winches

[road dude]

hello. ive been thinking about putting a winch on my rear chassis bumper. this is because i have a launch (workboat) of about a tonne and may need a winch to winch a trailer (plus boat) up a gentle slope to my towbar (the trailer will be in a mixed terrain including mud/sand/stone). anyone got any ideas? cheers.

[techsec]

HI
I need a little bit more info before I can do any recommending.
Firstly do you want a detachable type winch or fixed mount?
Does your Geep have a rear opening tailgate?
What year is your Geep (last two numbers of the Jago chassis number)?

Jago Techsec

[road dude]

ok, i would prefer a fixed winch, and i do not have an opening tailgate. i could not find my chassis number when i was painting the chassis a few weeks a go, but it was made in 1971 (its the old version geep with white star on bonnet and fold flat windscreen). on the back of the geep i will also have a jeery can full of water (the idea is to gain as much weight as i can at the back as it is so light @ the back and weighted down at the front.

[techsec]

Thank you.
I will now look through the info on winches I have got to see what would best suit you needs.
I can tell you that it will involve a steel plate mounted either across the rear bumper/chassis rails or possibly internal across the rear chassis rails with an outlet in the back panel of the Geep for the winch cable.
Will get back to you as soon as I can.


Jago Techsec

Edited by techsec on Wednesday 5th December 18:36

[techsec]

OK I have looked through my winch info.
There are both fixed and tow bar mounted winches available which would do what you require.
The one thing that worries me though is that you are indicating that you intend to tow something that weighs more than your Jago.

There is a bit about towing on the Jago Owners Club Technical Web Site
http://joctecweb.future.easyspace.com



You will not really require the Jerry can of water as the weight of the winch and subsequently the trailer/boat will weigh the back of the vehicle down.
You have not said what engine you have got in the Jago but apart from the extra weight which you will want it to tow you will need either an uprated alternator or a second alternator to charge up the extra battery that will be needed to power the winch.
This should be via a split charge unit if using the same alternator as the vehicles power supply so as to prevent the vehicles battery being discharged when the winch is being used.
Unless of course you will only be requiring the winch to run for short periods when a 12v battery from something like an HGV could be used as a stand alone battery purely for the winch and would be charged via a battery charger before each outing.

OK now onto the winches.

WARN do the following range that are suitable for your needs.
The M6000 which will pull 6000lbs with a draw of 295amps.
The dimensions are 21.5 inches long, 6 inches deep and 6 inches high. It has a weight of 64lbs.

The XD9000i pulls 9000lbs and draws 400amps.
It is 22 inches long, 7 inches deep and 10 inches high. It weighs 75lbs.

The Series 8 winch pulls 3600kg with a draw of 433amps.
It is 637mm wide, 214mm deep and 260mm high. The weight less cable is 37kg.

The Series 12 winch has a pull of 5400kg and draws 385amps. It measures 673mm wide, 213mm deep and 260mm high and weighs 43kg without cable.

The Z3500 winch pulls 3500lbs drawing 320 amps in the process. It weighs 28lbs and measures 15 1/4 inches long, 6 inches deep and 7 3/4 inches high.

Another range of winches is from SUPERWINCH.
Their models which would suit are:
S2500 which pulls 1130kg
S3500 which pulls 1580kg and
S4500 which manages 2040kg.
I do not weights or dimensions for these but know they are available from places such as Machine Mart.

You will need to mount any of the above winches on a 1/4 inch thick steel plate which should either be bolted straight through the chassis/bumper using high tensile bolts and nuts with spreaders or by welding the plate to the chassis.
You could either mount it on the rear bumper/chassis or inside the vehicle near the rear panel with an exit hole in the rear panel to allow the cable through.
Depending on your requirements for ground clearance the unit could even be mounted under the rear chassis. The fitment of a winch right at the rear of the vehicle may affect its handling (the Porsche effect).
The rear suspension may require a slight upgrade to cope with the extra weight.

The other option is a tow bar mounted winch which you would fit to get the trailer near the vehicle and then remove it to place the trailer hitch onto the drawbar.
One company that does such types of winch are BUSHEY HALL with their HELPMATE range.
The ones that would suit your requirements are the:
HM1100 pulls 1100kg draws 150amps
HM1500 pulls 1500kg draws 160amps
HM2500 pulls 2500kg draws 250 amps
HM3500 pulls 3500kg draws 300amps
The company also produces its own deep cycle battery to use as a stand alone power source for the winches.

If you wish to discuss this subject further then e mail me on
[e-mail]


Jago Techsec

Edited by techsec on Sunday 9th December 13:46

[IanA]

I second fitting a tow-ball on the front of a geep. It's easy and makes manoeuvering any trailer a real breeze.
Cheers
Ian

[road dude]

yeah, i was thinking of putting an anchor/gripper type thing out at the front tied around a land object to stop me from slipping - winch would preferably be at the back along with the tow bar.