chrisp

I want to put a crank winch on my trailer - only needed for a disabled car. Ideally I'll never even use it so I don't want to spend more than I need to. The car weighs 2500lbs and with a max grip of 1g then even with all four wheels locked anything more than 2500lbs should pull it up. Right? I'd imagine that this could be made easier with a little water and/or sand under any locked tires.

I am a newbie to winches.

Thanks.

sublimate

That would just pull it across level ground, and leave no room for margin.

If you want to pull it up a ramp you'll need more. Also note winches can only pull their rated capacity when most of the cable is off the drum. As there are more wraps of cable on the drum the pulling power drops.

But you can get by with a small winch if you use a pulley.

SundayDriver

This is a bit off topic as you seem to be asking about a hand winch. But with electric, the higher capacity winches has a much higher speed at part load - that can make a big difference for regular use.

AndyT

the cost difference for a 3000 and 4000 pound electric winch is not that great. I always go for overkill

MJHanna

What everybody forgets is that the car rolls . I use a 1000lb winch to put my car in an enclosed trailer. It drags a non-running car into the trailer just fine. But this is America where bigger is better so.........

Bull

He asked about what he would need "if the wheels are locked".

MJHanna

Yeap missed it

cooleyjb

If I bust my car bad enough that it won't roll, I'll just pick it up and put it in my trailer by hand most likely.

As for handcranks. I have one on my trailer from Harbor Freight. I think it's a 2500 pound capacity. It works just fine, however as with many things from HF, it needs everything tightened and loctited before use.

Matt Romanowski

Have fun doing it by hand!! I've loaded a few (ok lots) of broken FC cars. The best bet is to tip the wrecker driver a $20 and have him drop it in. It's not terrible to do, but can end up being a pain, especially after wrecking it.

rsrdan

I have a 2500lb car,and installed a Superwinch 3500 ....best price Amazon!! FREE SHIPPING! and I opt for the wireless key fob! worth the extra $$

A.Wayne

IN your trailer , you mean in your pocket , that's a toy