Off Brand Electric Winches

[JRM]

Also like the landing gear all tied in.
Nice work.

Thanks, pretty straight forward set up tho really. The trailer came with just one jack and is in its original spot so I had to punch a hole through for the handle. The box tube is tied in to the front frame rail and with the angle stiffeners it's all very solid. Of course there's nothing wrong with over building but at today's steel prices it's gonna cost ya!
Another benefit was finally having a spot to permanently mount my spare. This trailer did not come with a mount anywhere. It drove me nuts.

 

[Tedster2]

You say the winch is slow, how is it being powered. A battery alone sitting at rest will be drawn down quickly by the strain of a winch and all the sudden a 12 volt winch is running at 8-10 volts (or less) which increases amperage and is hard on solenoids and motors, not to mention SLOW. A reliable way of keeping the battery charged is necessary. Either long jumpers hooked to the vehicle while it is running or a good jump box hooked to the winch battery (what I do).

You could also buy a snatchblock and try that if you haven't already for increased line pull. It's very effective.

My apologies if you have already covered all this.

7 blade connectors or more should have a charging output from the truck to the trailer, but usually small gauge wire. The winch quick connects work great and are larger than most jumper cables. I use welding cables

 

[fields_mj]

I have a 15x6 equipment trailer that I use to move my tractor, and haul firewood. It has a pair of 5400 lb axles and I normally haul around 2 cords of hickory per trip. I built an arch out of 2x2x1/4" sq tube and it sits in the rear stake pockets so it is removeable. I use a 13,000 lb Xbull winch on the front of the trailer and I run it with a Group 31 battery that's 950cca and weights around 70 lbs. The battery has enough capacity to load almost the full 2 cords. I also have a marine battery that I take with me as well as a back up. If your winch is "portable" I would highly recommend the synthetic rope to keep the weight down. Originally I had looked at going with a smaller winch, but there wasn't much of a price difference. I can't remember whether I bought the winch from Amazon or ebay, but it was a little under $400 with the synthetic rope. One of the pics below is a large log that I milled in half and used the arch and winch to load onto the trailer. The halves are from a LARGE pinoak that I had to take down in my back yard last winter. The log in the pick is 10' long and over 4' across. I had to mill it in half to be able to pick it up with the arch. I tried picking up the next smaller log with the arch. The winch did fine with a 20K snatch block, but I made the mistake of grabbing the log too close to the middle. Under the full weight of the log, the arch bent some when the log tried to swing cross ways of the trailer, but that's a LOT bigger than anything I had ever intended on loading. The other 2 pics are of a load of black locust that I brought home for firewood. For anything 36" and under, I use the arch to get the log a little over half way on to the trailer, and then just the winch to load the log the rest of the way. Skidding tongs are also very handy.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Thanks, pretty straight forward set up tho really. The trailer came with just one jack and is in its original spot so I had to punch a hole through for the handle. The box tube is tied in to the front frame rail and with the angle stiffeners it's all very solid. Of course there's nothing wrong with over building but at today's steel prices it's gonna cost ya!
Another benefit was finally having a spot to permanently mount my spare. This trailer did not come with a mount anywhere. It drove me nuts.

I love the spare tire mount. I have to get the landing gear yet. My box bodied trailers have the spare tire mounted over the A frame on the front wall. The bigger long log trailer is getting your setup for sure with a tiny generator upfront in a steel box under those angle brackets. Maybe box the whole thing as a tool box with a hidden gen? You'll never see my fake handle unless you look through the spare tire with wheel locks on it. Magnetic locks are much better hidden away.

Steel is the least of the worries. Can get steel for scrap prices, free or twenty five cents on the dollar most times. Same thing with aluminum when you have so many resources around here to get it from. When I was younger we cut up anything in scrap steel to get cash to go buy aluminum or whatever right down the street from ten other yards. I was always pretty good at cobbling parts together for a custom build. Little bit of this some more of that and viola, should have, bought a broken one and fixed it vs build a new one from scratch. The hardware is always what nickels and dimes the build to doom and all the wasted time sourcing it pre internet. The game has changed, again.

Got six trailers to use, trade or improve so no worries.
Every cheap winch I've bought is dead or broke. Sticking with good stuff like the old days before 1991. If you made it this far...

