Trailer Winch Advice

[Tim Reid]

Hi All,

 

I have a Brian James Clubman trailer which I though would be easy to add a winch but I am quickly getting confused with all the options.

I plan to put the trailer in a single garage and want to be able to load the car without starting it at the end of late evenings of tinkering.

 

BJ sell a cross member for £30 which seems acceptable and would be a simple bolt on job.

 

They want £150 for a manual winch "2 speed, maybole, 2500"... looking about winches start from £30 and it's hard to get over £100. You can buy an ebay electric winch for less!

 

What loading should I be looking for?

Is there a benefit of having a 2 speed winch on a trailer that is only ever going to be used for a Westfield (it's small)?

What's best, wire cable or fabric strap?

Do winches have the same bolting patten?

[Lawrie]

I've got one you can have - as new https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/s526x395/409210_451560394908299_1034242195_n.jpg

 

2 speed is just to help wind it all back or out without the car.  Many winches I've seen are bolted directly to the chassis now, sometimes with a pulley or roller to guide.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

I found this think really useful for helping me decide on winch capacity. Particularly when thinking about the ground surface, gradient and also whether all the car wheels still rotate after an off

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/812gREqqovS.pdf

[s2rrr]

My assumptions right or wrong when buying a winch were that the wheels would be turning and that the ramps would be as standard BJ Minnomax. I opted for a 700kg winch I think and it pulls the car up no probs. It has a ratchet to hold and reverse wind out from fleabay can't remember how much but £20-£30 I guess, with a webbing strap. As Smokeys handbook says though if you are talking rescue and vehicle damage with boggy ground that's a far bigger deal and the professionals can be called in. Hence RAC membership. I made up an adaptor plate to suit the winch which bolts onto the BJ jockey wheels bracketry. Its pretty strong but probably would not pull up a destroyed suspensioned car. All depends what use you want it for I guess.

 

Bob

[Mark (smokey mow)]

I agree with everything you say Bob except that your unlikely to call the RAC to recover your damaged car from a sprint/ trackday when you already have a trailer there with you to get it home

There's a certain logic to ensuring the winch is sufficiently over specified to ensure it can drag a stricken car onto the trailer should the unfortunate worst happen to it

[alexander72]

I have a winch that can do that - might be tempted to sell it as debbie can pull car onto the trailer if needs be :-)

[s2rrr]

Smokey,

 

You are correct if I were to have an off at a track day my winch would probably be under rated but there's always a way. I have tried to cover the majority of reasons to have a trailer having an off wasn't really one of them but I guess a possibility.

 

Bob   

[XTR2Turbo]

As an aside, I strongly recommend winching with a secondary safely rope line fitted.

 

I have seen winches / cables fail in the paddock at Loton and Prescott and it was only by luck that no one was killed.  In both occasions the cars hit other cars in the paddock first.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

As an aside, I strongly recommend winching with a secondary safely rope line fitted.

I have seen winches / cables fail in the paddock at Loton and Prescott and it was only by luck that no one was killed. In both occasions the cars hit other cars in the paddock first.

In a similar vain I would also advocate the use of a coat or similar draped over a wire rope when winching as it will help to arrest the cable and reduce the whip should it suddenly fail.