Winch suggestions.

[Cato]

I'd like to fit an electric winch in the back of the van for pulling bikes and the like up ramps into the back. There is a wide variety from cheapy Chinese to mega bucks off road stuff. My requirements are that it's 12v, remote operated, max movement distance would be five metres, and can drag a max half tonne. So with the slope I reckon 1 tonne and up would cope.

A boat winch seems like it'd be suitable, any suggestions for those or similar?

 

[8ob]

I'd like to fit an electric winch in the back of the van for pulling bikes and the like up ramps into the back. There is a wide variety from cheapy Chinese to mega bucks off road stuff. My requirements are that it's 12v, remote operated, max movement distance would be five metres, and can drag a max half tonne. So with the slope I reckon 1 tonne and up would cope.

A boat winch seems like it'd be suitable, any suggestions for those or similar?

Fitted one of these cheapies onto the back of my winch tractor about ten years ago to lift the ground achors, the winch is fine but the control buttons and thermal cutout didn't last five minutes. Use a better control system and I don't think you will be disappointed.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18553551...NavR1Px3iO0dznT7Ai7pKDdEp8|tkp:Bk9SR-760PzrYQ

Bob

 

[Cato]

Fitted one of these cheapies onto the back of my winch tractor about ten years ago to lift the ground achors, the winch is fine but the control buttons and thermal cutout didn't last five minutes. Use a better control system and I don't think you will be disappointed.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185535512818?epid=1205323166&hash=item2b32c740f2:g:uewAAOSwmKJjB2fL&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAA4MZuzWqv+z9J4bPWVLWX7JCHgqA3FJrQ/RF5djnYuRh9fAaXTSVUNrbAuJFzQ/F3Zm1EhnAVC4yAXlqRJhi8FT7HgxAzHRmR+AsPjZGB0j3LaUBjaIIfPRlaXAn+vOqQbDqpSkLo+xd0kFW2zuW9XjwC+i5fLlnsXZVqx7xmGc4hz0GT2v/4gkCLtFicEf6L4UuZHh+Mv1unztum/QB1FsgwXXqf9j+ZkZRVMNXTgR7BWMCK1tlMbTEQA2chrQr9VRjb8oudrmc5JTvo7DNavR1Px3iO0dznT7Ai7pKDdEp8|tkp:Bk9SR-760PzrYQ

Bob

Thanks for that. So a decent heavy duty relay and a generic wireless winch remote from the usual suspects?

 

[8ob]

Thanks for that. So a decent heavy duty relay and a generic wireless winch remote from the usual suspects?

Yes, the winch has never missed a beat but the controls are crap.

Bob

 

[Cato]

Yes, the winch has never missed a beat but the controls are crap.

Bob

Great thanks. Always good to get info from someone who's actually used something.

 

[Cato]

The remote kits aren't dear and these get decent reviews so all sorted. I'll be able to sit on the bike and press a button instead of getting close to an aneurism shoving 300kg up a ramp.

 

[Migmac]

We put winches on our quads. We started off with super winch but they don’t last particularly long. My last Warne winch lasted 11 years and could still be going, we sold the quad. It was wireless remote, all we did was replace the handset battery and the winch line a couple of times. Get one with a ballistic rope on it, you get over 20m on the quad winches.

 

[Cato]

We put winches on our quads. We started off with super winch but they don’t last particularly long. My last Warne winch lasted 11 years and could still be going, we sold the quad. It was wireless remote, all we did was replace the handset battery and the winch line a couple of times. Get one with a ballistic rope on it, you get over 20m on the quad winches.

That'd definitely be OTT for what I need, which is occasional use from close to the van.

In some respects any winch could be thought of as a 'luxury' but I have enough issues with my back without adding to them unnecessarily for the sake of spending a bit over a hundred quid.

 

[Robotstar5]

I can recommend the Ninja range of winches, had mine a few years and it's still working fine. Bought from a UK supplier so the warranty is actually worth something. I like the fact I can use wireless remote or plug in a hand remote.

The kit

Fitted

Wireless remote unit

First real test was dragging a couple of hundred kilos of mower sideways against the drag of it's tyres and it worked fine

I built it to move my stationary engines, but it's had more use shifting stuff for Mrs Robo

At last, it's my turn to use it

@Cato you're welcome to pop round and have a look at it

 

[Cato]

I can recommend the Ninja range of winches, had mine a few years and it's still working fine. Bought from a UK supplier so the warranty is actually worth something. I like the fact I can use wireless remote or plug in a hand remote.

