# Winch Project



## kstill361 (Apr 22, 2011)

So I got a new idea.instead of making a load handler. What if a get a winch and mount it to the tougne outside the trailer and pull the cable underneaththe floor of the trailer and use a pulley to take the cable above the floor and back to the front of the trailer and attatch it to pushbar . As I winch it would pull that pushbar pushing the wood to the back of trailer at my arms reach or just to unload on the ground. The trailer walls will be smooth metal. . Does this sound like a good idea? i would rather spend a grand on a winch than the cost of a dump trailer.

So the load of wood would average 5000lbs . I dont have any experience with winches. What size would do the job easily?
Should I get a good Warn, or would a cheaper ebay or harborfreight winch do the job?

Kevin


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## zogger (Apr 22, 2011)

*You can buy something like that*

I've never used one, nor seen one in real life, but they sell a hand crank pickup bed unloader system.

Tailgate Lifts + Dump Truck Kits | Auto, SUV + Truck Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment

Your idea is interesting. I think the biggest problem will be the wood jamming together and not sliding all that well.

Proly more fun to jam it in reverse upto around .ohh...60-70 then hit the skids and have all the wood just fly out the back.

Hey, got a huge tree in the yard? Here's another one. Have the plate pusher back of the load, then chains to that thing (like welded on both sides), hook it to the tree and just drive away. Save all that winch construction stuff.


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## KiwiBro (Apr 23, 2011)

zogger said:


> I've never used one, nor seen one in real life, but they sell a hand crank pickup bed unloader system.
> 
> Tailgate Lifts + Dump Truck Kits | Auto, SUV + Truck Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment


If that works for firewood, it's a pretty nifty idea.


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## kstill361 (Apr 23, 2011)

I already have a thread on the Load Handler. I was going to make my own but like this idea a little better as the winch would serve a triple play.

I would use the winch for my truck (my 4x4 broke and I got stuck the other day) and my car trailer also , I have been wanting one for awhile. I think if the wood was stacked in the trailer it would come out pretty easy. 
Tie off to a tree or something would be cheaper but when im backed up to the basement window thats not an option. The trailer would be 6x12. Adding the pully on the back should increase the pulling power of the winch, I really dont see a weakness as long as I got a good winch.

I like the entry level 12k Warn
Warn Industries - Jeep, Truck & SUV Winches: VR12000

Anybody got experience with winches, what can you recomend? Are the eBay winches any good? I read the 17k Recon Brute Force is pretty good for $450

Kevin


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## CJ8Ted (Apr 23, 2011)

Hi Kevin,

Around here guys will get a multi mount winch that goes into a 2" hitch reciever. Have one on the front of the truck with a quick connector on the wires that run to the battery both hot and ground. then they have a long lead to go to the rear of the truck so you can pull the truck back with ease. The long lead will also be long enough to go to the trailer where lies a 2" reciever to mount the winch. The leads and quick connects must be big enough to handle the Amps the winch draws. When pulling logs off the trailer a pulley will work good but in that app. it will only be a dirrection change and not increase the power of the winch. Not knowing the size of your truck you may need 12,000 to pull it out of a stuck area. But for using it for trailer work IMO 8,000 would do fine. The winches most of us can buy are rated at max load and not safe working load. The amp draw on a heavy pull will drain a battery fast even with the truck running and can shorten the life of the battery. Warn is the top of the line IMO and will last a long long time I have an M8000 for about 15 years and it was used when I got it . If you get an off brand winch get a series wound motor, some Harbor Fright winches work but for a little more cash you can have a Warn. I would get at leased two pulleys (properly rated) and a couple of D-rings and a tree saver strap.



Ted


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## kstill361 (Apr 23, 2011)

Hi Ted. That sound like the way I want to set it up. I read that for a dead load, take the weight times 1.5 and that will give the size of winch to do the job. I averaged the load to be around 5000lbs but after thinking a bit, I can remove the first few feet of wood pretty easily from the tail lessening the load to around 4000lb. But to keep it on the high side I would need a 7500lb winch to move it, so I think I will go the next size up on winch like a 10 or 12000lb winch.
It will be used for short duty cycles just to move a couple feet at a time.

I was looking at a few, let me know any thoughts please!

