Looking at buying a winch for my car hauler. It's a 7000 lb 16' double axle trailer with ramps (no beaver tail).

What size do you guys use? 6000 lb? I would have it do double duty and be able to use it on my truck in case I ever got stuck. It's an 05 Ram QCSB 4x4, probably around 5500 lbs with me in it. I don't off road at all, but I do use it as a truck, so the worst it would ever have to pull me out of would be snow or some mild mud (more than likely snow, snow was my nemesis this winter)

I have an old Warn 8274 on mine, picked up two parts winches and made one.

For a car that rolls all you need is 2500-3500 lb, used them on several open and enclosed trailers. Harbor Freight has one with a wireless remote right now for $79.99

I have used the cheap Harbor Freight 2,000 lb boat wench (I think it was $35 on sale.) It worked, but I would not recommend it. The 30'cable and slow speed and not much power (used on a lower dove trailer, so mostly just rolling) are big draw backs. I would want something with at least 50' cable. A wireless remote would be nice, but you can add a wireless remote to most winches with an aftermarket kit, around $15 on Amazon.

A little bigger is better than tiny bit to small I have used a 3500 Lb, 2500 Lb amd now have a 4500 lb Superwinch in my car trailer hauling 3100 to 3800 lb race cars, I was ask by a former boss to haul his 1967 Ford 3/4 ton 2 whd drive truck to his home, I had to double the 3500 lb winch line to get it into my trailer The 2500 lb winch would struggle coming up over the center of the dove tail with my 3100 lb Duster on a single line. The 4500 lb would drag it up the loading ramp single line with the tranny in park The rear wheels where in the dirt and the car was going sideways before I realized that it was still in park Even then that winch pulled it that way without struggling

I picked up a 4500 lb Superwinch for a great price on Amazon after reading a post on Yellowbullet. In the same post someone asked about setting them up for remote control and lots of member had the one in the link I posted so I ordered one and wired it in last year. It works GREAT and is very reasonably priced


http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Wireless-Winch-Remote-Control-Kit-12V-DC-for-Truck-Jeep-SUV-ATV-NEW-/301364353810?hash=item462ab71b12:g:U0YAAOSwajVUSGup&vxp=mtr

Link did not work so copy and paste this in ebay motors.


3 Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit 12V DC for Truck Jeep SUV ATV NEW

Thanks guys, I'll look at least a 4500 lb rating, maybe even a 6K

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Wireless-Winch...-/301364353810?

Thanks. I was kinda shocked at how well these worked for the price. I don't use my winch to load the car very often but when I do these come in very handy.

I've winch all my race cars in and out of the trailer for 20 + yrs. now I ain't getting any younger or smaller AKA, I have met fellow racers up here that drove thier cars into thier enclosed trailer and then had to crawl out the winodows or doors, one has a escape door so it is easier to get into and out of than the other one is. The other guy my age with no escape door in his trailer ended up buying a winch after watching my deal

I climb in and out my window but I'm pretty young. (60)

That makes 2 of us. However I'm 61
Doug

OK I'll play too - However I'm 63 going on 64 in about 8 weeks!

Well I'm 67 and I have a 5000 lb Harbor Freight winch on my flat bed trailer. Best thing I have done in a while.

I guess I have myself and friends with cars that don't roll well (multiple flats, etc.). I always seem to end up helping someone tow some dead car out of the mud somewhere on 2-4 flat tires. I guess I'm a sucker for that dead car parked out back. I would always double what I needed and would get something in the 6-7000 lb. range. I currently have a 12,000 lb. winch. Going to configure my trailer so I can mount it as a hitch mount so I can move it around.

My winch is one of the best mods to my trailers. I put a standard hitch style receiver on the front of both my enclosed and my flat deck trailer. The winch goes with either one as needed. I've even used it stuck in the reciever of a parts truck to pull it back and get a better angle to load the trailer.

As for the winch: a 9K with power in and power out.... I don't remember the brand. It was a cheap craigslist find.

I modified the winch's soloniod case to add a manual switch on the winch body itself. A lesson learned the hard way when I figured out I forgot my controller about three hours from home. Easy mod.

The wireless controller will have a dead battery when you need it most. Get a 25' 3-prong extension cord, cut of the ends, cut your winch controller wire in half (DON"T cut near the end... bad idea) and splice in the extension cord. now you can steer and control the winch at the same time.

FWIW, the first trailer I had with a winch used a cheap wireless boat trailer winch. Controller battery died so often I started taking it out after I used it, then lost the remote... The winch also didn't power out, so when I dropped of a body to the painter, it was sporty with no brakes on the car and no power winch.

-Ben