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Hitch Mounted Winch


TroyButler
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I see a lot of people on here with winches and i was wondering if someone/some of you, could educate me on if im looking at the right thing. While id love a front bumper with a winch its not really practical for my needs or budget. I dont do much serious off roading just some fun at the farm or small trails i can find or whatever i encounter kayaking or camping. But where i think a winch would be handy would be for "towing" and recovery. This is my primary winter vehicle and I have had to pull a friend or 2 out of a snow bank or just some snow/ice they got stuck in. I also have to pull my car out in summer out of my back yard, a mixture max performance summer tires, ice/sno, and inclination means i cannot just simply drive it out.

 

For these uses of pulling a friend or stranger out of a snowbank/ditch, or pulling my car in small increments out of my yard (and maybe switching to a tow strap to drag it out fully to not put the winch at weird angles (need more education on winches before use of course)) would you recommend using a trailer hitch mounted winch, ofcourse using a proper 2" receiver plate.

 

Edit: Also in terms of self recovery probably just pull my self back out of snow if i slid too far 

 

Thank you.

Edited by TroyButler
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I personally would say that is alright. Judging that all the materials are rated for such of course. My bumper my dad and I built a few years back has the 2 inch receiver slot that we used for a hitch to drag out our travel trailer from out ally. (Wouldn't recommend that as it destroys the clutch if you drive a manual.) I'm actually going to build a new rear bumper with a trailer hitch mount that is meant for towing, and i'm also going to build a winch basket that can be mounted to the front receiver or my rear. You can buy these pre-made and ready to go, but most of the time you need to buy the winch separately from what I've seen. I would say yes because if you wire it up correctly you can have a quick disconnect, and you just pull the receiver pin and pull off the winch when you do not need it. Driving to the store in the summer in the city with an easy to remove winch isn't a bad thing if you have that option.

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There's nothing overly problematic about using a winch on a hitch, but the same precautions exist regardless where you mount it.  Main thing is to know the weight ratings of your equipment, know the weakest link, and do everything with safety in mind.

 

For a rear winch setup, the hitch itself—Class III hitches, like the ones commonly found on our trucks—may be the weak link, since they are usually only rated up to 6K.  More importantly, that rating is for a straight pull; if winching on an incline, the winch pull could generate tongue weight, for which hitches have a significantly lower rating (maybe 600 lbs).  It would likely be a fine setup for the scenarios you described, provided the vehicle is stationary and the pull is as straight-on as possible.  That said, you should never drive the vehicle when the winch is operation, nor if there is a load on the line, unless it is to reduce/remove load on the line (and you're confident the movement will not inadvertently create tension, such as if the vehicle rolls back).  The dynamic load created can be destructive, possibly deadly.

 

Other factors:

  • Remote wiring can be a little costly (low gauge wires run the full length of the vehicle, plus suitable quick-connects)
  • In-vehicle secured storage (presuming you take it on a trip and don't want to leave it in the hitch for any reason; leaving it installed will reduce departure angle)
  • Since you mentioned snow/ice pulls, you may also want to carry some chocks.  Again, the vehicle should be stationary when pulling.  Otherwise, a snatch/kinetic strap/rope is warranted.

 

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7 hours ago, hawairish said:

There's nothing overly problematic about using a winch on a hitch, but the same precautions exist regardless where you mount it.  Main thing is to know the weight ratings of your equipment, know the weakest link, and do everything with safety in mind.

 

For a rear winch setup, the hitch itself—Class III hitches, like the ones commonly found on our trucks—may be the weak link, since they are usually only rated up to 6K.  More importantly, that rating is for a straight pull; if winching on an incline, the winch pull could generate tongue weight, for which hitches have a significantly lower rating (maybe 600 lbs).  It would likely be a fine setup for the scenarios you described, provided the vehicle is stationary and the pull is as straight-on as possible.  That said, you should never drive the vehicle when the winch is operation, nor if there is a load on the line, unless it is to reduce/remove load on the line (and you're confident the movement will not inadvertently create tension, such as if the vehicle rolls back).  The dynamic load created can be destructive, possibly deadly.

 

Other factors:

  • Remote wiring can be a little costly (low gauge wires run the full length of the vehicle, plus suitable quick-connects)
  • In-vehicle secured storage (presuming you take it on a trip and don't want to leave it in the hitch for any reason; leaving it installed will reduce departure angle)
  • Since you mentioned snow/ice pulls, you may also want to carry some chocks.  Again, the vehicle should be stationary when pulling.  Otherwise, a snatch/kinetic strap/rope is warranted.

