Winch Reviews

Fulton Winches
In a world where almost everything is going “high tech” it is refreshing to come across those products still powered by good, old fashioned, muscle power. That’s what Fulton makes: winches powered not by electricity or hydraulics or the sun or the moon. They make winches powered by hand. They offer winches both for pulling applications — the T Series of Fulton Winches — and for lifting applications — the K Series of Fulton Winches.

[phpbay]fulton, 20, 159048[/phpbay]

Fulton Trailer Winches
The most common pulling application for which hand winches are used is boat trailering. To determine the size T Series winch you need, determine the maximum weight of the boat to be pulled and then divide that by 2 to get the required pulling capacity. If the area where you trailer your boat has a steep incline, divide the weight by 1.5 instead of 2. Maximum weight includes all the gear you would carry in your boat, with full gas tanks, not just the weight of the boat itself. So if your fully gassed boat plus all the goodies you stuff in it weighs 3,000 pounds you would need a T Series Winch with a minimum pulling capacity of 1,500 pounds.

Single Speed Trailer Winches are available in pulling capacities from 600 pounds to 2,100 pounds. All models come with special “comfort grip’ handles to make cranking easier and feature carbon and zinc construction for strength and weather resistance. All models can use either rope or strapping and most can be factory installed.

Two Speed Trailer Winches provide better overall performance and ease of operation. There is a fast speed for quicker pull-in when the boat is light in the water and a second lower speed for when the weight of the boat on the winch increases as it comes up out of the water. A shift lock is included to enable changing speeds. Two Speed models feature pulling capacities from 2,000 pounds to 3,700 pounds.

Fulton Worm Gear Winches
Fulton also offers three different models of Worm Gear Winches for better load control. If you’ve ever had the experience of watching your boat slide back into the water because you slipped and let go of the handle, you’ll appreciate a worm gear winch. The gear automatically locks the reel when the handle is released. And unlike some competitive hand winch models, Fulton worm gear winches lock the reel regardless of the weight of the load. These winches are available in 1,500 pound, 2,000 pound, and 3,000 pound pulling capacity.

Fulton Brake Winches — K Series
K Series Winches are for lifting applications. The brake holds the load securely as it is raised, even if the handle is released. And as is the case with Fulton Worm Gear Winches, the brake is applied regardless of the weight of the load. Brake or K Series Winches are available in lifting capacities from 600 pounds to 2,500 pounds. To determine the lift capacity you need, the weight of the load must be equal to or less than the minimum capacity of the winch. Happy Cranking!

Lewmar Winches
Lewmar has a history of developing high quality innovative marine products dating all the way back to 1946 when Len Lowery introduced the first dinghy fittings made of Tufnol. Joining forces with Leslie Marsh in 1950 led to the birth of the Lewmar Corporation and their next innovation: Novex blocks. In later years Lewmar was acquired by a company whose principal products were gearboxes for helicopters. Their growing expertise in gearbox design led the newly constituted Lewmar Corporation into winch design and manufacture for high end yachts. Today Lewmar is heavy in the boat industry, offering products that offer yachtsmen better control over their craft. Many feel that the aircraft technology that came to the company when it was acquired gives Lewmar winches a distinct technological advantage over their competitors. They offer standard winches, self-tailing winches, electric winches, hydraulic winches, and racing winches.

[phpbay]lewmar, 20, 31281[/phpbay]

Lewmar Standard Winches
These winches are available in different gear ratios to give you both one speed and two speed models. Single speed winches are available in sizes 6, 7, and 8 and come in a variety of finishes as well. Two speed winches come in sizes 16, 30, 40, and 44.

Lewmar Self-Tailing Winches
Although they are more expensive than standard winches, many avid sailors are avid proponents of self-tailing winches since they allow small tension adjustments to be made by a single crew member. Lewmar offers both one speed and two speed winches in a variety of sizes ranging from 14 to 65.

Lewmar Electric Winches
An electric winch is basically a self-tailing winch with a motor. Tension adjustments are made at the push of a button. An important consideration when buying an electric winch is the availability of a manual backup should the power fail. All Lewmar Electric Winches feature manual backups. They come in an E series or an ELS series based on level of control. ELS models have overload protection built into the control box. Models range from simple 12v winches for smaller boats all the way up to 3 speed models with ELS overload protection up to size 111.

