An electric trailer winch is used to pull objects onto a trailer, such as vehicles or boats. It consists of an electric motor powering a steel drum or reel, with a cable or rope attached to a hook. It is not intended to be used as a primary tie down, and other methods should be used to secure the object to the trailer.
An electric trailer winch is a device used to pull objects onto a trailer that could not be easily loaded otherwise. Consisting of an electric motor powering a steel drum or reel, the trailer’s electric winch is spooled with either a steel cable or synthetic rope, either of which is attached to a steel hook at the forward end of the cable. The winch cable is pulled to the end of the trailer and attached to the object to be loaded. Once attached to the object, the trailer’s electric winch is activated by pressing a button on a control pad, activating the drum to begin spinning to retrieve the cable, then pulling the object towards the trailer. Ramps are commonly attached to the rear of the trailer to help the winch pull objects up and onto the trailer.
One of the most common uses for an electric trailer winch is to pull a vehicle on the trailer for transport. Often the vehicle is a race-only type of vehicle that uses a special type of high-performance clutch that prohibits charging the vehicle under its own power. The trailer electric winch cable is removed from the reel and placed near the trailer ramp area. With the vehicle in position behind the trailer, the winch hook is attached to the vehicle frame. With the vehicle’s transmission placed in neutral, the winch turns on and pulls the vehicle toward the trailer.
Although the electric trailer winch is powerful enough to drive the vehicle up ramps onto the trailer bed, it is not intended to act as a locking device used to secure the vehicle to the trailer while in towing mode. Chains, tow straps, and chain binders are the recommended methods of securing a vehicle to a trailer. Often, once securely chained, pressure is released from the winch cable to avoid overloading the winch’s internal components. Occasionally the winch is left semi-tight to function as an emergency fail-safe in case a chain tie down fails.
Some types of electric trailer winches are used on boat trailers to pull the boat onto the trailer. This style of electric trailer winch is also not intended to be used as a primary tie down. It is common for the boat owner to attach a chain binder from the winch mount to the winch cleat ring at the front of the boat to secure it to the trailer. Often the electric trailer winch is a modified version of a crank winch, with an electric motor installed in place of the crank.
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