A winch is a device that allows the winding and unwinding of a cable (or rope) intended to pull or lift a more or less heavy load (for example, a trailer, a boat ...)

Before choosing your winch, it is necessary to take stock of the use you want to make and the frequency of use. These questions will help you determine the nature of the winch you need and its ability to resist.

CHARACTERISTICS AND USE

There are several models of winches. The main ones are:

• The manual winch
• The electric winch

- The manual winch. Easy to use, it works with a principle of crank and traction, it can lift weights up to 500 kilos. There is also the horizontal manual winch designed to pull loads up to 2000 kg. Your physical strength will prove to be the main driver of the manual winch. To stabilize your manual winch, you will need a winch easel.

- The electric winch. It has a motor ranging from 12 to 24 Volts. This motor can be single-phase (230 Volts) or three-phase (more than 380 Volts). The single-phase is nevertheless the most commonly used whether in domestic use or on professional site. With this type of equipment, the load capacity is between 200 and 1000 kilos.

The electric winch can be mobile or fixed. The fixed electric winch is particularly sturdy and has a safety brake.

The pulling speed of the winch is also a criterion to consider as well as the length of the cable or rope provided.

Also ask yourself a few questions

Take a car out of a rut, pull a boat out of the water, and drag a load such as a tree to be able to charge it in a more accessible place; so many situations where winch opportunity is needed.

Manual winches

Crank winch

The simplest, it works in traction and can pull a load up to 500 kg. Some models pull much higher loads. This winch is fixed on a fixed or mobile support.

Horizontal manual winch

Very common also this winch has proven itself in many situations. It is very practical and can tow up to 2 tons. With 2 lingual hooks to ensure greater safety, this winch can be fixed anywhere and pull a weight even in difficult conditions.

Disadvantage: traction is done with elbow grease!

Electric winches

Mobile electric winch

Easy to use and versatile this type of winch can be attached to the hitch ball of a car or any other support. The 12-volt motoris powered by the vehicle's battery or directly plugged into the cigarette lighter. Forward single or forward and reverse, possibility of hauling on the pulley to double its traction capacity. Some models come with a remote control.

Fixed electric winch

In regular use, choose a winch that you will permanently fix on the grille of a vehicle (4 × 4, quad, trailer ...) with a cable guide or a platinum. With such

A heavy-duty winch, you will never fail. It is equipped with an automatic brake and operates in 12 volts.

The winches do not require any special maintenance apart from the lubrication of the gears once a year. Especially during frequent use in marine environment.

Do not confuse hoists and winches:

For simplicity let's say that the winch pulls or tows a mass while the hoist lifts a load. The safety factors are not the same for a winch and hoist and it is strongly discouraged or even dangerous to use a winch to lift an inert mass.

Craftsmen, masons, garage owners use an electric or chain hoist for their lifting work. To know more details read https://mechanicbase.com/reviews/best-electric-winches/