Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

[Fed]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

The wire that comes with it will be fine just because they supply 60A circuit breakers doesn't mean the motor draws 60A, remember the circuit breaker is there to protect the wire NOT the winch motor.

I think you're right about 2 wires HC, I've been using these winches for well over 30 years and the old ones only supplied a short earth wire where as my current one has 2 wires all the way to the battery.

I'm pretty sure the old ones used to come with a stainless steel cable too, my current one has a gal cable and it's starting to look pretty ordinary.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

the jumper box/locker gets around the cable run issue. Using my example above, if you only have 8 feet of power wire, 8 gauge will give you only .6v drop. That is substantially better than a 2 gauge run to the battery.

Well, Smoke, a diligent web search indicates the power cord in the box is likely only 8' long, so I'm really leaning toward the locker idea. I'll hard wire the power cord to the battery and stash it and all accessories in the locker...simple, secure, and everything is on the trailer allowing me options for tow vehicles.

I really appreciate everyone's help in thinking this through with me.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Richard, I think you need to see what's in the box, and go with what PW sends you. I bet my lunch money that you will find the "8' power cord" is the section of cord with the plug for the winch that is connected to the red and black wire they are also sending you. (I guess they sell just the winch to replace a stolen one, but I usually see the whole rig. I got everything when I replaced one.)

Buying a battery that won't get charged, and home-charging it, and building a weatherproof box and installing it in the way on the trailer, is a lot of unnecessary expense and time.

Forget all the electrical engineering talk. PW knows what it's doing and if their rig "shouldn't" work, consider it magic--because they all work just fine with what they give you. The wire size issue only arises if you are making a home-made rig.

Also, if you are concerned about people stealing the winch at the ramp parking lot (never heard of this happening) consider a padlock rather than removing and reinstalling each time. Or once it's set where you want it, weld off one bolt--you may have to cut it in 15 years if you need to replace the winch (you can do any work to the winch while it's mounted).

One of the main reasons you get a PW is for convenience. don't cancel out the convenience with more work than it's worth.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

I can't believe there is so much discussion about wiring in this thread. I'd have a battery box w/battery tender installed and call it a day. No running 4 ga wire, no disconnects, no fire hazards, etc. Your only job would be to plug in the battery tender when you bring it home, and unplug it when you hitch up. I also can't see uninstalling the damn thing every time you finish using it. Have someone weld the nuts on the bolts holding it to the winch stand and call it a day. Having to remove it and wire it up/etc would take away the entire point of it being convenient.

That being said, I can't think of a reason I'd need a PW, as I've never had to winch more than about 6-8ft manually, but it's only a 20' runabout so I guess if you had a big boat maybe this is worth it.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

LOL...you guys are regular Energizer bunnies....keep giving and giving

Then my plan is this...I already have a spare battery that I will commit to the winch, mounted in a lockable locker anchored to the trailer behind the winch post. I will use the power cord provided by PW and attach it hard to the battery; at least one winch bolt will be welded to prevent easy removal and all accessories will be stored in the locker between uses.

Life is about to get lots better

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

That being said, I can't think of a reason I'd need a PW, as I've never had to winch more than about 6-8ft manually, but it's only a 20' runabout so I guess if you had a big boat maybe this is worth it.

One reason they are popular on the coast is that with a power winch, you don't sink your trailer axles/brakes and they last a whole lot longer (as does the trailer frame). They also work at low tide since you don't have to back the trailer in as far, past the end of the ramp or into the mud. I have even dragged flat-bottomed boat across mud to get to the trailer.
The "float on" trailer was a rarity back in the day (in salt water at least) but has become "popular" b/c that is what the boat sellers sell b/c they are cheaper. Rollers and either a teenage son or a powerwinch was the way to go, and still is, IMO.

(Cranking a boat up is good for teenagers. There isn't an app for that.)

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Yeah, I figured it was a salty dog issue. My main point was all of the dime-size wire gauge that was suggested in order to try and circumvent a battery box/self-contained unit, lol. At least no one suggested tapping into the the trailer lights, lol.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Yeah, I figured it was a salty dog issue. My main point was all of the dime-size wire gauge that was suggested in order to try and circumvent a battery box/self-contained unit, lol. At least no one suggested tapping into the the trailer lights, lol.

It was a brief thought:facepalm:

 

[cobra1476]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

I can't believe there is so much discussion about wiring in this thread. I'd have a battery box w/battery tender installed and call it a day. No running 4 ga wire, no disconnects, no fire hazards, etc. Your only job would be to plug in the battery tender when you bring it home, and unplug it when you hitch up. I also can't see uninstalling the damn thing every time you finish using it. Have someone weld the nuts on the bolts holding it to the winch stand and call it a day. Having to remove it and wire it up/etc would take away the entire point of it being convenient.

That being said, I can't think of a reason I'd need a PW, as I've never had to winch more than about 6-8ft manually, but it's only a 20' runabout so I guess if you had a big boat maybe this is worth it.

