# winch sizing for loading logs onto trailer



## j_d (Jul 16, 2017)

Greetings. I have a deck over trailer that I am wanting to be able to load logs onto with minimal fuss. I am thinking about a front mounted winch and using a snatch block/pulley on either side with removable side ramps to roll the logs up. I am winch shopping and want to go as heavy as reasonable but price is a concern. I am shopping harbor freight (fits the budget) and there is a significant price increase from the 12,000 lb and the 18,000 lb models. I am looking for any input or suggestions.
Thanks,
Josh


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## rwoods (Jul 16, 2017)

I would pay close attention to duty cycle and amp draw. These are likely more important factors than pulling power for your application.

Ron


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## ChoppyChoppy (Jul 16, 2017)

And speed.


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## kimosawboy (Jul 16, 2017)

You might want to pass on the Harbor freight junk , get yourself a more dependable Ramsey or Warn in the 8000lb size... ValleyFirewood and rwoods are correct,, Speed /draw /amps.


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## j_d (Jul 17, 2017)

So would a lighter rated but better quality winch be able to reliably roll a large log up?


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## kimosawboy (Jul 17, 2017)

You are not dead lifting any logs when you are rolling them up the ramps , so you do not need a big winch.
This guy is using what looks like a small 2000-3000lb winch..
The better quality just (hopefully) ensures that it will have a long life without burning itself out. The warn 8274 has a nice line speed of 80/ft/min , which when you are doubling a line makes a difference. You can sometimes find used ones for a couple of hundred $$ on craigslist and the like.


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## Garrit (Jul 17, 2017)

Yea, if you are just rolling the log up on the trailer than you should be good with smaller winch, Get one with a good warranty. Will you ever build a log arch?


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## j_d (Jul 17, 2017)

Thanks for the insight guys. I have a log arch with a manual winch to get them out of the woods. This will just be to get them on the trailer.


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## 300zx_tt (Jul 17, 2017)

j_d said:


> Thanks for the insight guys. I have a log arch with a manual winch to get them out of the woods. This will just be to get them on the trailer.




I have a badlands (HF) #3500lb winch. This log is 13'6" 34" at the big end ~29" at the small end. I had to hook a ratchet strap to it to help get it up on the truck... I estimate the log at 5300lbs. just a little too heavy for the winch. The truck bed is way higher than the trailer will be so you'll have that going for you. Also it bent the **** out of my Ramps so I have to find a new solution.


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## j_d (Jul 17, 2017)

I like it. That's getting it done.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jul 17, 2017)

Personally, I'd get an 8,000 pound winch... AND a good brand, not a cheapo with it's tiny duty cycle...

SR


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## 300zx_tt (Jul 18, 2017)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Personally, I'd get an 8,000 pound winch... AND a good brand, not a cheapo with it's tiny duty cycle...
> 
> SR



Most winch's have pretty bad duty cycles, the more expensive ones are better obviously. In my case with that white oak, I had to stop winching every 20-30 seconds to brace my ramps anyway, so it worked, just a little too weak to do it with out some help. for what it's worth I regret the 3500lb purchase. Should have gotten the 5000lb.

I couldn't justify spending an extra $350 on a warn or other name brand winch I'm going to uses for a half an hour ~10 times a year. I am never really in a rush to load logs, I give myself a lot of time. that's why I got the harbor freight winch, plus I view a winch as a tool with a 5 year life expectancy.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jul 18, 2017)

Well, I have a Warn 12,000, I've had it MANY years and pulled some extreme loads, all without over heating or any problems at all.

I ALSO have a HF 12,000 and the duty cycle is pretty pathetic! Yeaaa, you can ignore the duty cycle, but it voids the warr. WHEN it burns up and it will burn up if you ignore the duty cycle...

A friend of mine, buys HF 2500 winches for his sawmill to turn logs, why ?, because they are cheeeep. He keeps going through them, but you know, he "thinks" they are cheep...BUT they aren't when they don't last... lol

SR


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## john taliaferro (Jul 24, 2017)

I ve got a 5000 waren on a steel plate with a key hole slot it will hook a trailer ball, pin on front of trailer or a chain . I mounted a hf 12,000 in the back bumper and a hf 3000 on a boom on the r r corner of the bed .A lot of times we have to help the 12, drag logs to the trailer. Trailer is tilt bed steel deck 7,000 lb single .


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## Dustan250 (Aug 6, 2017)

I've been using the tractor supply travelers 4500lb and works good for what I do. The other day a found some red pine for free and it was 30 foot long and 16" at the base. It pulled the hole tree up on the back of a 6x14 utility trailer with little effort and I cut them at 12'.


