I run a 20' tilt deck open trailer and am wanting to mount a winch on the front to load the car with. I'm looking at Warn winches maybe something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WARN...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a0aec7b5a The car weighs 3150 and the trailer angle is 30 degrees. Is a 8k lb winch overkill? Anybody got anything good or bad to say about the winch they are using please share.
Thats way overkill but if you have the money and like to have the best of everything then go for it. I bought a 3000lb winch for $125. Remember you are pulling a rolling load so it doesn't take much power. I always use a snatch block on the car so it doubles the pulling power and lightens the load on the winch. I don't use mine that often and if you will be using yours all the time then its worth buying a heavier duty winch. I welded a 2" receiver to the front of my trailer. Then I welded the winch plate to the tongue on a 2" drop hitch. I ran a 12 volt heavy duty power outlet to the back of my truck so I can plug the winch in and eliminate the need for a battery on the trailer......and keeping it charged. I can mount the winch in about 30 seconds and same goes for removeal. Having the winch welded to a 2" hitch, I can also mount it truck receiver for general winching needs.
8000 lbs is a lot for a rolling load however if you consider pulling a wrecked car or something with a frozen wheel bearing etc it may be worth the extra cost because they don't roll. Warn also makes a trailer winch around 4700 lbs capacity. That may be more up your alley. ALlso consider that you get what you pay for. Warn is a good winch, Many of the other name brands including Superwinch are chinese made. One of the 4x4 magazines did a comparison a few years ago between the winches. Either 4 wheel and Offroad or Four wheeler. It is online somewhere.
I have a Warn 3500 lb. winch mounted the same way, but I use a long set of jumper cables so I can use the winch with any vehicle with a 2" receiver hitch. I've Never had a problem yet, but I want to buy a pulley block too just in case. It rolls my big Buicks and now my Cadillac up my ramps easily.
Got the 8k winch from Harbor Freight this summer....mounted it on my Dad's car trailer. I believe it's 5/16" line and 94' long. Their 10k winch is even more rugged, but a bit slower. I've been more than happy with it. They offer quite a few accessories to go with the winches. I checked several 4x4 forums for reviews before we got this. The only complaint was the speed....which frankly isn't that bad. The price is pretty attractive. Pretty sure it's often on sale for $259.99.
