Hand Winches

Electric and hydraulic winches are of great help to the off-road enthusiast. However, they rely on an external power supply like electricity or hydraulic pressure, and are helpless without them. Now imagine you got stuck in mud or snow and your battery is low, so it cannot provide a proper power supply to the winch. Seems like a nightmare? We hope that will never happen to you, but if so, a hand winch can be that magic wand you'll be looking for at that moment. Unlike an electric or hydraulic winch, a hand winch only relies on the strength of your muscles.

At first sight a hand winch may seem to be a very simple tool, but this isn't that. A modern-day hand winch is a complex mechanism that consists of different components, each of which does its piece of job to make it easier to pull or lift large or heavy items. In design hand winches are divided into crank and drum types. Each of them has its pros and cons, and will be maximum useful for specific applications. Hand winches can also be one-speed or two-speed. In case of using a multi-speed winch, you'll be able to switch between gears for more powerful or faster cranking.

The most basic design of hand winches is a planetary gear, which ensures efficient and easy cranking. Such hand winches are great for small objects and short pulling distances, and allow for pulling up to 2000 lbs. More powerful two-speed hand winches that utilize a planetary gear design provide the higher capacity up to 4000 lbs, which is why they can be used for heavy pulling and lifting. Another popular design is a worn gear. Worn gear winches are more powerful than planetary gear ones and allow for more controlled movements of loads. They are perfect for lifting and holding bicycles and boats for storage, or lifting different equipment onto your truck bed. In addition, many of them are self-locked to prevent runaway loads. The brake will automatically apply once the cranking stops.