Winch for trailer

clintnelms · August 18, 2016, 07:36:14 PM

I'm looking to put a winch on my trailer to load logs on it from the side just like Magicman has setup on his trailer. Hopefully most of you have seen it from his cabin build thread. Anyway my question is if you can wire the winch to be able to plug in to the trailer plug on my truck for power? Or do you have to have it hooked to its own battery?

pine · August 18, 2016, 07:39:53 PM

Unless it is a very small winch it will pull more amps that the trailer plug can tolerate. Blown fuses and/or melted wires will be the result.
Even the smallest electric winch that I know of requires more amps than the trailer plug can take.

Brad_bb · August 18, 2016, 07:53:09 PM

Agreed too much current for trailer plug. Warn has cable and harness/plugs for running from Vehicle battery to the rear of your truck. The cable is more like battery cable.

Wranglerstar did this to his truck. You can see the connectors from the 2:00 minute mark to the 3:00 minute mark.

https://youtu.be/0RPcn1YdBNw

Magicman · August 18, 2016, 08:00:42 PM

Mine is an 8K MileMarker and it's simpler for me to just use a "pony" battery than to even think about running welding leads, etc to the truck battery. I can easily load a trailer load + before the battery needs recharging.

Kbeitz · August 18, 2016, 08:21:40 PM

Fork lift plugins... and BIG wire...

kelLOGg · August 19, 2016, 06:15:41 AM

Like MM, I parbuckle, too, with a Milemarker with its own battery. The amp draw is ~300 amps at max pull (9k) so a dedicated battery is a must.
Bob

Kbeitz · August 19, 2016, 06:48:26 AM

Best is a gas powered Winch...

Magicman · August 19, 2016, 08:29:36 AM

In some circumstances maybe, but gas powered would be unacceptable for me.

clintnelms · August 19, 2016, 08:50:33 AM

That's kind of what I thought. I figured it would pull too many amps. Magicman, I think you said yours was 8k lb winch. Do you think that size is really necessary? Could a 2500 or 4500 lb winch be used? I mean all you doing is rolling the log up the ramp. You're not really picking it up. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money on it, but I need a setup like yours.

Magicman · August 19, 2016, 09:10:45 AM

I started with a 3500 Warn but it failed while parbuckling some fairly large White Oak logs from this tree: LINK

The 8K MileMarker was on my Tundra, so I did an upgrade. The Tundra got a 9.5K, the trailer got the 8K, and the 3.5K got junked. ;D

kelLOGg · August 19, 2016, 11:54:44 AM

If the log is a perfect cylinder you could get by with less but when there is asymmetry or a knot or bulge the winch is doing a partial dead lift when such hits the ramps. I can hear my winch change its sound when it is straining under such circumstances.
Bob

fishfighter · August 19, 2016, 01:49:57 PM

Now, if only I could find a good used trailer at a fair price. People around here want a arm and a leg. I'm really thinking of just building a trailer. Guess I need to price what it is going to cost. ;D I been turning down way to many free nice pine logs that I have a need of that don't grow on my place.

kelLOGg · August 19, 2016, 04:37:24 PM

I got a great deal on my trailer. $450 BUT it needed lots of work; it had mobile home axles which I eventually replaced. If you're OK w/MH axles you can get by pretty cheap. I had to replace all the flooring but no problem to a sawmill owner. I like to weld as much a saw so repairing/modifying it was fun. Good luck on your search. Prowl around my gallery to se it if you want to.
Bob

fishfighter · August 19, 2016, 05:07:28 PM

I'm kind of thinking two 5,000 lb axles being I would have to travel about 50 miles one way avg for pine logs. Don't know what the rating is on MH axles.

pineywoods · August 19, 2016, 07:42:35 PM

Quote from: fishfighter on August 19, 2016, 05:07:28 PM
I'm kind of thinking two 5,000 lb axles being I would have to travel about 50 miles one way avg for pine logs. Don't know what the rating is on MH axles.

The 2 MH axles on my home-made 16 ft trailer have a tag stating good for 7000 lbs each. They will be too long and have be cut down to legal length...

fishfighter · August 20, 2016, 11:06:23 AM

7K rating on a MH axle? If I build a trailer, the axles will be below the trailer decking. I would have no problem to unload. Have a Case 580C. ;D

goose63 · August 20, 2016, 07:19:14 PM

I ran a 4 wire trailer wire from the battery to a plug on the back of the pickup 2 wires on the pos and 2 on the neg. My 7.3 turbo has 2 battery's in it so the one on tne trailer is chargeing when I drive

clintnelms · August 20, 2016, 08:17:13 PM

Finally got the winch installed after spending all day trying to make a mount from a couple old lawn mower blades. Found out it's *DanG near impossible to drill a hole in a lawn mower blade. Finally just gave up and drilled the holes through the trailer frame and mounted it. Not the way I wanted to install it, but oh well.

Kbeitz · August 20, 2016, 08:31:33 PM

lawn mower blades are brittle and dangerous to build things out of.
It dose not take weld very good at all. It's high carbon steel.
It's a good way to get hurt. But if you must drill it use a cement bit.
They come dull and you need to put an edge on them but they will
drill through anything if you get them sharp.

BUGGUTZ · August 20, 2016, 08:54:25 PM

If the trailer has brakes, it should have a 7 pin connector. There will be a +hot wire in there. Run that to the winch battery and it will charge off the trucks alternator.

CharlieA · September 27, 2016, 01:17:31 PM

Quote from: BUGGUTZ on August 20, 2016, 08:54:25 PM
If the trailer has brakes, it should have a 7 pin connector. There will be a +hot wire in there. Run that to the winch battery and it will charge off the trucks alternator.

Going this route, it would be wise to isolate the battery. Last thing you want is a weaker battery drawing from a strong one and leaving both flat.