# Electric Winch



## sws4bass (Aug 7, 2012)

I'm thinking about purchasing an electric wench and was wondering if anyone out there in the fishing community that uses one. What brand and any information by someone in the know, would be appreciated.
I fish by myself most of the time and loading up is always a pain in my butt. Mostly the winching part of it!


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

I,ve had one on my lund pro V 1775 for years, won,t ever crank again, I float the boat up on the trailer have about 4ft to the winch put the hook on and press the REMOTE button, my winch is the TRAC brand , 7k . easy install. I also ran seprate wire with in line fuse from the battery back. got any questions ask, I,m 68 had knee and shoulder surgery. get the one with the remote.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I have been using one for yrs now. I am 64 and have bad shoulders and a bad heart so cranking is really hard on me. I have a 21' cobia glass boat and a 16' starcraft and I use atv winches on both of them. I have a 3000# super winch on my 21' boat and a 2000# super winch on my 16' boat that I bought off ebay. I had a 28' sea ray with twin 4.3 I/o engines and had a 4000# winch on it. I guess the brake on the regular boat trailer winches are a little better than the atv winches. but with the rear straps on and my safety chain on the front I haven't had any problems. the regular boat trailer winches are a little more money but most of them comes with a hand crank in case your winch fails.

just remember the winch is rated at pulling weight and not lifting weight so you don't need a wince big enough to lift your boat just the weight it takes to pull your boat on the trailer. you can find boat trailer electric winches on ebay at pretty good prices. and you can get atv winches off ebay. but if I ever have to replace my winches i'll probably buy a boat trailer winch that has the manual handle incase the winch ever fails. but I've been using the 2000# winch for about 20 yrs and its still going strong. so I may never need another winch.
sherman


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

hey sherm the handle on my boat winch is a joke ,flat piece of steel with a slot in it. I wouldn,y want to crank for than a couple fet with it.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

bountyhunter said:


> hey sherm the handle on my boat winch is a joke ,flat piece of steel with a slot in it. I wouldn,y want to crank for than a couple fet with it.


knock on wood but I've never had one of my super winch atv winches fail me. if worse comes to worse I can always float my boat on the trailer and hook up my safety chain.
sherman


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## viper1 (Apr 13, 2004)

Took one off my trailer. Never needed one. Put trailer in water right and most will drive right up. Winches are pretty slow. With my bad arm i don't care for cranking either. So go to harbor freight and buy a decent winch for 20.00 or so. Practise with trailer till you learn how deep it needs to be.


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## sws4bass (Aug 7, 2012)

viper1 said:


> Took one off my trailer. Never needed one. Put trailer in water right and most will drive right up. Winches are pretty slow. With my bad arm i don't care for cranking either. So go to harbor freight and buy a decent winch for 20.00 or so. Practise with trailer till you learn how deep it needs to be.


My trailer is weird. I can drive it up on when my trailer is deeper but the back drifts out of position when the boat is removed from the water causing other issues. I figure on getting an electric winch with remote. Drive boat on trailer and pull remaining 2 feet to finish. Then walk off the boat and get to truck.


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## sws4bass (Aug 7, 2012)

bountyhunter said:


> I,ve had one on my lund pro V 1775 for years, won,t ever crank again, I float the boat up on the trailer have about 4ft to the winch put the hook on and press the REMOTE button, my winch is the TRAC brand , 7k . easy install. I also ran seprate wire with in line fuse from the battery back. got any questions ask, I,m 68 had knee and shoulder surgery. get the one with the remote.


That's my goal in the ease of use ... Remote is a must. So you run a power wire direct from truck battery to the hitch. Sounds good to me


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## sws4bass (Aug 7, 2012)

I think I want a winch with the belt. Since I'm only going to be pulling 2-3 feet to finish loading. Has anyone had troubles with the free spool knob with some models?


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

I don,t free spool never had to ,back down ramp unhook winch and safety chain, launch , I do run the belt out about 4ft so its ready to snap on when I float the boat back up on trailer. belt is the way to go. I put my inline fuse right at the battery wiggled and tye straooed the wire under the truck to the frame come out the back by the license plate and installed a female socket with a cover [like your trailer plug but smaller. . put the male end on the winch wire and your good to go.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I just took a plastic battery box and mounted it to my trailer tongue with u bolts then drilled a couple of drain holes to let water drain out. then placed a piece of board in the bottom of the box and set my battery on the board, put the cover on and strapped the cover on with a small ratchet strap.

if you wire it to your truck make sure to use large enough wire to carry the load from your battery back to the winch.
sherman


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

Anyone,
Can you use a mower tractor battery with these or do you need a car battery to make them work correctly?
Thanks,
Ron


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## sws4bass (Aug 7, 2012)

I didn't understand that you can run the winch reverse and forward. That is nice. I will opt to run a wire from the battery to the rear bumper with a plug connection, try to keep a clean look.
Is anyone familiar with TRAC brand winches?


