Roy S Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I’m looking to buy an 12 volt electric winch to load non running farmalls (M,H etc.) on my tilt bed trailer. How much winch capacity do I need? Looking at 4500 and 9000 lb capacity. This will only be used occasionally, not for regular business use. Will a 4500 lb winch get the job done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillman Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I have 8500 ib and wouldn't consider anything smaller 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfly Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 8 minutes ago, Roy S said: I’m looking to buy an 12 volt electric winch to load non running farmalls (M,H etc.) on my tilt bed trailer. How much winch capacity do I need? Looking at 4500 and 9000 lb capacity. This will only be used occasionally, not for regular business use. Will a 4500 lb winch get the job done? I’d go with the 9000 personally, but as long as they are rolling the 4500 should be enough. You can always use a snatch block to double pulling power. Or 2 snatch blocks to triple it if you have enough cable/rope. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtfireman85 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 9,000 no question. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomorejohndeere Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 tilt means up hill all the way better over done than under heavier cable and stronger brake etc as well as capacity.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmi Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 all your budget can stand and then double it. Something Running yesterday on GOOD rubber, 8-9K on double line. may work for anything not cooperating 2.5-3x the dead weight and still expect to double it. 20' trailer is going to need about 60' + of cable...... 2x length + 10' of reach The power of a winch decreases exponentially with each wrap of cable.... 2 wraps down to about 50% pull IIRC I picked up a warn 12K should have been 20k or REAL USA but that gets into $3K +++ with pto hydro etc. For 10K of fighting weight we had line tripled and 12K of extra push, truck running ,+ with battery charger on high. Ran out of pull on 2nd wrap had to keep ,sucking that 3' back into the drag end. And yes tires, planks etc were added to any obstructions.......oil gets too dangerous on slopes ,even after adding more side pull Filming such is not practical,or thought of, 3hrs into a 15 min load, dragging 2 anchored trucks and trailer into the load . saw a utube of bare td9 just settled tracks, try to load on detach-deck,They had 3x equipment and push weight as I do ,gave up after 3 hrs. Scrapper used tandem rollback 50t hyd winch ,tip ,drag and oil, 20 minutes and gone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedar farm Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I bought a Harbor Freight 12,000# winch when they first came out 10-12 years ago. Been a great winch. It was only $50.00 higher than the 9000#. I wouldn't buy anything smaller. I generally use a snatch block to double line it. I've pulled up a lot of non running tractors. The biggest was an 806 with cab. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfly Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 1 hour ago, mmi said: all your budget can stand and then double it. Something Running yesterday on GOOD rubber, 8-9K on double line. may work for anything not cooperating 2.5-3x the dead weight and still expect to double it. 20' trailer is going to need about 60' + of cable...... 2x length + 10' of reach The power of a winch decreases exponentially with each wrap of cable.... 2 wraps down to about 50% pull IIRC I picked up a warn 12K should have been 20k or REAL USA but that gets into $3K +++ with pto hydro etc. For 10K of fighting weight we had line tripled and 12K of extra push, truck running ,+ with battery charger on high. Ran out of pull on 2nd wrap had to keep ,sucking that 3' back into the drag end. And yes tires, planks etc were added to any obstructions.......oil gets too dangerous on slopes ,even after adding more side pull Filming such is not practical,or thought of, 3hrs into a 15 min load, dragging 2 anchored trucks and trailer into the load . saw a utube of bare td9 just settled tracks, try to load on detach-deck,They had 3x equipment and push weight as I do ,gave up after 3 hrs. Scrapper used tandem rollback 50t hyd winch ,tip ,drag and oil, 20 minutes and gone. I’ve pulled rolling Hs and Ms onto my trailer with a cum-a-long. That was only double line pull. Not saying it was enjoyable, just that it can be done and it didn’t take more than 45 minutes any or the times I’ve done this. Hardest part was the narrow front H with a loader with only two ramps. Proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
756puller Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I've got a 12000 lb champion winch I've used to pull up dead 1066's and a dead 5288. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowrosefarm Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 If it's a roller, the 4500lb will be fine, especially on a tilt trailer. If a tire is flat, or a brake locked up and you have to dead drag it, you'll need the biggest winch you can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtfireman85 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 7 hours ago, Mudfly said: I’ve pulled rolling Hs and Ms onto my trailer with a cum-a-long. That was only double line pull. Not saying it was enjoyable, just that it can be done and it didn’t take more than 45 minutes any or the times I’ve done this. Hardest part was the narrow front H with a loader with only two ramps. Proof. Back when we wheeled a lot I never could quite muster up the free cash to buy a decent electric winch. Neither could may friends, we spent all out money on tires and gear sets, skid plates, suspension systems etc. dad had a very nice Lug-All come-a-long we completely wore it out and rebuilt it, new pawls, springs, bushings, cable several handles. Its in good shape now and on its 3rd set of parts. he never complained, kept us busy and we never drank much or got in trouble. i have since bought a 12K for the jeep and a new Lug-All for dad, smaller and handy for little stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
