Winch for car hauler trailer

[signcrafter]

Have a car hauler trailer that I want to put a winch on to pull dead cars and trucks up onto it. What is a decent one and what size do I need? Harbor freight has a 9000 pound for 320 bucks, https://www.harborfreight.com/9000-...-with-automatic-load-holding-brake-63769.html. they also have a 12000 pound for 400 bucks. Is the 9000 pound enough to pull a vehicle up the ramps? Or is there a better option then the harbor freight one for not much more money?

 

[SILVERPLATE]

I used the 9000 HF winch on my car trailer. Probably a little of kill but love it and the wireless remote. I have the HF trailer box on the front which is also a great box for the money. I mounted the control box along with the battery in the box. Real nice set-up.

 

[cvairwerks]

Rolling load or dead load makes a difference.

 

[marinusdees]

I have a tilt bed trailer. I have winched a fair number of vehicles onto it. I started with a small winch similar to those used for fairly large boats. It required a ****** block for most vehicles, but using a ****** block basically doubles the pulling power. Now I have a Warn 8000 lb power in only antique given to me by my son. It is fast, faster than I need, and I have never needed to use a ****** block. IMHO, a 9,000 lb winch is overkill unless you want to load a loaded 3/4 ton pickup without using a ****** block.
How are you going to power the winch?? A dedicated battery mounted on the trailer? You have to make sure it is charged, and it's another battery to buy/maintain. I use the tow vehicle battery and have a 20+ foot heavy gauge welding cable to reach the battery on my Suburban, x'cab pickup, or K-5 Blazer. I leave the engine running and if I remember, turn on the headlights. My 30 year Toyota mechanic buddy says this kicks the alternator in the ****, I dunno. I only use a long lead for the positive leg and sometimes the trailer hitch is sufficient for the ground. If not, I use a jumper cable to the tow vehicle's frame. I think if I were buying, I'd stay at or under 5,000 lbs. If you're inclined, you can then carry the winch inside. When I was using the smaller winch, I used a plate that attached to a trailer ball mounted to the front of the trailer that allowed me to store the winch inside. With the Warn, it is (semi)-permanently mounted to the front of the trailer and I cover it with a HF plastic tarp and a bungee cord. The bigger the winch and load, the more power it will draw, meaning serious amps. You need a switch heavy enough to handle the current. I tried a HF remote, didn't like the way it sometimes didn't work. Seemed like it didn't want to handle the high current.
If your trailer doesn't tilt you'll have to pull the vehicle up, probably need a little more pull up the ramps. Of course this depend on the length of the ramps and the height of the trailer. Sometimes you can take advantage of the terrain and use a hill or rise to help. Even so, a 5,000 lb winch with a block would generate 10,000 lbs (theoretically). Unless you're loading 2- ton trucks it should work.

Good luck.

 

[McFarmer]

If anyone is in an agricultural area those tall silos have awesome winches at the bottom of them. Could be had pretty cheap, with maybe a hundred feet of cable or more.

 

[pwschuh]

For a premium brand winch, 12K would be way overkill for a trailer winch. With a HF winch, given the slight cost difference, I would go for the larger winch just because it would be relatively unstressed in this application and give you more service life.

 

[Jrems]

I was in the same boat a few weeks ago, couldnt figure out a weight rating, after i bought a 9k i saw this video, not exactly the same, but really helpful if your a numbers person and your pulling stuff on wheels. ,

 

[mikegt4]

I have a Warn 3700 winch for my trailer, mounted on a hitch so that I can place it in the receiver at the front of the trailer or into the receiver on any tow vehicle. I don't leave it out unattended so it hasn't walked away yet. One time I put it in the receiver of a dead vehicle and self winched it out of a spot that I couldn't get my trailer or tow vehicle into. Of course this means getting a winch that you can lift and carry.