I'm running half inch galvanized cable already spooled up on my big winch for recoveries with a standard stock attached hook on it. Tilt bed seems pointless for cars or logs.

Who is running synthetic rope?
And how much is it now for 3/4"?
Are the 7K axles really 7K?

 

[Lightning Performance]

I have a 15x6 equipment trailer that I use to move my tractor, and haul firewood. It has a pair of 5400 lb axles and I normally haul around 2 cords of hickory per trip. I built an arch out of 2x2x1/4" sq tube and it sits in the rear stake pockets so it is removeable. I use a 13,000 lb Xbull winch on the front of the trailer and I run it with a Group 31 battery that's 950cca and weights around 70 lbs. The battery has enough capacity to load almost the full 2 cords. I also have a marine battery that I take with me as well as a back up. If your winch is "portable" I would highly recommend the synthetic rope to keep the weight down. Originally I had looked at going with a smaller winch, but there wasn't much of a price difference. I can't remember whether I bought the winch from Amazon or ebay, but it was a little under $400 with the synthetic rope. One of the pics below is a large log that I milled in half and used the arch and winch to load onto the trailer. The halves are from a LARGE pinoak that I had to take down in my back yard last winter. The log in the pick is 10' long and over 4' across. I had to mill it in half to be able to pick it up with the arch. I tried picking up the next smaller log with the arch. The winch did fine with a 20K snatch block, but I made the mistake of grabbing the log too close to the middle. Under the full weight of the log, the arch bent some when the log tried to swing cross ways of the trailer, but that's a LOT bigger than anything I had ever intended on loading. The other 2 pics are of a load of black locust that I brought home for firewood. For anything 36" and under, I use the arch to get the log a little over half way on to the trailer, and then just the winch to load the log the rest of the way. Skidding tongs are also very handy.

That's a nice frame but the rigging above it wouldn't last me an hour. with logs averaging bigger than you have loaded most times going for an hour ride or more but on flat land. The tires were my big issues in years past. This next trailer will need a double layer wood bed on it. My others are steel diamond plate or ribbed steel. Moving up to an HD 16" tire should help vs running 14" or 15" D or E class stuff. The F tires are crazy expensive now days but worth it hauling big logs or add another axle.

I've always liked those landing stands on the back ramps until you get low classics like Porsche or Corvettes. Those things were also a nightmare for me loading logs. I switch to a power front jack and blocks under my truck tires. It puts all my trailers right on the ground for easy loading with no ramps need unless it has short tires or sits super low. Got some ramps if needed in aluminum or steel. They suck to haul around. The angle iron track machine set are ridiculously heavy to move. Mine needs more steak pockets like yours has.

 

[fields_mj]

That's a nice frame but the rigging above it wouldn't last me an hour. with logs averaging bigger than you have loaded most times going for an hour ride or more but on flat land. The tires were my big issues in years past. This next trailer will need a double layer wood bed on it. My others are steel diamond plate or ribbed steel. Moving up to an HD 16" tire should help vs running 14" or 15" D or E class stuff. The F tires are crazy expensive now days but worth it hauling big logs or add another axle.

I've always liked those landing stands on the back ramps until you get low classics like Porsche or Corvettes. Those things were also a nightmare for me loading logs. I switch to a power front jack and blocks under my truck tires. It puts all my trailers right on the ground for easy loading with no ramps need unless it has short tires or sits super low. Got some ramps if needed in aluminum or steel. They suck to haul around. The angle iron track machine set are ridiculously heavy to move. Mine needs more steak pockets like yours has.

The rack on the front end of the trailer only gets used for firewood. The top is 2" sq tube. I slid a short piece of 2-1/2" tube over it when I was building it., then welded a couple of ears on it sticking down. Drilled a 9/16" hole through one ear and tapped a 1/2-13 hole in the other side. Run a shoulder bolt through it and hang a snatch block down so that it gets my winch cable up higher. I also drilled a few 3/8" holes through the top of the square tube in a few locations. I drop in a 3/8" bolt to keep the sleeve from sliding towards the center. It allows me to pull a log towards one side or the other. I would never use the front rack to load a large log up onto the trailer. Those black locust logs (only 8' long) are about as much the front rack will handle. The rear arch, even though it is now bent, had no problems getting some bigger stuff up on the trailer. The ones in the pic below were loaded and hauled one half at a time because that's all my 13K winch wanted to do, even with the snatch block on the arch.