I really like the gear ratio on that Brute Force 358:1

WARN PREMIUM SERIES M8000 WINCH W ROLLER FAIRLED #26502 | eBay
NEW RECON 17500 Lb 12v DIESEL TRUCK SUV RECOVERY WINCH | eBay
Warn Tabor 12000lb Value Series Winch #812000 812000 | eBay
RECON 10500 lb WATERPROOF WIRELESS SYNTHETIC ROPE WINCH | eBay
NEW 12500Lb 12v TRUCK TRAILER JEEP RECOVERY WINCH 12000 | eBay


Kevin


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## RVALUE (Apr 23, 2011)

I used to tie a chain around a decent log in the front of a trailer to unload brush. Sure spoils you when the chain comes unhooked.

You loose a lot of torque going around a sheave, due to crap in the roller.


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## CJ8Ted (Apr 24, 2011)

Each pulley adds aprox. 10% to the pull. Not sure your getting a 125 lb. winch plus cradle in a reciever vary easily. I don't know about the 17,500 Recon, I cant see how they only loose 3,000 from the first wrap to the forth wrap. I would stay away from synthetic line for the way you want to use it for. Dirt, mud, sunlight, and abrasion kill synthetic line. If you end up going with a smaller winch (I think it would do the job) you can double line pull and if your on your last wrap of the drumb your at 16,000lbs if you need more than that your wreck your trailer and mounting system. IMO

Ted


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## coalman (Apr 24, 2011)

We used to do that all the time when hauling brush we would tie a rope around a big piece on the bottom and load every thing on top of it then when you get to where you want to unload you tie the rope to a tree pull the truck ahead and brush comes out Don't do it anymore as I have a dump truck


zogger said:


> I've never used one, nor seen one in real life, but they sell a hand crank pickup bed unloader system.
> 
> Tailgate Lifts + Dump Truck Kits | Auto, SUV + Truck Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment
> 
> ...


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## TMFARM 2009 (Apr 24, 2011)

kstill361 said:


> So I got a new idea.instead of making a load handler. What if a get a winch and mount it to the tougne outside the trailer and pull the cable underneaththe floor of the trailer and use a pulley to take the cable above the floor and back to the front of the trailer and attatch it to pushbar . As I winch it would pull that pushbar pushing the wood to the back of trailer at my arms reach or just to unload on the ground. The trailer walls will be smooth metal. . Does this sound like a good idea? i would rather spend a grand on a winch than the cost of a dump trailer.
> 
> So the load of wood would average 5000lbs . I dont have any experience with winches. What size would do the job easily?
> Should I get a good Warn, or would a cheaper ebay or harborfreight winch do the job?
> ...


 
just go buy a pto driven manure spreader, remove the beaters and put a small engine on the tongue to run it.. use the web to unload. they are heavy enough to haul a good load.


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## kubotakid (Apr 24, 2011)

kstill361 said:


> So I got a new idea.instead of making a load handler. What if a get a winch and mount it to the tougne outside the trailer and pull the cable underneaththe floor of the trailer and use a pulley to take the cable above the floor and back to the front of the trailer and attatch it to pushbar . As I winch it would pull that pushbar pushing the wood to the back of trailer at my arms reach or just to unload on the ground. The trailer walls will be smooth metal. . Does this sound like a good idea? i would rather spend a grand on a winch than the cost of a dump trailer.
> 
> So the load of wood would average 5000lbs . I dont have any experience with winches. What size would do the job easily?
> Should I get a good Warn, or would a cheaper ebay or harborfreight winch do the job?
> ...


 
Kevin I Like the Idea, If you make a y cable hitch so your pulling from the sides of your bulk head, two pieces 5 ft long should be about right, then it should pull pretty square, maybe a roller under front lip of bed to keep cable from scraping on edge, looking foward to pics Eric


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## Steveguy (Apr 25, 2011)

*Winch unloading firewood*

I have a 16 foot tandem I built that I have a bulkhead made that I pull back with a harbor freight 8000 lb. winch. I have the winch mounted up front on the tongue, run the cable back under the trailer, around a pulley at the rear to change direction, then forward to the bulkhead. I used this system on a smaller single axle trailer and it worked great. On the big trailer it was ok, but it struggled a little bit so I put a pulley on the bulkhead and ran the cable back to the rear pulley mount, doubling the line pull. Now It will unload as much as I can haul on the trailer with no trouble. The trailer is about 78" wide by 16' long with 1' high sides. I wanted to keep it fairly low so I can load into it with my Kubota BX1800 subcompact tractor. The small winch on top is used to return the bulkhead to the front for the next load. The last picture is of the bulkhead I used in the smaller trailer, but it shows the bottom in it and the side stabilizers, to keep it from riding up over the wood and keep it straight in the trailer. View attachment 181307
View attachment 181308
View attachment 181309
View attachment 181310


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## Steveguy (Apr 25, 2011)

Here is a link to a crappy video of the unload, before I doubled the line pull. You can hear the winch pulling pretty hard, and it's not a very big load. It works better now.





