Hello,

Does anybody have some good advice to share as regards to purchasing a winch.

I am interested in purchasing a detachable type so that it can be used on a vehicle or a trailer.

There seems to be a wide variety on the market with just as many different prices.

Idealy i would like to buy a new one but the finances suggest otherwise...lol

I thought that the club site would be a good place to ask for advice as there is bound to be somebody who could point me in the right direciton.



Mike.

You are right many choices and prices. Some are best to keep away from, mostly chinese copies. Some come with spare motors they are that poor!

Depends a lot on what you want to use it for and how often.

I am happy with my Warn copy (Magnum now called Tabor) 8000lbs used quite regularly with some heavy pulls too but used properly is well capable. A genuine Warn will last forever but costs more to start with.

I think you need an adapter to use it on vehicle front/rear and trailer etc using a towball.

I suggest you spend some time thinking about how you want to use it and what for before making a decision on what to buy. A winch fitted to a vehicle can easily be set up to pull vehicles onto trailers if thats what you had in mind.


There may be one or two for sale second hand. I'll see if I can come up with some links/contacts for you when I see you.

Hello Kevin,

Yes you are right, I would like to get my vehicle onto my trailer if i ever get stuck.
On sunday when i had a problem it was not a nice feeling not knowing how i would have got my vehicle ( the Buddah ) back home.

The clutch cylinder broke and some how the power lead to coil had come loose...lol. But i did not know this untill i got home and had a closer investigation.

A detatchable winch would be a good idea so that if there is a problem in the future i could manouver it to get the vehicle to the trailer.

I do have AA cover for the car and trailer but it only covers me on the road.


Mike.

Had a bit of a poke around the internet for you. As far as i can tell, a place that has all the bits you'd need is somewhere like Scorpion racing. They sell a removeable winch mount and matching front and rear winch mount/towbar.

Go here, http://www.scorpionracing.co.uk, and click on 'products'.

Won't be cheap though.

Hi,

Thank you, i know scorpion well and their prices.

They will always do their sales pitch thats why there are no prices in the shop...lol.

Of course you can get anything from them but at a price.

Thank you.

Mike.

You could make up something similar yourself, but you WILL NOT find the 2" ID or 2" OD square tube in this country. Not going to happen. I know several aftermarket Jeep builders over here and even they have to import trailer hitch stock from the US. i picked up a load last time i was over there.

Not sure if Scrap iron are using 50mm instead, maybe you can find a source for that. I can tell you that 50mm square tube is a c**p fit in 2" receiver. Loose as can be, flops all over.

David Bowyer does something that fits on a towball:

http://www.dborc.co.uk/goodwinch/webshop.htm (3/4 of the way down the page)

But i'd have my doubts.

Hello ukjeeper,

Thanks for that, i'll look closer later when i have more time.

Mike.

If it's just to get you car on the trailer on the rare occasion it won't drive..............................................................................................................................a hand winch or hi lift will do it if there is no-one else around but there will always be a willing club member happy to use their winch for you.

I wouldn't buy an electric winch just to get the car on the trailer

Hi Kevin,

I have a hi lift jack that's never been used maybe i should give it a go just for the hell of it, i might learn something...lol

An electric winch would also come in handy when participating in a team event.......and don't forget, god forbid i ever get stuck in the mud on an event...lol

With a electric winch i may be able to use it to manouver the car to the trailer as opposed to visa versa, what with slippery mud and all that.

It will surely save on elbow power...lol

It's not nice having to ask somebody when no-one comes forward to help.

Although there were plenty of people watching if it wasn't for Dave and Paul, two guys i've never met before coming to assist i don't know what i would have done.

I feel the benefits of owning an electric winch outway the alternatives.
The other thing is feel that i know how to winch, but do i really?
I would not winch without help untill i've had training and i know you are the man for that..lol.

Anyway.

I've not had a chance to drive the Buddah properly so i'm considering entering the interclub event.
I would of rather had some experience first with the vehicle.
My problem is that im impatient...lol

Mike.

By all means enter the interclub - the site we are using is ideal to get to know the vehicle.

James

Hi James,

I may well do that watch this space...lol

Still trying to get a winch though.

Mike.

The Bowyer demountable system is made by a small British engineering company called Bak-Rak (www.bak-rak.com) who have been in the business of tow hitch demountable equipment for a while now.

I have one of their early bike racks.

It all seems well made, and far better than the type of demountable winch things that you can get from importers of far eastern 'tools' that just drop over a tow ball.

You can also get them from the likes of machine mart. ( Machine Mart )

The main issue is what you intend to use the winch for. Trailer loading is one thing, but the sort of duty required for the winch challenge type activity is something else.

FWIW, I used to have a hand winch on my last trailer that was pressed into action (far too often!) to load my trialler and it didn't take many minutes to get loaded.

Karl.

Hello Karl,

What would you say is the minimum size power winch that could be used off road?
Obviously you can't have enough power but i don't have a limit less pocket ..lol.

So im thinking mmmm ......say i use a 5000lb winch and add snatch blocks will this increase the pulling power?

The ball mount you suggested...im not sure about, i'd probably want to put a base plate on the ground and at least a 4x4 timber support between it and the winch support to reduce downward stress on the ball.

I would like to give team recovery a go some point.

There are so many as i said before but which do you choose warn,superwinch, goodwinch?

At least im asking advice not just jumping in and purchasing the wrong item.

Thank you.

Mike.

Hi Mike,

Team Recovery does not involve using winches, it is a ropes only event.

I've not done that much winching - perhaps someone more experienced will post here, but this is my (possibly blinkered) view. Most people that use winches that I know use them for one of these 3 reasons:

1. To enter winch challenges around the country (rarely done at elrc) which is an orienteering style challenge where you collect punches using a card attached to your gear lever. Typically these have to be road legal to drive between nearby sites.

2. Occasional club events: Not necessarily road legal vehicles, used at ELRC winch events, and sometimes at the National, say 4 events a year?

3. General use for either recovery at play days, trials, setting out, or even an unfortunate problem while green laning

I don't know of anyone with one for loading onto the trailer, as Karl says, a £25 hand winch mounted on the end of the trailer does the trick nicely.

Most of the time, the more you pay for a winch the faster the line pull is, and the more reliable it is, so if you are ultra competitive, you would go for a hydraulic winch (fast), or a top of the range electric winch. As you reduce the price, you will have a slower pull, especially if you have to use a snatch block to reduce the ratio.

James.