I have one spindle that has some minor scoring on it. I've thought about upgrading to a larger axle and tire, mainly so I could use my old, worn truck tires. So long as I buy a quality tire, and not the cheapest D rated tire I can find, and I keep those good tires fully aired up, they do fine for my needs. I'd estimate that my normal load of firewood is around 9K plus the trailer weight. I also haul my firewood about an hour, only because it's close to where my folks live, I have nearly unlimited access to the property, and it's loaded with shagbark hickory and white tail deer Still, pulling that trailer through the creek and up out of the bottom always makes my rear end pucker. The old 7.3 gets the job done, but I'm always nervous I'll slip a tire and dig a hole... fast...

I've had no problems with the synthetic rope on my Xbull. Having said that, if I were making a living with it, I'd at least have a Warne, but most likely I would have found a hydraulic setup. I'm normally getting 2 or 3 trailer loads of hickory each year for firewood. My $400 winch will die at some point. When it does, I will replace it with another.

 

[Lightning Performance]

The rack on the front end of the trailer only gets used for firewood. The top is 2" sq tube. I slid a short piece of 2-1/2" tube over it when I was building it., then welded a couple of ears on it sticking down. Drilled a 9/16" hole through one ear and tapped a 1/2-13 hole in the other side. Run a shoulder bolt through it and hang a snatch block down so that it gets my winch cable up higher. I also drilled a few 3/8" holes through the top of the square tube in a few locations. I drop in a 3/8" bolt to keep the sleeve from sliding towards the center. It allows me to pull a log towards one side or the other. I would never use the front rack to load a large log up onto the trailer. Those black locust logs (only 8' long) are about as much the front rack will handle. The rear arch, even though it is now bent, had no problems getting some bigger stuff up on the trailer. The ones in the pic below were loaded and hauled one half at a time because that's all my 13K winch wanted to do, even with the snatch block on the arch.

I have one spindle that has some minor scoring on it. I've thought about upgrading to a larger axle and tire, mainly so I could use my old, worn truck tires. So long as I buy a quality tire, and not the cheapest D rated tire I can find, and I keep those good tires fully aired up, they do fine for my needs. I'd estimate that my normal load of firewood is around 9K plus the trailer weight. I also haul my firewood about an hour, only because it's close to where my folks live, I have nearly unlimited access to the property, and it's loaded with shagbark hickory and white tail deer Still, pulling that trailer through the creek and up out of the bottom always makes my rear end pucker. The old 7.3 gets the job done, but I'm always nervous I'll slip a tire and dig a hole... fast...

I've had no problems with the synthetic rope on my Xbull. Having said that, if I were making a living with it, I'd at least have a Warne, but most likely I would have found a hydraulic setup. I'm normally getting 2 or 3 trailer loads of hickory each year for firewood. My $400 winch will die at some point. When it does, I will replace it with another.

The load keeps you rolling with momentum so just keep moving. My thoughts are the same on tires now. Matching the truck and trailer is tough but not impossible if we're not talking about drive tire radials. They stay on the front only. My truck has a 7.3T and single wheel. I did get F450 wheels for the rear end but they are rigged with 16.5, new E class eight ply but I'm using those for a trailer or trades. Very hard tires to find new mounted on freshly painted wheels from a 450.

The hydro winches were always too much trouble unless you had them on a wrecker or roll-off with a pump setup as a dedicated PTO. These trailers are all staying electric. The best ones are made by Ramsey and we ran those on certain trucks for easy of use in a commercial 8K setup.

 

[JRM]

I love the spare tire mount. I have to get the landing gear yet. My box bodied trailers have the spare tire mounted over the A frame on the front wall. The bigger long log trailer is getting your setup for sure with a tiny generator upfront in a steel box under those angle brackets. Maybe box the whole thing as a tool box with a hidden gen? You'll never see my fake handle unless you look through the spare tire with wheel locks on it. Magnetic locks are much better hidden away.