Lewmar Hydraulic Winches
Hydraulic winches are suitable for larger boats where the installation of hydraulic systems to power the winch can be cost effective. Lewmar’s offerings include one speed and two speed models in a variety of sizes.

Lewmar Racing Winches
If you needed a demonstration of Lewmar’s commitment to world class sailing, here it is. They offer thirty three different models of racing winches, more than in any other style of winch they manufacture. And it’s all about the weight. Lewmar has studied the performance of winches used in America’s Cup and other World Class Racing Events and incorporated every possible weight-reducing feature into their racing winch design. In addition, technological design enhancemnets have been added to streamline and speed up winch operation. Although these racing winches can be very expensive, most passionate sailors will tell you they are well worth the investment.

Lewis Winch
From time to time one comes across a product in the marketplace that is so ingenious it makes you stop and take a “WOW” moment. If you’ve never seen nor heard of the Lewis Winch. prepare yourself for such a moment.

[phpbay]chainsaw, 20, 66938[/phpbay]

Lewis Winches are now being made by Cannon Manufacturing, a company started in 1954 by a guy named Ernie Cannon who started a chain saw repair business in the Pacific Northwest. Ernie learned how poor design can lead to chain saw failures so he came up with a better chain saw bar and began selling his bar to the McCullough Chain Saw Company.

Flash forward to the logging industry and an unidentified need. When most people think of logging they think of big machinery and big trucks but the process starts with a couple of guys going into areas accessible only on foot and clearing them so the big stuff can get in. Cutting down trees and heavy brush to clear an area is actually the easy part. Then what do you do with what you have just cut down? You have to haul it out and that requires some kind of winch.

So here you have these loggers lugging in heavy chain saws and heavy portable winches. Suppose you could come up with a winch that could be directly attached to the chain saw to make use of its motor to do the pulling? And that’s the design behind the Lewis Winch — it’s basically an attachment for a chain saw.

The Lewis 400MK2 Winch
This Winch will fit any chain saw with a 3 to 7 horsepower motor. With a 7 hp chain saw, the Lewis 400MK2 has a pulling capacity of an amazing 4000 lbs, which you can double to 8,000 pounds by adding a snatch block to the line. With that kind of line pull capability you could even use the Lewis 400MK2 to pull a vehicle out of the mud! It comes with a 3/16th 150 foot aircraft cable, but a 1/8th 250 foot cable is available as and accessory add on. The Winch bolts direclty to your chainsaw over the studs and uses the horsepower of the saw to do the work. You simply secure one end of the winch to a heavy counterweight — like a tree — and the other end to the load to be pulled and you’re ready to go.

If you think a moment about the functionality of this amazing product you’ll realize it’s not just for loggers in the Pacific Northwest where it was born. Any farmer, rancher, or homeowner with a lot of land, can use the Lewis 400MK2 for a variety of pulling and clearing applications. Cannon has recently redesigned the winch with improvements like a single cast gearbox and drum housing instead of a welded housing and other modifications to reduce the overall weight of the Winch. And if this Winch isn’t functional enough for you on its own, consider this. You can buy an accessory which allows you to attach the Winch to a rear or front trailer hitch on your vehicle. This not only eliminates the need to find a tree to use as an anchor weight, it also increases the pulling power of the winch! If you have a chainsaw, you might want to do yourself a favor and look into the Lewis 400MK2 Winch.

KFI Winches
Kappers Fabricating Inc. is a family owned business that started out making custom designed metal parts for industrial use. Metals employed included carbon steel, aluminum, Stainless Steel, and extruded metal. In 2002 they used their expertise in metal fabrication to produce an ATV Winch mount under the brand name “KFI.” Since then they have expanded their products to include ATV and UTV Winches as well as additional ATV accessories. While you can buy KFI winch mounts at Amazon and Ebay, their ATV winches are only available on their website. Generally, limiting a distribution system helps a manufacturer keep costs down and this certainly holds true for KFI. Their winches are very attractively priced and offer a low cost alternative to the much higher priced offerings from industry leaders like Warn and Ramsey.

