Electric Winch Advice

[mrutkaus]

I've used a portable "3000lb" 12vdc winch, cable, and a tree to upright an overturned tractor; for the occasions you need it perhaps a portable winch would do it.

Mike

 

[California]

I bought the little HF radio-controlled 3,000lb winch and now I'm wondering if I could use it to power a trailer unloader. Something like a 4x8 sheet of plywood 'moving floor' that is dragged to the rear by the winch.

Recently I needed something like that to unload snarls of blackberry bushes that I had compacted into the trailer, packed so firmly that it took a long time to unload the thorny mess with a pitchfork.

Does anyone have photos of a similar arrangement that I could use as the basis for design?

 

[pat32rf]

I bought my first winch in 1972, a 1000lb Milsurp unit for my full sized Jimmy. Now I have 3-8000lb electrical planatary gear units as well as 4 smaller units for ATV's trailers etc. All of my winches are portable either on 2 or 1 inch receivers. They all take the same controller plugs, although I have a wireless unit to plug into whichever winch I am using for log skidding. All of my winches have a snatch block which is left on the cable. These winches get used on a regular basis and in 35 years or more I have never broken a winch cable or burnt out a winch motor. I have had relays and other parts fail but such is life. When skidding I have an Optima battery which mounts on the 3pth and is recharged by a #14 wire from the tractor system.
As with anything else, you have to watch what is happening and take your time. If you are killing your battery or smoking your motor then stop and find out why. Make changes to your rigging to reduce the pull (another snatch block or banjo work) if you are not accomplishing any thing.

 

[alltoys]

G'day , yes i have just taken 3 to show you . It has been sitting outside for some years so pardon it's condition . It is drilled for 5 stud F100 and 6 stud Toyota , you will always have 4 Siamese holes doing this . It would need to be heavier for a tractor . The hole is for the rope , simply push it into the hole 6 inches , wrap around the drum two times and it stays in place with no clamps . The rope/strap must be wound so that it exits the drum from the bottom , it MUST be passed through a pulley block and back to the opposite drum . It will pull as much as a 4X4 can twist in low range which is plenty . You leave the vehicle in 2X4 so that the vehicle does not get traction and over run the winches causing slack cable . You could even make a pair using old wheel rims .

That's quite the set up you have there so long as the truck is running it will work great.

Have you ever just used one wheel to winch your truck anywhere? Just curious as sometimes the posi rearend doesn't engage right away and might cause slippage somewhere. I don't see any disadvantages just using one wheel.

Nicely done!

 

[Eagleview]

Theres a couple of reasons you can't use just one wheel even with a Posi as you mentioned . 1/ The vehicle will skew sideways and the rope will try and climb out of the track . 2/ If the other wheel gets traction the vehicle will over run the winch and the rope will come loose and unwrap from the drum . If both wheels get traction and the rope comes loose it's okay as you are not bogged anymore . With two drums and the vehicle left in 2 wheel drive , one wheel is always able to slip which keeps the rope taught via the snatch block .

They are rude and crude but work well and can be used on any vehicle and kept when selling a vehicle . They are a little bulky , i used to put my recovery chains and wire rope in one and my jack and a few bits and pieces in the other . That way they only took up as much room as a couple of buckets/pail's doing the same job . With a tractor they would probably live in the shed and be carried to the stuck tractor which more than likely would'nt be far away .

 

[carpenter383]

That's quite the set up you have there so long as the truck is running it will work great.

Have you ever just used one wheel to winch your truck anywhere? Just curious as sometimes the posi rearend doesn't engage right away and might cause slippage somewhere. I don't see any disadvantages just using one wheel.

Nicely done!

If you were to use one wheel it would put alot more stress on the leaf springs because it would try to twist the rearend. And besides it being hard on the one axle doing all the pulling, you would have to have a locker..you'd just fry the clutches or cones in a limited slip while it spun the un-tethered wheel.

 

[Eagleview]

I would'nt be talking about putting stress on the springs or the rear end if your avatar is anything to go by .

 

[carpenter383]

I would'nt be talking about putting stress on the springs or the rear end if your avatar is anything to go by .

Ha ha you got me on that! I've had that car since I was 14 yrs old. Bought it with my own money (just like everything else) and have done alot of wrenching and have spent way to much money on it over the yrs.....Wait, this is a tractor forum!

 

[Bedlam]

OMG
Iron Horse thanks for the morning wake up I am laughing so hard
LOL

 

[Bedlam]

DArn Im still laughing and mid you I just looked at all me emails that are daily jokes


Cource this is where he will reply that its got coils lol