Most of us know how fun and healthy it can be spending some time outdoors, and boating is part of that! There aren’t many activities that are just as relaxing as boating, for me personally. Nothing can compare to the feeling of your boat softly gliding through the water, the gentle breeze of the wind, the scent of salt in the air, and the splashing of water.
If you want, you can even make boating an exercise! When you go boating, you are using your entire body to control the boat, especially when controlling the boat in strong winds. The boating community is very friendly to newcomers, so feel free to join this community anytime! If you have your own boat, then it is even better!
You may think that it is troublesome to transport a boat, after all, they are cumbersome to move around. Fortunately for you, there is a tool that can make this task easy. And that is a winch!
With regards to pulling or lifting, the winch is the most effective device for the work. Winches can make your job or task be performed quicker by doing all the hefty pulling and lifting for you. Specifically, the winch you would be looking for is a trailer winch.
A trailer is a platform that is used to handle and hold items that are huge or heavy. Since the items are heavy or huge, the trailer winch will make the packing and unpacking convenient. Trailer winch lets you maneuver your boat onto the trailer while it’s on a slanted incline. It would be really difficult to try to load the boat to the trailer without the winch trailer since they are bulky and heavy. The trailer winch is mounted on a dedicated winch mounting plate that is designed for the rear of the vehicle.
With the advantages, a trailer winch can give, what’s not to love about it? If you want to make your boating experience to be more convenient, then the trailer winch is for you. However, before you get ahead of yourself and procure a trailer winch, you first must know which winch size to get!
At a Glance
Which Winch Size To Get?
In picking the correct winch size for your trailer, there are numerous variables to think about first. Note that not every winch can be attached to your trailer, a few winches are huge or excessively substantial for your trailer. Another factor is the weight capacity of a winch, some winches might not have enough pulling power to pull your boat.
So how would you figure out which winch to pick precisely? Our guide will assist you in picking the winch that is ideal for your trailer. We will give you the factors that should be considered before getting a trailer winch.
- Price: As with buying all sorts of equipment, one needs to consider the budget one has. Invest yourself in getting a winch that has high quality and good performance. Though it can be expensive, it is worth it since it will last longer and can withstand frequent use and abuse. A cheap winch will cost you much money as it will cost you more in maintenance and repairs. But if you really are on a tight budget, just get the best winch your money can buy.
- Winch Type: Trailer winches come in two types, hand-cranked winch and electric winch. Each of the different models has its own pros and cons. An electric winch uses your vehicle’s battery to power itself. It is fast and convenient, but it can get expensive. On the other hand, hand-cranked winches are cheap and do not need to require much maintenance, but it can take a while to load your boat since it is manually operated.
- Weight Capacity: Different winches have different rated weight capacities. A question you need to consider is how much load are you going to put into your trailer. What are you going to use your winch for? Are you going to use it for self-recovery, loading a boat into your trailer, or just some minor utility work? Determine their weight, you only need the same equivalent of the weight of your cargo compared to the winch capacity. Sure you can go the extra mile by getting a winch with higher rated capacities, but they can get expensive though.
- Installation: Installing the winch onto your trailer can get complicated, so get a winch that can be installed easily. Hiring someone to have it installed for you is an additional expenditure, get a winch that can be easily installed safely.
- Know The Brand: In getting yourself a winch, consider the brands that have the highest ratings. Before buying any winch, examine the ratings to see if the customers are satisfied with the winch they bought. That way, you can be assured that the winch you are going to buy is durable and reliable.
- Size And Weight: Measure the width of your trailer and how much weight it can support. The winch you are going to buy should be able to fit in your trailer and not be too heavy also.
Conclusion
Now that you know which winch to get for your trailer, do you have any thoughts or questions on this topic? If so, feel free to comment on them below! We also offer other winching guides such as:
- Boat Trailer Winch Stand Review
- How To Winch Backwards?
- How To Use A Cable Winch Puller?
- Winching Safety Tips