YouTube - Firewood trailer unloading


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## atvguns (Apr 25, 2011)

Looks like it works pretty good


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## Steveguy (Apr 25, 2011)

Yeah, I don't have any better pics. but it really works well since I doubled the pull and used it more to get the hang of it, but when you are on level ground, you can leave the truck in neutral and as the pile builds up behind, it pushes the whole rig forward, making room to finish unloading. I did 10-15 loads with this one so far, and did probably 35 loads with the smaller trailer. It works, and is fairly cheap, plus I can remove the bulkhead when not in use.


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## kubotakid (Apr 25, 2011)

steveguy said:


> yeah, i don't have any better pics. But it really works well since i doubled the pull and used it more to get the hang of it, but when you are on level ground, you can leave the truck in neutral and as the pile builds up behind, it pushes the whole rig forward, making room to finish unloading. I did 10-15 loads with this one so far, and did probably 35 loads with the smaller trailer. It works, and is fairly cheap, plus i can remove the bulkhead when not in use.


 
I like that, pics please, or IT never happened,.:hmm3grin2orange:


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## CJ8Ted (Apr 25, 2011)

Warn M8000 for $380! - JeepForum.com
Found this in the Jeep web world.

"Steveguy" looks good. 


Ted


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## kstill361 (Apr 25, 2011)

CJ8Ted said:


> Each pulley adds aprox. 10% to the pull. Not sure your getting a 125 lb. winch plus cradle in a reciever vary easily. I don't know about the 17,500 Recon, I cant see how they only loose 3,000 from the first wrap to the forth wrap. I would stay away from synthetic line for the way you want to use it for. Dirt, mud, sunlight, and abrasion kill synthetic line. If you end up going with a smaller winch (I think it would do the job) you can double line pull and if your on your last wrap of the drumb your at 16,000lbs if you need more than that your wreck your trailer and mounting system. IMO
> 
> Ted


 
Thanks for all the info Ted. I was just gonna go with a bigger winch to make sure the power was there because I wasnt sure exactly how big a winch I need.I will add strength to the trailer where needed but I agree if it took 16000lbs, some metal will be bending!


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## kstill361 (Apr 25, 2011)

Steveguy said:


> I have a 16 foot tandem I built that I have a bulkhead made that I pull back with a harbor freight 8000 lb. winch. I have the winch mounted up front on the tongue, run the cable back under the trailer, around a pulley at the rear to change direction, then forward to the bulkhead. I used this system on a smaller single axle trailer and it worked great. On the big trailer it was ok, but it struggled a little bit so I put a pulley on the bulkhead and ran the cable back to the rear pulley mount, doubling the line pull. Now It will unload as much as I can haul on the trailer with no trouble. The trailer is about 78" wide by 16' long with 1' high sides. I wanted to keep it fairly low so I can load into it with my Kubota BX1800 subcompact tractor. The small winch on top is used to return the bulkhead to the front for the next load. The last picture is of the bulkhead I used in the smaller trailer, but it shows the bottom in it and the side stabilizers, to keep it from riding up over the wood and keep it straight in the trailer. View attachment 181307
> View attachment 181308
> View attachment 181309
> View attachment 181310


 
Awsome! I am glad to see the idea actually works and gives me some motivation to move forward!


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## kstill361 (Apr 25, 2011)

CJ8Ted said:


> Warn M8000 for $380! - JeepForum.com
> Found this in the Jeep web world.
> 
> "Steveguy" looks good.
> ...


 
Thanks Ted, thats a good deal and I am considering this Warn winch


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## kstill361 (Apr 25, 2011)

TMFARM 2009 said:


> just go buy a pto driven manure spreader, remove the beaters and put a small engine on the tongue to run it.. use the web to unload. they are heavy enough to haul a good load.


 
I think I saw a thread about that on here. Thats a good idea too.


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## kstill361 (Apr 26, 2011)

Steveguy said:


> Here is a link to a crappy video of the unload, before I doubled the line pull. You can hear the winch pulling pretty hard, and it's not a very big load. It works better now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Steveguy,
I have a few questions,

can you post some pics of the winch inside the toolbox and how you have it set up to go under the trailer. I was wondering if you had it low enough to pull underneath or did you have to use a pulley up front to get the cable under the frame?