Steel is the least of the worries. Can get steel for scrap prices, free or twenty five cents on the dollar most times. Same thing with aluminum when you have so many resources around here to get it from. When I was younger we cut up anything in scrap steel to get cash to go buy aluminum or whatever right down the street from ten other yards. I was always pretty good at cobbling parts together for a custom build. Little bit of this some more of that and viola, should have, bought a broken one and fixed it vs build a new one from scratch. The hardware is always what nickels and dimes the build to doom and all the wasted time sourcing it pre internet. The game has changed, again.

Got six trailers to use, trade or improve so no worries.
Every cheap winch I've bought is dead or broke. Sticking with good stuff like the old days before 1991. If you made it this far...

I'm running half inch galvanized cable already spooled up on my big winch for recoveries with a standard stock attached hook on it. Tilt bed seems pointless for cars or logs.

Who is running synthetic rope?
And how much is it now for 3/4"?
Are the 7K axles really 7K?

What are you using the genny for?

Dexter 7k axle should be 3" diameter tube with 12" x 2" brakes. There may be other combinations? But that is a common set up I have had on multiple trailers.
I buy load range F or G 16" tires for increased life and reliability over E. Closed shoulder lugs preferable regardless of load range, they don't scrub as hard. I do need a set up that can reliably go a couple hundred miles in any direction on short notice so that plays a factor into the selection too.

Personally, I won't own another trailer that isn't a tilt deck. Pluses and minuses to both but for me the pluses outweigh the minuses. I've drug a ton of logs up over the years. With my setup I've not ever felt the need for an arch. Drop the deck, hook and drag, and bind it down
Worst case scenario I can always use my ramps off my dump trailer which I've done maybe 2 or 3 times over 15 years + or -
Again all just opinions based on my experiences.

 

[fields_mj]

The load keeps you rolling with momentum so just keep moving.

Momentum is the problem. When loaded, the front of the trailer drags when I cross the creek. From there, I've got about 150 ft max before I start up the hill to come out of the bottom. Once the trailer axles are in the water, I turn the throttle "on" and leave it there until I top the hill. The road/lane is pretty good up the hill. Been used for decades and has a lot of stone in it. Its just a worry that I always have, probably for no good reason.

I'd much prefer a dump or tilt trailer as well, but I only gave $1,500 for mine and it does what I need so I can't complain. The dump/tilt wouldn't help me much with most of my loading because I don't have a good way to pick up/drag 10 to 15 logs at one time. However, it would significantly help with the unloading process, especially when I'm unloading a load of manure for the garden

 

[JRM]

The "best" trailer is the one that's paid for and sitting in your driveway

 

[JustPlainJeff]

I've got the Harbor Freight Badland winch. I did extensive research before buying mine. I found VERY few bad reviews, if any. I don't recall seeing any bad reviews, but there may have been one in there somewhere. I just had the mounting plate welded onto my gooseneck on Tuesday, and have yet to actually mount the winch, but I'll have it on over the weekend. I have yet to use it, so I don't have a first-hand review of it, but I look forward to trying it.

Oh, and I forgot, you (the OP), don't want a "large winch". I know someone mentioned it, but I don't think I've seen anybody post a link. There are several smaller and more economical Badland winches at Harbor Freight. Here's a link. https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=badland

P.S., I'm not normally a fan of ANYTHING from Harbor Freight, unless it's a one-time use tool that I don't think I'll ever need again, but the reviews of the winch that I bought forced me to give it a shot.

 

[djg james]

I've got the Harbor Freight Badland winch. I did extensive research before buying mine. I found VERY few bad reviews, if any. I don't recall seeing any bad reviews, but there may have been one in there somewhere. I just had the mounting plate welded onto my gooseneck on Tuesday, and have yet to actually mount the winch, but I'll have it on over the weekend. I have yet to use it, so I don't have a first-hand review of it, but I look forward to trying it.

Oh, and I forgot, you (the OP), don't want a "large winch". I know someone mentioned it, but I don't think I've seen anybody post a link. There are several smaller and more economical Badland winches at Harbor Freight. Here's a link. https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=badland

P.S., I'm not normally a fan of ANYTHING from Harbor Freight, unless it's a one-time use tool that I don't think I'll ever need again, but the reviews of the winch that I bought forced me to give it a shot.

