonial here.

[The Boss]

The 80 foot cable comes in handy too - I had a car I was pulling out of a tight mechanics yard where I couldn't get close. Hooked it up and my buddy "drove" it out steering around other cars to get it into the lane where I could get it up on the trailer.

[Sirrotica]

I talked to a guy I know that had a HF winch on his trailer that uses it a bunch. He said he bought the 3 year warranty when he bought it, and had used it once to get another winch when his original wore out. He also told me he got the 12,000 Lb one so he had more than he needed much of the time.

He deals in used parts and dismantles cars for their parts so I know he hauls in a lot of dead cars, flat tires, stuck in the mud etc. If you were planning on using it a lot, the warranty might be the way to go just in case you got a lemon. He also had his bolted to the trailer so it was outside in the weather. A quick disconnect mount and wiring would just help keep it dry and less susceptible to corrosion.

Most of the bad reviews on HF I read said either the circuit breakers were installed incorrectly, or the winch got water inside and rusted and corroded causing failure. Also at 100% usage, the duty cycle drops to 5%. Doubting you'd be using it to full potential on a trailer, just something to be aware of. That would be a lot of cooling off time versus winching time.

You might want to keep in mind that the HF winch supposedly has all the things needed to mount it and wire it included. Opposed to other companies that sell those components as extras.

I imagine same as many things made in China the initial R&D was paid for by someone else and the tooling was used to make copies of brand name products for sale for less under another name. The Honda clone small engines are one that comes to mind. Many parts from a Honda will directly interchange with the Chinese clone engines.

Milemarker is also another company that is supposed to have a good winch at a reasonable price, so far I see no mention of their winch line.

Any electric winch used on a trailer should have a battery (deep cycle would be preferred) on the trailer and be capable of being charged from the trailer electrical connection to the tow vehicle. Also the larger the wire to any and all components will cause less headaches as well as carry current better under heavy use.

[madokie]

as far as asian made goes, i have always heard that Smity Bilt winches are better than any other asian made.