The kit

View attachment 393386

Fitted

View attachment 393387

Wireless remote unit

View attachment 393392

First real test was dragging a couple of hundred kilos of mower sideways against the drag of it's tyres and it worked fine

View attachment 393388

I built it to move my stationary engines, but it's had more use shifting stuff for Mrs Robo

View attachment 393389

At last, it's my turn to use it

View attachment 393390

@Cato you're welcome to pop round and have a look at it

Might take you up on that, similar price to the one @8ob suggested and set up for the same purpose. Only difference being I'm going to set mine up behind the seats in the van as that's where it'd be used most frequently, but it'd still reach to behind the trailer when hitched if I needed to use it for that too.

 

[8ob]

Might take you up on that, similar price to the one @8ob suggested and set up for the same purpose. Only difference being I'm going to set mine up behind the seats in the van as that's where it'd be used most frequently, but it'd still reach to behind the trailer when hitched if I needed to use it for that too.

Does look like a better made set up, although these things are not a serious winch they are ideal for light pulls and if it struggles a bit there is always the snatchblock.

Bob

 

[Robotstar5]

Does look like a better made set up, although these things are not a serious winch they are ideal for light pulls and if it struggles a bit there is always the snatchblock.

Bob

That's why I fitted a hardpoint so I can double back and use a snatch block

 

[Cato]

Finally got round to fitting the winch (as recommended by @Robotstar5 ). With a 15 metre rope on it I can pull stuff up the ramp into the van, or with the trailer hitched I can use the snatch block and drag things onto the trailer. Should make life a bit easier.

I made a mounting bracket to use three of the M8 bulkhead mounting points and set it up so that the bolts will be under shear as much as tension. Should be more than adequate for a rolling pull.

 

[Robotstar5]

If you need a longer pull make or buy an extension rope, I used to carry a 30m extension when doing rally recovery, came in handy a couple of times.

This car was about 150 feet down when we started.

 

[Cato]

If you need a longer pull make or buy an extension rope, I used to carry a 30m extension when doing rally recovery, came in handy a couple of times.

This car was about 150 feet down when we started.

View attachment 395081

Well I certainly won't be using it for anything like that!

It's purely to make life easier/safer for getting things into the van or onto the trailer. One slip on a damp ramp, catch your toe, bump a handle bar etc and it's either painful, expensive, or both. So this will allow me to keep the bike or machine stable whilst pressing a button on the remote. I may add a dolly with a wheel clamp to the armoury at some point, but I think at least for now pulling a bike into a clamp in the van will suffice.

 

[Erie Fred]

I can recommend the Ninja range of winches, had mine a few years and it's still working fine. Bought from a UK supplier so the warranty is actually worth something. I like the fact I can use wireless remote or plug in a hand remote.

The kit

View attachment 393386

Fitted

View attachment 393387

Wireless remote unit

View attachment 393392

First real test was dragging a couple of hundred kilos of mower sideways against the drag of it's tyres and it worked fine

View attachment 393388

I built it to move my stationary engines, but it's had more use shifting stuff for Mrs Robo

View attachment 393389

At last, it's my turn to use it

View attachment 393390

@Cato you're welcome to pop round and have a look at it

While that's a nice set-up, why did the winch manuf put the remove plug pointing skywards ?
Rain comes DOWN from skywards....

 

[Cato]

While that's a nice set-up, why did the winch manuf put the remove plug pointing skywards ?
Rain comes DOWN from skywards....

It does seal well, but I take your point. In this instance though, if the winch gets wet I'll have more to worry about than the IP rating of the plug.

 

[Erie Fred]

It does seal well, but I take your point. In this instance though, if the winch gets wet I'll have more to worry about than the IP rating of the plug.

Yes, yours being inside the van, but that's only 1% of the installations out there.
Lately I'm seeing trailer makers offer them as an option, and put them inside a toolbox, with a slot for the wire rope.

 

[Robotstar5]

While that's a nice set-up, why did the winch manuf put the remove plug pointing skywards ?
Rain comes DOWN from skywards....

It's got a well sealing rubber cover and a waterproof cover that goes over the whole winch

 

[Erie Fred]

It's got a well sealing rubber cover and a waterproof cover that goes over the whole winch

Yes but you know how covers deteriorate, fall off, and sealing rubber washers crack and dry out.
If the connector was on the bottom installing up, would be much better.
It doesn't cost anything for the manuf to change the orientation.