Trailer Winches

Some of the most popular trailers are those designed to transport boats, and cars and other wheeled vehicles. Unlike other types of trailers like campers or utility trailers, with these trailers having some kind of winch is a necessity. We offer both manual, hand-crank winches and 12V electric winches in styles and capacities to suit every trailer and every size load, and each is designed to pull your precious cargo safely and easily onto the trailer. These winches are for horizontal pulling of free-rolling or free-floating loads and not for vertical lifting or vehicle extrication.

Hand-crank winches are inexpensive and ideal if you don’t mind physical exertion and you’re not in a hurry. They use gearing to multiply your strength so you can pull cargo onto the trailer. A single speed winch with 4:1 or 5:1 ratio is fine for lighter loads, but you may need a 2-speed winch with a 16:1 low speed ratio for heavier loads. The gear ratio is how many times the handle must be turned for the winch drum to rotate once. A low speed (numerically higher) ratio requires less effort but takes longer to pull, while a higher (numerically lower) ratio is faster but requires more muscle.

We offer single and two-speed hand-crank winches in a wide range of capacities. Some hand-crank winches come preloaded with straps in your choice of lengths and some come with protective covers. Brake winches will hold the load in position if you have to take your hand off the crank handle. In addition to providing the leverage needed for heavier loads, a two-speed winch can be a time saver. Use the higher (numerically lower) ratio and faster pull speed to get your boat or car properly positioned for pulling onto the trailer, then switch to the lower (numerically higher) ratio to pull the boat onto the rollers and bunks or the car up the loading ramps and onto the trailer.

However, if you need more pulling power or just want to quickly and effortlessly get your car or boat loaded, go for an electric winch. These are 12V DC winches and must be connected to your vehicle’s electrical system. We offer winches that are designed to be removable and portable, so you only need one winch even if you have multiple trailers, as well as winches that are bolted on for a permanent mounting. Most winches free-spool to allow the winch line to release and this is fine if you’re letting gravity float a boat for example, but we also offer winches that have a power out feature so you have control when unloading a car or launching a heavy boat on a steep ramp.

There are many variables to consider when deciding on winch capacity. For example, if you’re purchasing a winch for a boat trailer and it has rollers instead of carpeted bunks, or you launch on a gently sloping ramp instead of a steep ramp, you won’t need as much power. To be on the safe side choose a winch with capacity equal to ¾ to the full weight of your fully loaded boat. For a rolling load like a car, the desired winch capacity will depend on the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and the slope of the ramp (determined by dividing height of the ramp by the length). For example, a winch with a 3,000 lb. rated line pull can pull 15,075 lbs. up a 10% slope, but only 6,428 lbs. up a 40% slope. At minimum, choose a winch with capacity that is equal to the weight of the vehicle.