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## ArtB (Sep 22, 2017)

CL and garage sales are your friend. 
$100 on CL for a 6T Warn that I pulled bobcat up a 45 deg slope with, no problems at all.
$50 garage sale HF 4T winch, it if gets hot I just pour water on the motor for a minue or so, no duty cycle worries yet. 

The big winches for long duration pulls you need to be more worried about the alternator current rating on your truck, 100 A-hr batts trying to supply 100 A to a 12,000# winch for more than a few minutes without a least a 100A alternator sure shortens the life of a battery. 100A hrs is not 100A-hrs at 5X the rating.


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## muddstopper (Sep 24, 2017)

I'm no expert on winches, but I have rolled a lot of logs on trucks by hand. With that said, I think it shouldnt take a real big winch to roll a log on a truck. As for duty cycle, well I am not so sure burnt up and hot winches are a sign of a poor quality winch, as much as its a sign of a poor quality power supply. Ever burnt up a car starter, its usually caused by a bad or dying battery. Using a winch has a big power draw from the battery. A small amp alternator that cant keep up with the power requirements of a winch will result in a ran down battery and low voltage to the winch motor.

My dump trailer is electric hyd's. Trailer has its own battery and it charges off the plug on the back of the truck. I have hauled multiple loads and kept the truck running while dumping and seen how much the dump would slow down lifting and dumping. After just a few loads, I would have to stop work and let the battery charge up. I added Anderson connectors to the back of the truck and the trailer. Now, my electric dump motor is getting power from the trailer battery, the truck battery, and the alternator. I can raise and dump all day long. I think if I had a electric winch on a trailer, I would want to give it the most battery power I could supply. I feel as long as the winch recieves all the power it needs, it probably wouldnt get hot near as fast. My truck is already set up with the Anderson connectors, so it wouldnt be a big hazzle for me to add a winch to a trailer, but If I did, I would also add a winch dedicated battery mounted on the trailer.


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## rwoods (Sep 24, 2017)

Muddstopper, I know next to nothing about low voltage etc. but my experience with a 12 volt worm drive connected to 2 hi-cap marine batteries and the truck battery still resulted in burned up motors and solenoids. Maybe with the high drain and only 50 amps or so input the voltage dropped too low despite 3 fully charged batteries. Anyway I just read your tractor winch story, though not near as dramatic or dangerous event, I was reminded of a short 15 foot pull at the edge of a pond trying to get unstuck when the solenoids welded shut on me. I hit the shutoff switch on the dual marine batteries but had to pop the hood and disconnect the truck battery. Got it stopped about 1 foot before running out of cable. Hydraulic is my choice, but I'm skiddish about using electric valves.

Ron


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## muddstopper (Sep 24, 2017)

I dont know Ron, Dang if you do and dang if you dont sort of deal I guess


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## rwoods (Sep 24, 2017)

I agree that rolling a log on a trailer should be no big deal for an electric winch. Dragging one 100 feet to the trailer is a different animal. Dragging a 20 foot 2000# log on to a trailer is also a different animal. 

So for me the question for the OP would be how did the logs get to the trailer or vice versa. If you drug them there with a tractor or something else then you can load them with the tractor - with or without the rams. No winch required. If you are going to use the winch to get them to the trailer then you should go hydraulic. If you just drive up to the log a HF 12000 should get the job done easily. According to the specs the 12000 seems to be more efficient amp wise than its smaller brothers. The HF 18000 is getting into the price range of smaller but adequate name brand winches.

Ron


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## ChoppyChoppy (Sep 25, 2017)

Expect 400-500amp draw on a winch at near full pull.


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## M.R. (Sep 25, 2017)

ValleyFirewood said:


> Expect 400-500amp draw on a winch at near full pull.



The starter motors on the diesel locomotives were
placarded ...with 30 seconds of cranking to allow 2 minutes 
of cool down. 
Yip, amps equal heat .... 
intermittent duty cycles, without allowing for cooling down periods (allows batteries to recharge some also)
It's easy to let the smoke out of them. ;-)


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## muddstopper (Sep 25, 2017)

I think the closer you get toward the load limit on a winch the more likely you are to burn it up. A 3000lb winch running at its load limit will get hotter faster than a 8000lb winch running at 3000lbs load. Little winch's come with short lines for a reason, they are not intended to make 100ft pulls, and the more line you have on the drum, the less weight it can pull. Personally, if I intended to make large pulls over long distances, I would opt for the biggest winch I could afford.


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