[phpbay]kfi, 20, 43984[/phpbay]

KFI ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Winches
While KFI currently offers only 3 models of ATV Winches, reviews and off road forum posts would seem to indicate they are being well received. Their Model S2000 kit lists for only $149.00 on the KFI Website and comes with everything you need to get up and running, although if your ATV does not have a flat surface above the front bumper you might need a special mounting plate designed exclusively for your make and model of ATV. The S2000 comes with a fourteen foot corded remote for distance operation as well as a mini-rocker switch that can be mounted directly to your ATV’s handle bars to allow one finger operation.

The A2500 model and the A3000 model are identical to the S200 with the exception of the increased line pull capacity and, of course, the price. All three come with a 1 year limited warranty. Steel cable is standard with these models but KFI does offer synthetic rope as an accessory option.

KFI UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicle) Winches
KFI offers only one basic UTV Winch but there are two different model numbers based on the size of the mounting plate. The Model U4000 features a standard size plate while the Model U4000w comes with a wider plate.

KFI offers a full line of ATV accessories from wireless remotes, to Amsteel synthetic cable to snatch blocks, to tree saver straps. KFI uses high quality parts in much of their manufacturing. Many other low cost winch units use plastic clutch knobs while KFI’s unit is made of cast aluminum. No plastic switchgear in a KFI Winch — they use metal. KFI appears to be one of the best low cost alternative winches out there today.

Ingersoll Rand Winches
Ingersoll Rand is the world’s leader in the industrial winching and hoisting market. They make electric winches, pneumatic winches, hydraulic winches, and natural gas winches. The company can trace its proud history all the way back to 1870 when Simon Ingersoll introduced a rock drill powered by a steam engine and the Ingersoll Rock Drill Company was born. In 1904 Ingersoll Drills were used to excavate the Panama Canal and in 1905 the company merged with the Rand Drill Company to create the corporate entity we still know today. The World Class Winch and High Capacity Hoist Division of the company was founded in Seattle Washington in 1924 where it is still located.

[phpbay]ingersoll, 20, 109553[/phpbay]

Although this Division offers a standard product line of winches, much of their work is custom in that their standard offerings are modified to suit the needs of individual industrial applications. Whether your job calls for a 200 pound pulling capacity or a 200 ton pulling capacity, Ingersoll Rand has products to meet your needs.

Ingersoll Rand Electric Winches
The unique design of Ingersoll Rand Electric Winches allow them to be used in any position — horizontally mounted, vertically mounted, or even mounted upside down. While they offer an electric worm gear drive series of products as well as a line of direct drive or chain drive winches and car pullers, their latest product introduction into the industry is their fulcrum winch series. These winches, ranging in capacity from 200 lbs to 50,000 lbs, were designed to meet or exceed new American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for operational performance and safety.

Ingersoll Rand Pneumatic Winches
As you would expect, Ingersoll Rand offers the largest variety of air powered winches in the world. While no pneumatic winch can match the 50,000 lb pulling capacity of the top rated electrical winch, they do go as high as 22,000 lbs and have several significant advantages over their electrically powered cousins. For one they can’t burn out and are not subject to operating difficulties due to climactic conditions like excessive heat, cold or dust. They can’t shock you like an electric winch can and they have no fluids to leak as a hydraulic winch can. All in all, they are much easier to maintain, service, and repair. They have a much longer duty cycle as well.

Ingersoll Rand Natural Gas Winches
Ingersoll Rand was the first company in the world to introduce winches powered by natural gas. Pulling capacities range from 1,000 lbs to 10,000 lbs and Ingersoll Rand’s engineers have redesigned components of their standard winch systems to make these winches safe, both from an operating viewpoint and an environmental viewpoint.

Ingersoll Rand Hydraulic Winches
Hydraulic Winches offered by Ingersoll Rand range in pulling capacity from 1,000 lbs to 100,000 lbs. Their older series of hydraulic winches, called the Force 5 series, have been upgraded to incorporate the more technologically advanced design features of their newer Fulcrum series of electric winches.

If you’re in the market for an ATV or a Self-Recovery Pickup Truck winch and you came across the Braden name, you’ve come to the wrong place! Braden Winches are strictly for heavy duty commercial and industrial applications.

