Trailer winch...

Jeffncs

Jeffncs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Location
Wake Forest
Am I wasting my time with a 3500# winch on a trailer with a 5000# capacity? I won’t be pulling dead weight, just a disabled, but rolling vehicles.

I own a 3500# now that’s sitting on my garage floor waiting to go on something, but considering selling for a 4500# or larger...

Thoughts?
 
I used a 3500lb on my old trailer. I drug a 4 door sidekick with no rear axle onto the trailer with it. It didn't like it but it worked. Current trailer has my old Engo 10k on it.
 
before it died I had a 4500 lb winch that I used with a snatch block often. granted unless it was a small car it never liked the loads but as others stated just use it and then upgrade
 
Jeffncs said:
Am I wasting my time with a 3500# winch on a trailer with a 5000# capacity? I won’t be pulling dead weight, just a disabled, but rolling vehicles.

I own a 3500# now that’s sitting on my garage floor waiting to go on something, but considering selling for a 4500# or larger...

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

@Rox&Mud has one of the shitty little harbor freight atv winches on his trailer that works awesome. Dragged a carcass with no axles up on the trailer (had wood sleepers and a snatch block).
 
I may or may not have that same shitty 3500# HF winch on the garage floor... guy sold it to me for $75 (NIB) minus the line which is actually why he bought the winch to start.

I have since snagged a synthetic line. I’ll still need to come up with a battery and and mounting box for it and the solenoid pack. I’m into this little winch for $95.
 
This is my HF 3500lb setup. I bought their atv winch plate and thr cheapest reciever insert they had, welded them together, and had a reciever tube mount on my trailer. This gave you a clevis hook to hook a working winch on a vehicle too, or to double back to if using a snatch block.

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what do most of you guys do for cable to the battery......or are you running a chargeable deep cycle on the tongue?
 
I have a set of 2/0 welding cable ran to the rear of my truck with an Anderson connector on them. The winch also has a connector. I made a short pigtail to reach the winch mount on the trailer. It has worked well for several years. Before I ran the cables it seemed like finding a good battery was the hardest part of trailer winching.

My winch is on a receiver cradle and I have used it many times from the rear of the truck too.

I also made up a set of jumper cables to plug into them. Works awesome jumping a junker on the trailer.
 
thecj3man said:
I have a set of 2/0 welding cable ran to the rear of my truck with an Anderson connector on them. The winch also has a connector. I made a short pigtail to reach the winch mount on the trailer. It has worked well for several years. Before I ran the cables it seemed like finding a good battery was the hardest part of trailer winching.

My winch is on a receiver cradle and I have used it many times from the rear of the truck too.

I also made up a set of jumper cables to plug into them. Works awesome jumping a junker on the trailer.
Click to expand...
Cannot decide if i want permanent wires under my tow pig or a set capable of hooking up when needed. Considering a quick smaller set of cables and a deep cycle battery. Would actually try and match my camper unit. Would give me an excuse to keep it more current for dry camping.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Cannot decide if i want permanent wires under my tow pig or a set capable of hooking up when needed. Considering a quick smaller set of cables and a deep cycle battery. Would actually try and match my camper unit. Would give me an excuse to keep it more current for dry camping.
Click to expand...
On my last tow vehicle I had a Anderson quick connect coming off the battery under the hood. Then I had a cable with connectors that would reach the trailer. Quick connect on the winch as well. Pop the hood and hook up the winch and was rolling.
 
I have a deep cycle battery with a solar charger on each trailer with an Anderson connector for the winch.

Duane
 
When I rewired the trailer in 2017 (pre-first Moab trip), I dropped a <$80 "Duracell deep-cycle from Sam's in it... SOB if that fawker doesn't stay charged for MONTHS between uses!
Can't decide if it's all the time spent using quality components (wire/connectors/logic) or the battery is that good? 🤣

Just need to install the Chiwanese "Albright"-style contactor I've had for a year (replacing what appears to be 4 Ford starter solenoids I got from @guffey24 about 18 years ago)... controlling the remnants of a 4k# "Northern Hydraulics" (rebadged/de-rated Ramsey REP8000) I've had for 20 years... I gotta get busy! 🙄
 
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