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I've look at Badlands before. The 3500# is in my price range. And since I won't be pulling huge logs, I think? it would be plenty of power. I too am leary of HF stuff. I've had electric tools crap out after the warranty period, but I do have an assortment of their clamps.

Through Amazon, I can get a 4500# winch for he same price or less. I don't know if the extra 1000# would make a difference, but it sounds better. This is those brands I initially posted. I was looking for input on those brands if anyone had them.

We sold my Dad's farm a couple of years ago and there was a small single axle trailer in the shed that I told the new owner (friend) I wanted. He's got it at his place. I plan to go down and get it this Fall. Haul it in my small trailer since bearings/tires are suspect. It got a heavy axle from what I remember and the frame is heavier. May beef up this trailer to make it my log hauler for single logs. But all the welds were pretty poor so I'd need to clan them all up and reweld them. Then new tires.
I'll still put a couple of new cross members on my existing trailer because I do load it to the hilt with firewood which doesn't do the frame any good. I'm also wanting to weld gussets on the side board frame so I can put a camper shell on it. Need to make a red neck camper for hunting season. Gas prices are killing me when out hunting and with this small camper I could camp at the local camp ground. It would get me off the ground and out of the weather. I normally tent camp. Been looking for a used camper. Only pop ups are in my price range. I'd rather have a small hard side so I don't have anything to mess with. Then again, I really don't want another trailer setting around home.

 

[sean donato]

I love the spare tire mount. I have to get the landing gear yet. My box bodied trailers have the spare tire mounted over the A frame on the front wall. The bigger long log trailer is getting your setup for sure with a tiny generator upfront in a steel box under those angle brackets. Maybe box the whole thing as a tool box with a hidden gen? You'll never see my fake handle unless you look through the spare tire with wheel locks on it. Magnetic locks are much better hidden away.

Steel is the least of the worries. Can get steel for scrap prices, free or twenty five cents on the dollar most times. Same thing with aluminum when you have so many resources around here to get it from. When I was younger we cut up anything in scrap steel to get cash to go buy aluminum or whatever right down the street from ten other yards. I was always pretty good at cobbling parts together for a custom build. Little bit of this some more of that and viola, should have, bought a broken one and fixed it vs build a new one from scratch. The hardware is always what nickels and dimes the build to doom and all the wasted time sourcing it pre internet. The game has changed, again.

Got six trailers to use, trade or improve so no worries.
Every cheap winch I've bought is dead or broke. Sticking with good stuff like the old days before 1991. If you made it this far...

I'm running half inch galvanized cable already spooled up on my big winch for recoveries with a standard stock attached hook on it. Tilt bed seems pointless for cars or logs.

Who is running synthetic rope?
And how much is it now for 3/4"?
Are the 7K axles really 7K?

Tilt beds are great, I wish I had one, but have access to a rollback so kinda moot.
Been running synthetic rope for years and would be hard pressed to go back to steel cable for really any reason.
Yes 7k axles are still 7k. Don't know why or where you would get the notion they arnt.
Your rant about tires is also not really applicable in 15"or 16." load rage E and F are very easy to find in either, just costs more money for the heavier tire.

 

[Tedster2]

You need to remember a 12k winch with 4 wraps on the drum is rated little over 6k pull. One wrap on the drum is "full rated pull" also the chances of using a full 12k worth of pull is typically pretty slim, and at best last only a short time till you get the load moving.

When in doubt, use the doubler.

 

[djg james]

I ended up buying the X-Bull:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0919213F...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==Should be enough for the small logs I'll pull onto my small trailer. I haven't started on my trailer yet. Warm dry period we're no in will be used to split and stack all the firewood I've recently accumulated. And duck season starts soon so I don't know when I'll get to the trailer.
I also plan on some type of arch system and a snatch block.

 

[sean donato]

I ended up buying the X-Bull:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0919213F...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==Should be enough for the small logs I'll pull onto my small trailer. I haven't started on my trailer yet. Warm dry period we're no in will be used to split and stack all the firewood I've recently accumulated. And duck season starts soon so I don't know when I'll get to the trailer.
I also plan on some type of arch system and a snatch block.

I have to make an arch for my heavy trailer yet too. Good things take time lol.