 

[jkesselr]

I bought my car trailer off my uncle. When he owned it, he bought a 3500 pound HF winch for it and I told him he was out of his damn mind. I’ll be a son of a ***** if it hasn’t pulled every vehicle right up onto that trailer just fine. And it has stubby little ramps, so the incline *****. Given the HF options, I would probably go for the 5k. A bit more poop than the 3.5k, but not as heavy and likely not as power hungry as the 9k. Just my $0.02...

 

[barnumflight]

I've been happy with my 9000lb HF winch. Use it to pull non working farm tractors and other equipment onto my 16' trailer. Definately recomend shelling out the extra 30 bucks for the wireless kit. It is great when you are by yourself and need to steer the equipment and get pulled on.

 

[nikerret]

I have a Warn 9000 lbs winch. It never sweats pulling vehicles up the ramps. I use a very large dump truck battery that charges off the truck.

 

[Rt jam]

Alot of this answer depends on the angle of your ramps. As long as your winch line is long enough. Send it to the car, use a pulley. Then connect the winch line to an eyelet on the trailer. This doubles the power.

 

[nikerret]

Alot of this answer depends on the angle of your ramps. As long as your winch line is long enough. Send it to the car, use a pulley. Then connect the winch line to an eyelet on the trailer. This doubles the power.

I have a 20k ****** block, for this purpose. Never used it.

It can also be used to pull at angles, but I’ve always been able to position the trailer.

 

[Michigan door guy]

My neighbor has a warn winch that also has an air compressor built in. Runs off the winch motor. Pricey I'm sure but I believe its rated for 12,000 lbs

 

[kctyphoon]

Small winch and a ****** block is all you prob need for a rolling car.. a 10,000 pound winch is what i think is on the back of my digger derrick.

 

[stillnostrebor]

I have a HF 5k winch on a receiver plate. I use it on my trailer and in my shop with some receivers bolted to the floor. It had loaded many cars, and rolling has no problem loading single line. With a ****** block it never breaks a sweat.

By going 5k it is light enough to move around. I mounted the control gear in a small plastic tool box with lugs that I can clamp jumper cables to, and leads to attach to the winch. I just carry the box out, hook up a jump box, hook up the winch, and go. Great tool that I use a lot more than I thought I would.

 

[Bretny]

I have used a 2ton comealong to get a vehicle on my car trailer...yes it ***** but works. Vehicle had all 4 tires and had air. I now have a 8k milemarker. Will pull the tow vehicle backwards with the brakes on.

 

[Ilikeike]

I've been using a Warn 4000 to load my Camaro a dozen times a year or more.
I added the remote control,and replaced the cable with synthetic line.

https://www.warn.com/4000-dc-winch-94000

 

[Ign]

A 12k is for pulling a '77 F250 on 44's buried to the axles in sticky mud

We should be talking rolling load here.

And I'd shorten the cable to maybe 40' or even less. Fewer wraps on the drum = mo power

If you need to yank the inop vehicle from a weird spot, that's why they make straps

None of this fragile syn cable, either. Steel cable so you can drag it across the rear/deck of the trailer

Another battery always seemed problematic to me, I'd custom build jumper cables but probably use forklift connectors. So, leads are mounted to threaded studs near battery, that goes to a M or F forklift connector, then the "jumper cable" you roll up and store has the corresponding connector on it.

You can also run the cables along your framerail and just have a connector poke out at the rear bumper

 

[zmotorsports]

I'm usually a WARN fan all the way when speaking of winches but ran across a good used 8k pound Superwinch years ago that I installed under my workbench in the front of my 26' enclosed race trailer and it worked well. Granted it was a rolling load pulling the car into the trailer which is much different than a vehicle stuck on a rock or in the mud.

 

[Lonnies Performance]

Keep in mind, the winch rating is based on the first wrap of the drum.

As stated above, the pull rating goes down significantly as the spool gets more cable on it. Depending on cable size, you reduce the capacity by 13-25% for each layer of cable on the drum

You should typically choose a winch 1.5X the weight of what you are pulling. Remember you may not always be winching onto the trailer when it's level.