[phpbay]braden, 20, 109553[/phpbay]

Braden is now a division of Paccar Winch Division and is one of three brands under which Paccar manufactures and distributes its winching and hoisting products: Braden, Carco, and Gearmatic. If you’ve heard of Peterbuilt Trucks, then you know Paccar. Paccar can actually trace its origins all the way back to 1905 when William Pigott founded the Seattle Car Manufacturing Company to produce railroad and logging equipment. Almost twenty years later the Braden Steel Corporation was founded by Glenn Braden in 1924 to supply equipment for the Oklahoma oil fields. In 1927 Braden developed a truck-mounted winch capable of unloading and moving heavy duty equipment needed in the oil fields. Meanwhile the Carco Corporation was developing heavy duty hoists and winches for use in the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest and Gearmatic was developing planetary geartrains found in most industrial grade winches. In 1983 Paccar took over all three companies to combine the winching expertise of Braden with the hoisting expertise of Carco and the geartrain expertise of Gearmatic.

Today Braden makes a variety of Recovery Winches and both Planetary and Pneumatic Hoists as well as Gear Boxes and other Utility products.

Braden Recovery Winches
Available in either planetary gear drive or worm gear drive, Braden Recovery Winches offer line pull capacities of up to 30,000 pounds! Some models are powered by mechanical motors while others are hydraulic. All require special bumpers and Braden recently introduced a lighter weight composite bumper — the PD18D — that weighs about 120 pounds less than their standard bumper packages.

Braden Hoists and Gear Boxes
At the Braden Factory, customized gear boxes can be created to match the needs of indvidual customer applications. Braden offers both planetary gear drive and pneumatic hoists for a wide variety of industrial applications. Dredging operations, commercial fishing, heavy construction, mining, and logging all utilize equipment powered by Braden Hoists. The technological innovations made capable by Paccar’s merging of the three industry giants Braden, Carco, and Gearmatic, are too numerous to mention. One of the most significant is Braden’s patented braking system which uses brake valves that enable much better stability and performance than standard brake valves. All Braden products can be customized in a variety of ways to ensure the best possible performance for the customer’s industrial application. Gear ratios and motor size can be altered in most Braden Hoist and Recovery Winch Models. Even the size of the drum can be modified to fit a unique application.

Wherever you see a derrick burrowing into the earth, or a barge dredging a waterway, or a massive truck crane moving construction equipment and materials, chances are the equipment is powered by Braden products.

Selecting a Boat Trailer Winch
If you’ve just purchased a Boat Trailer chances are it already has a manual winch installed. There are differences in manual winches, however, and depending on the size of your boat, the place where you launch the boat, and your own physical preferences, you may want to upgrade to a heftier manual winch or to an electric boat trailer winch.

First, a word for first time boat owners. Regardless of the size of your boat, never rely on the winch alone to secure the boat to the trailer. Hitting a pothole in the road may jar the boat off its glides and leave you with the boat dangling from the side of the trailer while still attached to the winch. Use separate tie downs to secure the bow and stern of the boat to the trailer at all times. Just remember to remove them before you launch the boat!

Manual Boat Trailer Winches
To select an upgraded manual or an electric winch for your boat trailer you will need to know the approximate weight of your boat, with full gas tanks and whatever gear you would normally carry. The boat manufacturers specs will tell you how much the boat weighs and probably how much full gas tanks weigh but they don’t tell you how much two or three coolers loaded with beer weigh! Once you have that weight divide it by 2 and you’ll get the pull capacity you need for your winch. If the area where you would typically launch your boat has a steep incline, divide by 1.5 instead of 2. If you’re not sure about the incline, divide by 1.5 as its better to have a little too much pulling power than too little.

A typical manual boat winch upgrade is from a one speed winch to a two speed winch. Any manual winch uses gear ratios to enhance your muscle power and allow you to haul in that boat with a few cranks. Well, maybe more than a few. Two speed boat winches have better gear ratios to maximize your strength even more. In addition, their fast speed enables you to reel in that boat a lot quicker and the slower speed enables better control of the boat as it comes up out of the water. Regardless of the pull capacity of a manual winch you’re still subjecting yourself to the possibility of shoulder and back strain as you crank. Manual winches are great for lightweight fishing boats, but if you have something a little heftier you may want to treat yourself to an electric boat trailer winch.