Are you using a stand alone battery ?

If you had to replace your current winch, would you go bigger next time?

Thanks,
Kevin


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## mga (Apr 26, 2011)

i just put the gate down and roll or throw them out.

works every time.


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## Steveguy (Apr 26, 2011)

kstill361 said:


> Steveguy,
> I have a few questions,
> 
> can you post some pics of the winch inside the toolbox and how you have it set up to go under the trailer. I was wondering if you had it low enough to pull underneath or did you have to use a pulley up front to get the cable under the frame?
> ...


 
I mounted the winch plate at the bottom of the channel iron A-frame tongue, which is mounted under the main frame of the trailer, so the cable comes off the drum and goes under the trailer frame with little drag. If needed, you could use a roller fairlead to guide it. I run the cable above the axles on the way back, and I welded a receiver hitch under the rear of the trailer, that I slide my pulley mount into. After I added the pulley on the bulkhead and ran the cable back to the rear, doubling the line pull, I have plenty of power to unload. I would use the same size winch again. I also figured out just how much cable I needed and shortened it up, because every wrap on the drum reduces pull alot. There is still enough cable that I canwind up, and run it on top of the trailer to pull something onto the trailer bed if needed. The power winch has free wheeling release, so when I get done unloading, I reverse the winch to remove tension, release the freewheel, and crank the bulkhead to the front, then engage the big winch again and put a little tension on the cable. This makes sure you don't get slack and drag the cable.


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## Steveguy (Apr 26, 2011)

I do use a stand alone battery mounted on the tongue, and a charging cable tied to the truck battery system to help keep the battery charged. I am pretty busy right now, but when I get a chance I will try to get more pics of the bulkhead and stuff, It isn't in the trailer right now cause I'm not wood hauling now.


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## kstill361 (Apr 26, 2011)

Steveguy said:


> I do use a stand alone battery mounted on the tongue, and a charging cable tied to the truck battery system to help keep the battery charged. I am pretty busy right now, but when I get a chance I will try to get more pics of the bulkhead and stuff, It isn't in the trailer right now cause I'm not wood hauling now.


 
Thanks, I would like as many pics that you can get me!
Kevin


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## czar800 (Apr 26, 2011)

Nice job!


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## deeker (May 15, 2011)

Steveguy said:


> Yeah, I don't have any better pics. but it really works well since I doubled the pull and used it more to get the hang of it, but when you are on level ground, you can leave the truck in neutral and as the pile builds up behind, it pushes the whole rig forward, making room to finish unloading. I did 10-15 loads with this one so far, and did probably 35 loads with the smaller trailer. It works, and is fairly cheap, plus I can remove the bulkhead when not in use.


 
Well? Lead the way kind Sir....I want/need the same thing.

Kevin


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## kstill361 (May 25, 2011)

Thanks for the links Ted! 
I decided to go with a Warn from streetside auto. First I made a portable hitch mount for it, and currently making a front hitch to go where the license plate goes.I am going to make a receiver tube for the plate to hide the receiver when not in use. Trailer work to follow soon.


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## CJ8Ted (May 26, 2011)

Looking good, Dont forget to "pre-strech" the cable. Unspool all but about 5 wraps, put a blanket or some type of wench weight on the line and pull it with the brakes on. The cable will make all kinds of noise and strech slightly. Then you can respool it under moderate tension.

Ted


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## kstill361 (May 26, 2011)

Yeah, that's the plan this weekend if its not raining. I got trystar #2 welding cable and quick connects I have to put together and still got to buy a battery this weekend
I bought some solder slugs to make the connections.


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## cowtipper (May 27, 2011)

Steveguy said:


> Here is a link to a crappy video of the unload, before I doubled the line pull. You can hear the winch pulling pretty hard, and it's not a very big load. It works better now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
:msp_thumbup:


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## K5krawler (May 27, 2011)

kstill361 said:


> Thanks for the links Ted!
> I decided to go with a Warn from streetside auto. First I made a portable hitch mount for it, and currently making a front hitch to go where the license plate goes.I am going to make a receiver tube for the plate to hide the receiver when not in use. Trailer work to follow soon.


 
Now go out and swamp the truck and tell us how it goes!!!!
My best winch out


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## morewood (May 27, 2011)

Lets see, how does it go...."Can't fix....?" whats that last word. No need to sink your rig, try something harder like a boat.


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## kstill361 (May 27, 2011)

Looks like fun! But I dont think so:msp_ohmy:


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