Warn winches....be wary....

[avalancher]

avalancher, didn't you post a picture of your trailer in another thread with the winch on it? electric winches will not stand up to continuous use, here is my winch on trailer

I might have, I dont remember. I used it for a short time before the engine went kaput on it. It was in sad shape when I got it, I had traded an old riding mower for it, but knew at the time that the engine was on its way out.
That is a great looking set up on your trailer, and would be so simple to attach a gas engine to!

 

[TJ-Bill]

Electric winches scream like girls, heat up fast, drain batteries very quickly. When is the last time you saw an electric winch on a tow truck? They are cheap to make and install, that is why they are so popular.

I'm not saying that hydraulic winches aren't good I'm just saying that each types have thier advantages over each other and work better in certain applications. There's nothing wrong with an electric if it's used properly. But if your going to use your winch for 8 hrs a day every day then Hydraulic is the way to go. Also if your planning of running your vehicle through 3-4' of mud or up 30' rock faces then Electric is the way to go.
I've used my winch for hours on end with no issues.

 

[clearance]

Hydralic would be great, except one major hurdle when it comes to hauling wood. Unless you want to unhook your truck from your trailer and turn the truck around you are going to always have to pack your wood from the front of the truck back around to the trailer. I have toyed with the idea before of rigging up a gas powered hydralic unit to power a hydro winch in my trailer, but happened across something that will work just as good. A gas powered winch. Its powered right now with a 12hp gas engine thats shot, but the runnning gear is in good shape. Right now I am waiting for a good engine to come my way then it will be mounted in my trailer.

You can run hydraulic hoses with quick connect fittings from the p.t.o. pump on your truck to a winch mount on your trailer or back of your truck.

 

[66polyhead]

Got a Ramsey 12,000 Lb. used a wrecker with a Ramsey, and have been sold ever since. Knock on wood, it's never failed me.

 

[JeffHK454]

Sounds like the OP might have been putting side loads on the drum from the description of how it was used ... nothing kills a winch faster .. other than heat.

I've owned a bunch of different winches both hyd. and electric , I'll stick with Warn 9500i electric.

Hydraulics are slow and of no use if you put your rig on it's side and can't run the engine.