Electric Boat Trailer Winches
Electric Boat Winches have DC motors which you will need to wire in to your vehicle’s electrical system. The process is relatively simple but you will have to have a dedicated circuit to handle the amp draw of the motor. Many electric boat trailer winches in essence do only half the job. They use electric power to reel the boat in, but “free spool” the boat to get it back in the water. Free spooling is a little more involved than just releasing the winch lock and watching the boat whoosh back into the water. Electric boat winches have a clutch that allows you to control the lowering process and gradually let the boat glide down and reenter the water. However, if you have a heavy boat, or you’re launching from a steep ramp you probably want to look into spending a little more and getting an electric winch with a power-out feature which allows the motor to run in reverse. Power-In, Power-Out electric boat trailer winches are worth a look. Your shoulder and your back will thank you if you buy one!

Selecting a Boat Anchor Winch
So you finally got that big boat you’ve always dreamed of but it didn’t come with an electric anchor winch. Now that you’re a big time yachtsman, you need to start referring to that winch by its nautical name: the windlass. In any case, you don’t want to be hauling that anchor out of the water by hand.

What should you be looking for in an anchor winch?
There are three key things to keep in mind: the weight of your anchor and its rope and chain, the anchoring conditions, and the length of your boat. Rely on the manufacturers recommendation for anchor winch pulling power to match the length of your boat. To factor in weight of the anchor and anchoring conditions there is a simple formula to use. First you need to know the weight of the anchor itself and the weight of its “rode” — its rope and chain. Experts use a multiplier of 3 to take conditions like tides and so forth into account. So you add the weight of the anchor and the weight of the rode and multiply by 3 and you come up with a number that represents the pulling strength your winch will need to have. Many manufacturers go a bit further and recommend that you multiply the required pulling strength you get from the above formula by another factor of 3 to get a maximum pulling strength, but some experts see this as “overkill” designed to get you to buy a more expensive anchor winch.

Now that you have that number you have two different styles of anchor winches from which to choose: horizontal winches or vertical winches.

Horizontal Marine Winch
With Horizontal Marine Winches everything is placed on the deck of the boat. Obviously the deck must be wide enough to accomodate the motor box as well as the winch. This leaves everything exposed to the weather and because of this most boaters prefer vertical anchor winches. While experts agree, some boaters actually prefer horizontal mounting since it is easier to access the winch motor. Another reason for selecting a horizontal boat anchor winch is the amount of “fall” room you have available. Finally, some people just prefer the looks of a horizontal boat anchor winch.

Vertical Marine Winch
This is the preferred marine winch. They’re lighter and the mechanical parts are installed below deck where they are safe from the elements. But again, some boaters don’t like the fact that with vertically mounted boat winches it is very difficult to access the motor and gear box. The final issue that can eliminate a vertical boat winch from consideration is “fall” room. Below deck you have an anchor locker and you must have enough room for the anchor and its rode to “fall” into that locker. Most manufacturers specify a minimum of one foot of room but make sure you determine how much “fall” room you have and check the specifications of the specific make and model of vertical boat winch you are considering buying.

Selecting a Winch Mount System
Once you’ve taken the plunge and bought that winch you’ve always wanted you’ll have to mount it to your vehicle. You have several options here. Many winches come with a standard mounting plate that may or may not fit your vehicle. Some new winch users don’t realize that there is more to consider when mounting a winch than simply securing it to the vehicle’s frame. The way it is mounted can affect the performance of the winch.

First, if the winch sticks way out from the front of the vehicle you’ll make it more difficult to get an appropriate approach angle for your winching application. And the further the winch protrudes the more load it places on your vehicle’s springs. Another issue is how easily you can get at the wire or synthetic cable on the drum. Difficulty in accessing the drum leads to difficulty in respooling the cable as well as the increased possiblity of injury to the winch operator’s hands. For these reasons, it is highly recommended that you invest in winch mounts specifically designed to properly fit your winch to the make and model of your vehicle.