 

My only concern with the hitch is i just recently installed it and on passenger side, all 3 bolts are in and torqued. On driver side only 2 of the bolts are fully to torque as the top ones the inner nut broke so its threaded but not torqued to spec. Do you think that would affect the load rating or safety of use because if i wasn’t using a winch i still planned on using a shackle reciever and strap. 

 

I do know to only winch with the vehicle stationary, and the idea of chocks was a good mention, thank you. All pulls would try to be as straight as possible, and those on an incline would mostly just be to make up for lack of traction, so low resistance.

 

The cost of wiring was a factor i had not thought of and will have to look more into thank you. The winch its self i would aim for a 10k winch and make sure to have a hitch pin of similar ratings.

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7 hours ago, TroyButler said:

My only concern with the hitch is i just recently installed it and on passenger side, all 3 bolts are in and torqued. On driver side only 2 of the bolts are fully to torque as the top ones the inner nut broke so its threaded but not torqued to spec. Do you think that would affect the load rating or safety of use because if i wasn’t using a winch i still planned on using a shackle reciever and strap.

 

Yes, that would be a concern for me and I would treat that as reduction in load rating.  The more attachment points, the better distribution of force.  But going by your description, it sounds like your receiver may also use less hardware than others (mine uses 4 bolts per side).  I think your setup will suffice for winch pulls if everything else is still tight, but you'd probably want to take things into consideration if attempting kinetic pulls.  Since it sounds like that threaded nut failure may also prevent removal of the bolt and hitch, welding some points to the chassis might add some insurance.

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Just now, hawairish said:

 

Yes, that would be a concern for me and I would treat that as reduction in load rating.  The more attachment points, the better distribution of force.  But going by your description, it sounds like your receiver may also use less hardware than others (mine uses 4 bolts per side).  I think your setup will suffice for winch pulls if everything else is still tight, but you'd probably want to take things into consideration if attempting kinetic pulls.  Since it sounds like that threaded nut failure may also prevent removal of the bolt and hitch, welding some points to the chassis might add some insurance.

Yeah, i had 4 slots, both tops on driver side  failed, but the hitch i bought from an 03 pathy only used 3 bolts aswell.

 

additionally for my uses any recommendations for an “affordable” winch. And do i want a 9500lb or could i get away with much less since the hitch is only 6000lbs? I know the general rule is 1.5-2x vehicle weight but i feel thats more for completely stuck in mud not as much what im doing?

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30 minutes ago, TroyButler said:

Yeah, i had 4 slots, both tops on driver side  failed, but the hitch i bought from an 03 pathy only used 3 bolts aswell.

 

additionally for my uses any recommendations for an “affordable” winch. And do i want a 9500lb or could i get away with much less since the hitch is only 6000lbs? I know the general rule is 1.5-2x vehicle weight but i feel thats more for completely stuck in mud not as much what im doing? 

 

Depending on what you define as affordable, you can typically find 8K-10K winches in the $250-$350 USD range that would likely do fine with short and occasional use.  Every major brand tends to have an "import"/"economy" version, and stores like Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply have their own lineup, but I'm not sure if those options exist in CAN. 

 

The general rule is fair, but can't account for every "stuck".  Naturally, a 2-ton vehicle can exert far more resistance than that when stuck, and winch ratings are for rolling weight.  You should also be aware that a winch's max rating is only applicable for the first wrap of wire on the spool/drum, and each wrap layer lowers the rating; the final wrap rating may be closer to 25%-33% of the winch rating.  So if you're in short-proximity pulling scenarios, your winch is working harder than in long-proximity pulls.  A snatch block will double your working rating.

 

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1 hour ago, hawairish said:

 

Depending on what you define as affordable, you can typically find 8K-10K winches in the $250-$350 USD range that would likely do fine with short and occasional use.  Every major brand tends to have an "import"/"economy" version, and stores like Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply have their own lineup, but I'm not sure if those options exist in CAN. 

 

The general rule is fair, but can't account for every "stuck".  Naturally, a 2-ton vehicle can exert far more resistance than that when stuck, and winch ratings are for rolling weight.  You should also be aware that a winch's max rating is only applicable for the first wrap of wire on the spool/drum, and each wrap layer lowers the rating; the final wrap rating may be closer to 25%-33% of the winch rating.  So if you're in short-proximity pulling scenarios, your winch is working harder than in long-proximity pulls.  A snatch block will double your working rating.

 

Yeah no HF or TS up in canada. I got canadian tire and princess auto, or amazon. Not sure i like/trust any of their winch options. and good to know thank you

 

edIt: https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/8-500-lb-12v-dc-multi-purpose-contractor-off-road-winch/A-p8528945e

This looks okay? looking more into the brand (all prices are CAD)

Edited by TroyButler
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