Winch system for a trailer or truck?

[avalancher]

Okay, you guys talked me into buying a winch. I picked up a used 5,000 lb. Superwinch for $100 off a guy on CL, I figure for the money it's probably a nice tool to have kicking around. I know it's junk compared to a Warn, but I wasn't about to pay Warn money for a winch I don't know if I'm going to use very much.

Since my trailer has a battery in it for the hydraulics, I was going to mount the winch on the trailer and use that battery. After looking at my trailer picture (I'm not at home to physically look at the trailer), I'm not really sure permanently mounting the winch on the trailer is such a good idea. I don't see a good way of mounting it so it's not in the way or interfering with the dump action, plus I don't think I want to be limited with having it mounted in one location. There's a pic of my trailer below so you can see what I mean.

I'm starting to think making up a plate and chain setup like avalancher has might offer me the most flexibility and utility. Question, how thick is that Warn bracket, 1/4"? is the "L" where the chains attach supported (I can't tell by looking at the picture)?

I'm not real crazy about buying another battery for using the winch, so I might setup my trailer battery so it can be quickly disconnected and toted for powering the winch. Since I just bought the trailer and I haven't even looked yet, do these trailers usually have a built in battery charger that charges the batteries from the factory trailer harness on the truck? I seem to recall seeing a small battery by the main battery which powers the electric brakes in the event of the emergency break away switch is activated. I'm sure that probably has some type of small charger on it for safety reasons, but I don't know about the main battery. Do you guys know off hand?

Yep, that mounting plate is made out of 1/4 inch stuff, and the eyes for the attaching chains are not supported. If you are considering one for your 5000lb winch, I would consider making one yourself out of some heavier steel. 5000lb pull would probably tear this rig apart.It does fine for my 3700, but I noticed that under a heavy pull the bracket does flex some, and over the years now the attaching part has dog eared a little bit. A heavier winch would no doubt bend it right up. Should be something easy enough to rig up though with some 1/2 plate.

 

[avalancher]

I am sure there is jobs the winch will be the thing to use, but for sake of time in the long run if you have a decent sized chainsaw I'd slice the firewood with the saw down to a size I could handle,then you will have less and easiar splitting when you get it home.

The biggest advantage that I have found in a winch is to actually SAVE time. Think about it, I can drag a piece of log into the trailer 8-10 ft long that is say 30 inches in diameter in a few minutes. Once on board, I then cut it into rounds.Never picked anything up to carry.
Once I am home, I roll my splitter right up to the tail end of the trailer, roll the rounds right on to the splitter and bust them in half. One half stays on the splitter, the other half falls right back into the trailer. The only picking up you have to do is that one half, from the deck of the trailer back on to the splitter.
Not to mention recovering logs from up a hill, etc. I would hate to have to carry some of these rounds,even if they are quartered, up some of the hills that i have got a lot of wood from.

 

[TJ-Bill]

I don't know much about the working of the hydraulic trailers..

But couldn't you run a hydraulic winch using some of the equpiment already there? Might need some more battery power but I say work with what you got.!

 

[Wet1]

I don't know much about the working of the hydraulic trailers..

But couldn't you run a hydraulic winch using some of the equpiment already there? Might need some more battery power but I say work with what you got.!

That's an interesting idea, I had not thought of tying a winch into the existing hydraulic system.

Anyone have some ideas how this would be done? I've never looked at a hydraulic winch...

 

[046]

got a Ramsey 8,000 lb hydraulic winch. but it's way more trouble setting up a hydraulic vs electric. you'd be better off with an electric. Hydraulic winches are for day in... day out use.

althought with an existing hydraulic pump system ... this just might work with a bit of plumbing. 8,000lb rating is completely different from electric winch ratings. typically an electric winch with same rating will hold 1/2 what a hydraulic winch will hold.

That's an interesting idea, I had not thought of tying a winch into the existing hydraulic system.

Anyone have some ideas how this would be done? I've never looked at a hydraulic winch...