Mine is exactly set up like this. Never had a dead bat. I find opening the hood running the cables takes a ton of time. more than just securing a battery on the back of the truck.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

I can't believe there is so much discussion about wiring in this thread. I'd have a battery box w/battery tender installed and call it a day. No running 4 ga wire, no disconnects, no fire hazards, etc. Your only job would be to plug in the battery tender when you bring it home, and unplug it when you hitch up. I also can't see uninstalling the damn thing every time you finish using it. Have someone weld the nuts on the bolts holding it to the winch stand and call it a day. Having to remove it and wire it up/etc would take away the entire point of it being convenient.

The initial setup - running the wire and permanently connecting it to the battery took me maybe an hour. Only had to do that once. The idea of carrying around an extra battery box and tender and going thru all the trouble (and extra expense) of taking it in and out and recharging it every time would be too much trouble for me.

I had a friend get his winch stolen - that's why i commented about security. Welding it wouldn't suit me because then i couldn't use it on my other trailer, plus it would be an issue if maintenance or replacement were required. The QD arrangement involves loosening a single wing nut - zip zip snap snap and its off - 10 seconds. Reassembly takes 2 seconds more because the bolt has to be pushed up as well this time.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

I implied that the battery box would be on the trailer, not carried around. Think of it like the battery boxes for the electric trailer brakes, only a little bigger.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank?

Well..I thought I would upload some pics...they're too large...back in a few:facepalm:

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

Here's the completed project.



The original 36" winch post was replaced with a 48" to allow for a "straight" pull by the new winch (Powerwinch 912 purchased at a nice price right here on iboats) which was mounted on the existing post mount. I'm using the block pulley as you can see (rain prevented me from installing the eye bolt under the winch so it's just hooked to the mount right now).

The "jump box", as I have learned to call it, holds the battery, power cord, emergency crank handle and a few tools. Everything fits nice and snug and locks. It's not as waterprrof as I had hoped so I put some drain holes in the bottom of the locker. The locker is mounted on the tougue with a u-boat through the 2X8 (any 2x will work, I used 2x8 to help support the bottom of the locker) and a battery tray was then attached in side the locker to secure the battery in transit.

This is gonna be so cool...pull up to the ramp....attach the bow hook.... and HHHMMMMMMM....I'm loading my boat

 

[JimS123]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

Slick!

Now just be prepared for some stares and under-the-breath comments.

Everybody else is up to their knees in water, with the car's tailpipe bubbling, cranking away cursing that the boat is going on crooked.

Then you back in, connect the cable and start winching on with one finger with your other hand in your pocket. The chatter stops and everybody is looking at you with mouths open wondering how it could be so easy.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

Slick!

Now just be prepared for some stares and under-the-breath comments.

Everybody else is up to their knees in water, with the car's tailpipe bubbling, cranking away cursing that the boat is going on crooked.

Then you back in, connect the cable and start winching on with one finger with your other hand in your pocket. The chatter stops and everybody is looking at you with mouths open wondering how it could be so easy.

nah...my other hand will definately not be in my pocket

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

enjoy it!
You may find you don't need the pulley--which doubles your cranking time, wearing down the battery and the patience of the others (who are jealous) if the ramp is crowded.

What came with it?

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

enjoy it!
You may find you don't need the pulley--which doubles your cranking time, wearing down the battery and the patience of the others (who are jealous) if the ramp is crowded.

What came with it?

It came just as shown in the iboats add. The power cord consisted of about 35' of positive wire, about half that much for the negative and about 8' of both together in thicker innsulation before the plug. Once I made up my mind of how I wanted things to work, installing it was a piece of cake. I'll be running the boat this weekend, so it will be interesting to begin learning my new launch/load practices.

By the way HC, I installed the power cord "as is" (heck, it's still taped up in a coil as it was in the box). Do you see any advantages to shortening it to just what I need for my install? Thanks again for all your help.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

If it ain't broke don't fix it. As long as all of the extra wire is secured (I assume it's in the battery box) it should be fine to leave it. The only real advantage being a shorter length of wire resulting in less voltage drop over the length of it.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

By the way HC, I installed the power cord "as is" (heck, it's still taped up in a coil as it was in the box). Do you see any advantages to shortening it to just what I need for my install? Thanks again for all your help.

The voltage drop is relative to the length of the cable. If you can cut 50% of the wire off you'll cut your voltage drop by 50%

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Any tips for electric winches vs hand crank? PROJECT COMPLETE WITH PICS

The voltage drop is relative to the length of the cable. If you can cut 50% of the wire off you'll cut your voltage drop by 50%

Thanks dingbat, that was the thought behind my question. If I conclude that this is the "final-ever" solution to my tender battery placement, it would make sense to me to make it as efficient as it can be. Heck, I haven't even launched/loaded with it yet, so I think I'll see what happens before doing SHT's