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

Angler Ron said:


> Anyone,
> Can you use a mower tractor battery with these or do you need a car battery to make them work correctly?
> Thanks,
> Ron


hey ron
yes you can use a mower battery with an atv winch as long as its 12 volts. but I would opt for a full size battery to be sure I didn't run the battery down. I use a small deep cycle battery from wall mart for my 3000# winch when we go up to erie for 2 weeks and have never had a problem with the battery. but we only winch the last 3' or 4' to the winch post. an atv uses a small battery to run the winch but it keeps the battery charged.
sherman


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

sherman51 said:


> hey ron
> yes you can use a mower battery with an atv winch as long as its 12 volts. but I would opt for a full size battery to be sure I didn't run the battery down. I use a small deep cycle battery from wall mart for my 3000# winch when we go up to erie for 2 weeks and have never had a problem with the battery. but we only winch the last 3' or 4' to the winch post. an atv uses a small battery to run the winch but it keeps the battery charged.
> sherman


Thanks Sherman


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

trac brand is what I use.they work great.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

you can take a look at winches on ebay. do a search for electric boat trailer winches or do a search for super winch boat trailer winch. the 3000# super winch boat trailer winch is around 200.00. good luck this year and good winching, LOL.
sherman


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

I ordered one, suppose to be here Tuesday. Trac Outdoor Products Co Lite Cruiser (Cable) Winch - T10128-C. Suppose to pull 9900 lbs so I should be good.
Hope it helps us in loading my boat.

Ron


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

Angler Ron said:


> I ordered one, suppose to be here Tuesday. Trac Outdoor Products Co Lite Cruiser (Cable) Winch - T10128-C. Suppose to pull 9900 lbs so I should be good.
> Hope it helps us in loading my boat.
> 
> Ron


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

you,d have liked the strap better.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

bountyhunter said:


> you,d have liked the strap better.


Maybe but I got a good price on the cable one.


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## sws4bass (Aug 7, 2012)

Angler Ron said:


> I ordered one, suppose to be here Tuesday. Trac Outdoor Products Co Lite Cruiser (Cable) Winch - T10128-C. Suppose to pull 9900 lbs so I should be good.
> Hope it helps us in loading my boat.
> 
> Ron


Keep us informed on your installation


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

I have a Trac. Also purchased a wired control in case the battery or remote stop working. Only about $14 from Trac. Cheap insurance. Trailer came with winch. Has cable. I can see where strap would be better as cable gets pinched on itself during retrieve and can be difficult to pull off drum when wanting to get some length to retrieve.
Mine has separate battery in battery box on trailer tongue. If you hook to vehicle battery better over size cable/conductors to carry the required amps that distance.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

sws4bass said:


> Keep us informed on your installation


Hooked it up today, hardest problem was getting the old winch off. No room between the nuts to get a socket on them so had to use a 9/16 wrench sideways to hold it while using the socket on top. Not much of anything after that. Going to a lake tomorrow to test it out plus do some more work on my trailer.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I think you'll love your new winch. I will never use a manual winch again.
sherman


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

sherman51 said:


> I think you'll love your new winch. I will never use a manual winch again.
> sherman



Just back from the lake, Took is slow and easy and happy to report everything went fine. I think it is the first time the boat is correctly lined up on the trailer. Of course I was in the water to try and watch everything, but the water wasnt that cold, after a while anyway. LOL. 
I guess the thing that I am finding is getting the boat bow tight enough for transporting. I did pull over to side of the road and tighten it down on the way home. Any secrets to getting it right when pulling at the ramp?
The two guys with me were happy to see it operate, said it really saved there shoulders and elbows LOL

Ron


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

Angler Ron said:


> Just back from the lake, Took is slow and easy and happy to report everything went fine. I think it is the first time the boat is correctly lined up on the trailer. Of course I was in the water to try and watch everything, but the water wasnt that cold, after a while anyway. LOL.
> I guess the thing that I am finding is getting the boat bow tight enough for transporting. I did pull over to side of the road and tighten it down on the way home. Any secrets to getting it right when pulling at the ramp?
> The two guys with me were happy to see it operate, said it really saved there shoulders and elbows LOL
> 
> Ron


Try a ratcheting strap. After winching boat forward onto resting spot install the ratcheting strap before pulling boat out of water. It should hold her in place.