Most major winch manufacturers offer such special mounting systems in kit form. Also, if you are the handy-man type and you are thinking of configuring your own mounting system or even designing a special bumper, forget about it. Most winching experts agree that “do it yourself” mounting systems amount to nothing more than accidents waiting to happen.

It is possible to purchase portable mounting systems that allow you to remove your winch when you don’t need it and replace it when you do. Again, make sure the system you buy will properly fit your vehicle. Standard, or non-vehicle specific mounting systems are more likely to protrude out too far.

If you anticipate you will be using your winch frequently and for heavier pulls you might want to consider a mounting system that includes a specially designed bumper. Removing and replacing your vehicle’s original bumper may seem like a daunting task but for anyone who will be using their winch a lot it is something to consider. Some of these can be frightfully expensive, but you get what you pay for. For example, industry leader Warn Winch offers a heavy duty bumper mount system complete with a set of recessed stainless steel lights for anywhere between six hundred and twenty five hundred dollars, depending on the make, model, and year of your vehicle. That sounds like a lot but it is powder coated and features one piece bolt on construction.

Some manufacturers like Mile Marker offer an “extreme” mount that includes a winch mount built into a heavy duty utility style grill guard. If you’re concerned about the “cosmetic look” of your winch as it sits on the front or rear of your vehicle, you may want to look into some of the “hidden” mounting systems now offered. Just remember that the performance of the winch should be your paramount concern so make sure your hidden mount doesn’t hide the cable drum as well!

Where do you start when you decide you are ready to get a winch for your truck? You’ll need to know the maximum weight of whatever it is you want the winch to pull. The most common application for a winch is self-recovery, or simply getting yourself unstuck from the mud. But we’re not talking about the “curb” weight of the truck, but the weight of the truck plus the weight of whatever gear you typically carry in the truck. When you get this number you multiply by 1.5 and that will give you the line pull capacity you need. To be safe, some manufacturers multiply by 2.

The next two things to consider are how you will use your winch and how much you want to spend.

These two issues are somewhat interrelated as heavier and more frequent winching will require a higher quality and thus more expensive winch. For the occasional winching application, almost any reasonable quality winch will do but there are some considerations that might draw even the “weekend warrior” user towards a higher priced winch.

Selecting a Truck Winch: The Motor
All of the cheaper truck winches use Permanent Magnet motors (PM) and while their promotional materials will tout the fact that this kind of motor draws less amps at startup, they won’t tell you they can overheat with heavy and prolonged pulls. The top rated and more expensive truck winches made by industry leader Warn Winch all feature more expensive Series Wound (SW) motors. SW motors will get the job done faster and last longer. Check the forums for tips on using truck winches and you’ll find experts who recommend resting your winch after a minute and a half of use. They should tell you this tip applies to winches with PM motors but they frequently don’t. So if you’re going to be a heavy duty wincher, you should stick with models offered by industry leaders like Warn Winch and Ramsey. Even for light duty users who can afford the cost, a winch with an SW motor will save time and aggravation.

Selecting a Truck Winch: The Electrical System
Many first time winchers are shocked when they finally free their vehicles from the mud only to find the battery is dead. Winches draw a lot of current and can easily overload your alternator and drain your battery. So you need to calculate the cost of strengthening your electrical system into your purchase decision. First you need to think about adding a heavier duty alternator, one that can output at least 100 amps. Second you’ll need to get a battery with the highest cranking power you can find. Diesel or tractor batteries are an option here. Some users configure dual battery setups using split charge systems.

If you don’t want to bother with electrical upgrades, there is one manufacturer out there that makes a hydraulic winch — Mile Marker. This winch is powered by your vehicle’s power steering pump and is completely independent of the electrical system. A hydraulic winch will keep on running and not overheat as long as the vehicle keeps running. Obvious disadvantages are running out of gas or if your vehicle already has a dead battery.

The final consideration when buying a truck winch is making sure you have the right mounting system and the right accessories. The mounting system has to match your vehicle and almost all winch manufacturers can provide them. Many people who think of accessories think of things like wireless remotes and snatch blocks and forget about that most basic of all accessories — heavy duty gloves. Good luck with your winching!