int 504 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Electric winches are like electric anything. Watch out for duty cycle at full load. They are also rated for pulling a rolling load versus pto type which are rated at dead lift and are also 100% duty cycle. I pulled a lot of things with come a longs when I was younger. Was very happy when I got a military 4x4 with pto winch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfly Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 51 minutes ago, vtfireman85 said: Back when we wheeled a lot I never could quite muster up the free cash to buy a decent electric winch. Neither could may friends, we spent all out money on tires and gear sets, skid plates, suspension systems etc. dad had a very nice Lug-All come-a-long we completely wore it out and rebuilt it, new pawls, springs, bushings, cable several handles. Its in good shape now and on its 3rd set of parts. he never complained, kept us busy and we never drank much or got in trouble. i have since bought a 12K for the jeep and a new Lug-All for dad, smaller and handy for little stuff. I would of rather had a winch also, but for the half a dozen times or so that I've had to load a dead tractor, the cum-along worked just fine. The Massey 44 was probably the worst since it was too wide to go between the fenders, so I had extra timbers on the trailer to get the rears to go over the fenders. That was a load to winch up. Same deal with an M with a loader (too wide), but that one did seem as bad or the loader took some weight off the rears which were also loaded. Either way, a lot of work can be done with a cum-along if that is what you have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeeper61 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 In my dreams I see a tilt deck with a hydraulic winch Either powered off a truck PTO or a gas engine hydro pack on the trailer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowrosefarm Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 4 hours ago, vtfireman85 said: Back when we wheeled a lot I never could quite muster up the free cash to buy a decent electric winch. Neither could may friends, we spent all out money on tires and gear sets, skid plates, suspension systems etc. dad had a very nice Lug-All come-a-long we completely wore it out and rebuilt it, new pawls, springs, bushings, cable several handles. Its in good shape now and on its 3rd set of parts. he never complained, kept us busy and we never drank much or got in trouble. i have since bought a 12K for the jeep and a new Lug-All for dad, smaller and handy for little stuff. You're right about Lug All. They make the good stuff, for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Kirsch Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I once pulled a dead 240 Utility up on my deckover trailer with a cheap $50 Harbor Freight 2000lb winch, single line. The trailer was parked downhill and it was still all the winch wanted and then some. It was just about stalled when the front wheels peaked over the beavertail and on to the deck of the trailer. It was sketchy and unprofessional. There were burned fingertips from trying to hold the winch wires to the battery terminals. Clearly not enough winch for the job, but it got the job done. I bought a Champion 9000lb winch on clearance from Tractor Supply. So far I have had limited need for it but when I need it I will have it. If I hadn't come across the Champion I would have bought a Harbor Freight winch, probably 12,000lb. The price difference from 4500 to 9000 to 12000 just isn't worth it to skimp out. From 9000 to 12000 in the Harbor Freight, is only $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleman Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I use a come-a-long ratchet hoist to load the trailer. The little one is 1.5T the big one is 6T both use the same size chain. Now after several sessions I want an Electric because last time out in the Texas heat I decided it would be the last time except for an emergency. I would require a 9 K @ 12 VDC. I intend to upgrade the emergency brake trailer to a group 31 to run the winch, but that is probably not enough capacity for serious loading of drag-ons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillman Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 when someone comes to pickup a dead tractor with car trailer or even a drop deck I have a snatch block and long cable. I can pull anything on safely without damaging fenders etc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtfireman85 Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 4 hours ago, hillman said: when someone comes to pickup a dead tractor with car trailer or even a drop deck I have a snatch block and long cable. I can pull anything on safely without damaging fenders etc That is very handy, when it can be used it works slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillman Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 19 hours ago, vtfireman85 said: That is very handy, when it can be used it works slick. I use this swivel and it really helps esp on a drop deck to keep the snatch block and cable rolling nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHKeith Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 I'd go with the 9000lb or similar size, I have a 9500lb for my car hauler, it mounts with a receiver hitch, I leave the winch inside on a shelf when not in use, heaviest pulls I have done with it I used a group 31 deep cycle battery I would carry in the truck and put in the chain box when using the winch, unless you are using the winch all the time I don't think it's worth having a permanent battery in the trailer or running cables from the truck battery, running cables from the truck battery sounds easy in principle but I don' think it's worth it given the load put on the cables and connections, if you were using it frequently I think a couple deep cycle batteries on the trailer charged by the trailer plug's 12V source would be best. I've winched several easy pulls powered by my booster pack. My friend Bob has a 3000-4000lb size winch on his car hauler, he almost always uses a small, simple snatch block, I'm surprised at what it can do, with the small motor's power and the 3/16 or 1/4? cable's strength. Not recommending the smaller winch but I have seen them work. A come a long sucks, they are OK when it is all you have, I was much younger then but usually have had the 3500lb rated cable ones pulling 3900lb but when it crests the ramps it's 5000lb, and the ratchet mechanism bends, if you get past that or have a heavy duty chain come a long that pulls it ok but has a 300:1 gear reduction and it takes up two feet on the front of the trailer while the rear wheels of the truck you pulled on are still on the beavertail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mader656 Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 At the end of the day you can do light winch work with a heavy winch, but you cant do heavy winch work with a light winch. Fwiw the haurbour freight 12k are nice winches 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
int 504 Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 On 4/3/2023 at 9:47 AM, jeeper61 said: In my dreams I see a tilt deck with a hydraulic winch Either powered off a truck PTO or a gas engine hydro pack on the trailer Some people use the power steering pump on the truck to run the winch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.