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

BlueMax said:


> Try a ratcheting strap. After winching boat forward onto resting spot install the ratcheting strap before pulling boat out of water. It should hold her in place.


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

I have a mark on my boat when its up in the rubber V at a marked place its on, you might have to adjust the depth of your trailer in the water ,. I only winch four ft.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

BlueMax said:


> Try a ratcheting strap. After winching boat forward onto resting spot install the ratcheting strap before pulling boat out of water. It should hold her in place.


 BlueMax,
For me to do that, I would have to get down in the water if I was going to put it over my stern area of the boat.
Ron


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

bountyhunter said:


> I have a mark on my boat when its up in the rubber V at a marked place its on, you might have to adjust the depth of your trailer in the water ,. I only winch four ft.


bountyhunter,
We had talked about putting the trailer in a bit more and this may help us the next time. Thinking about heading up Thursday and see how we do with eyes and winching.

Ron


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

Angler Ron said:


> bountyhunter,
> We had talked about putting the trailer in a bit more and this may help us the next time. Thinking about heading up Thursday and see how we do with eyes and winching.
> 
> Ron


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

out of where thurs ,if grandson can get off were going out of gorden park or edgewood. early.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

bountyhunter said:


> out of where thurs ,if grandson can get off were going out of gorden park or edgewood. early.


Thinkin either Huron or Lorain


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

Angler Ron said:


> BlueMax,
> For me to do that, I would have to get down in the water if I was going to put it over my stern area of the boat.
> Ron


I should have said to put on bow eye. From trailer to bow eye. This will keep the bow on the forward rubber. Also , if you install correctly, this will keep boat from moving further forward if you stop really fast. Most people worry about the boat sliding off the back of trailer however some thought and prevention needs to be used to keep the boat from moving forward on the trailer.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

BlueMax,
Curious as to where you attach the other end on the trailer? Sounds like a great idea.

Ron


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

On mine there is a cross member on trailer directly below the boats bow eye. Loop strap around cross member and hook onto bow eye. With a little thought you might be able to configure something. If I have a picture of this I will post...if I can figure out how to post picture in new format


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

BlueMax said:


> On mine there is a cross member on trailer directly below the boats bow eye. Loop strap around cross member and hook onto bow eye. With a little thought you might be able to configure something. If I have a picture of this I will post...if I can figure out how to post picture in new format


Thanks, go to MEDIA to start a down load of a pic


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

Here is photo. Ratcheting strap is yellow. This really keep bow stable and secure. Trac winch also shown.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

BlueMax said:


> Here is photo. Ratcheting strap is yellow. This really keep bow stable and secure. Trac winch also shown.
> View attachment 188043


BlueMax,
Thanks for the pic, I understand now what you were talking about.
Ron


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

You are welcome. Pictures save a lot of typing. Good luck with what you are trying to do. As a note - I can electric winch the boat to the front rest but when pulling out of ramp winch would not hold it in position and it would slide back. This will help eliminate that problem if you can /want to install it before pulling out of ramp. Or use it ask a more secure tie down for travelling on road.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

BlueMax said:


> You are welcome. Pictures save a lot of typing. Good luck with what you are trying to do. As a note - I can electric winch the boat to the front rest but when pulling out of ramp winch would not hold it in position and it would slide back. This will help eliminate that problem if you can /want to install it before pulling out of ramp. Or use it ask a more secure tie down for travelling on road.


Do you the same strap across the stern of your boat when you are transporting?


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

I use one strap on each side of stern. From stern eyes to trailer.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

BlueMax said:


> I use one strap on each side of stern. From stern eyes to trailer.


BlueMax,
could I ask you to post a pic of this also?
Thanks,
Ron


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

do not have. Boat not on trailer now.Standard straps used to secure boat stern to trailer.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

Blue Max,
I would have to go way under my boat to get to the holes on the trailer to use the straps. My boat sets about 4 ft maybe more, not exactly sure, to do what you do. It sounds like your trailer is longer than mine. I use a ratching strap across the back of the boat and hook to the trailer that way.
Thanks,
Ron


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