Harbor Fright winch, any thoughts?

[Allan31]

So, I'm thinking of installing this winch in the floor of my trailer with the hopes
I will never have to use it, but when I do, it has to work because it means I absolutely need it now.



Has anyone had positive or negative experiences with this or should I just run away now?

I don't see my life getting anymore complicated than my Lola, so this would be, I hope, my worst case scenario.



YouTube is filled with busted winches but I'm suspecting the winch operators have "exceeded the design parameters".

What has been your experiences and should I get something different?

[EricP]

I have a hand winch I use every time. Cheap. Easy. Simple. No wiring.
If you are using one for only once and a while, seems like hand power would be simplest.

Personally I avoid HF as much as possible. I always end up disappointed with their stuff. YMMV

[chrisw52]

the mechanical parts are good, but the switches and relays that drive the motor are crap.
You really do get what you pay for here and it's easy to "exceed the design parameters" with your ~800 formula car.


if you look at the manual, its very easy to exceed the rated line pull of that winch when it's fully spooled
https://manuals.harborfreight.com/ma...3999/63476.pdf

other than that, it's a reasonable winch, just over size it a bit more to accommodate the line pull, or never put yourself in a position where you have to drag the wheelless car onto the trailer

[BorkRacing]

I used one for years to pull a Prod car into the trailer with a pure racing clutch.
Car weighed 2000lbs and winch had no problem. The wire did however slip off the spool if I didn't watch it.
Last year I went up one size and it pulls the FF in with no issues.
You can increase load capacity by using a pulley.

Robby

[Farrout48]

I have one of those in my trailer used to load and unload the 850# Stohr. In my case, Loading means pulling it up an incline (front raised up 12-15 inches), Have not had any issues with it. I have a Marine battery that I use both for it and also in the garage to lift up the car. It is cheap enough that it is a throw away if it craps out.
.

[pacratt]

I currently have this very winch and use it regularly for loading a FV (about 875# - 1100# with me riding).
So far, so good...but I DO have my doubts about the longevity of the cheap remote control.
**ONE NOTE OF IMPORTANCE WITH ANY WINCH** make sure two mounting bolts (either front or rear - all if possible) anchor through a frame member of the trailer o you'll start pulling up the floor under load.
Glenn

[EACIII]

I had a winch on my old trailer. Used a few times. But never put one in the new trailer. At the track you can always find someone to help you push the car if needed. At home I used a come-along if needed to help me load if no one is around.

If you have trouble loading the car at home give me a call as I only live about 3 miles away.

Plus side of not having a winch in the trailer is I no longer trip over it

Ed

[Bob L.]

Have had one with remote fob for several years. Made it portable to use on various trailers, use smaller ("spare" for race car) battery to run it. Worked so-so. Sometimes good, some times not. Spooling onto drum takes "supervision"..had to guide at times by hand. Remote fob is a must.... made loading/keeping all right, much easier than wired pendant, only possible way to load/unload single handed.

However, once had fob battery go at a crucial time, didn't have a spare, and no way to run without FOB. Had to use manual come-a-long...took forever. Cable wraps and jams happen, once, then requires more care afterwards...

Get what you pay for. Make sure to get one that powers up and down...some just go up. Also, get one that allows you to release and spool off cable to "hook up" without power

Use care. Make sure to watch it when operating...have chock ready!

Okie

[Bob L.]

If you go to HF, take coupon for a couple of those smaller dollies. Extremely handy when loading remains with missing corners or locked up after track "event", moving other stuff around..... Must have about 20 in shop (most with sets of wheels/tires stacked up, some under corners of lighter cars...) Throw/give aways if needed..

Okie

[TimH]

Same winch has a $49 coupon periodically. It's worth that much. NIce to be able to load the car myself without soliciting help. Wouldn't consider it strong enough to drag a car up the ramps without tires.

I've replaced mine more than once when I didn't attend carefully enough to the spooling and wound up with an unrecoverable birdnest. Also keep a spare battery for the FOB.

[Jim Edmonds]

I've had five or six of these in my race trailers. They work OK for the price but have a design flaw. The reel shoulder next to the motor has too much clearance. If you aren't careful the winch cable can jump the shoulder and become jammed in that space. It is very difficult, and time consuming, to get it unjammed. Not something one wants to mess with when loading at the end of a race weekend.

As a solution I use a couple of pieces of aluminum bar stock to make a simple bracket to narrow the vertical alignment rollers on the incoming cable. I've done that to three winches and haven't had a jammed cable problem since.

I always carry a spare winch, pre-modified, should the remote or electronics fail. It has a jump battery connector should the in trailer battery fail.

I also have a couple of, I think, 2003 vintage Superwinch 2500s that have never failed.

YMMV, Have fun today, Jim Edmonds Phoenix, AZ

[Jamesbe]

I have a similar cheap winch works great. Caveat I have a nylon canke instead of metal.

It's safer, if it breaks you can just tie it back together but it's more expensive.

I no longer fear the cable will snap and take my leg off.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

[Eric Little]

I have not used the Harbor Freight. I went with Warn and found it on Amazon. The $25 more for the Warn was a no-brainer. Keep in mind that with only using it for the FF, I did not need anything large. I got the 92000 which is rated for 2000 lbs pull. Comparing to the Harbor Freight it seemed clear:

	HF	Warn
HP	1	1.6
Cable Diameter	5/32	3/16
Cable Length	50 ft	50 ft
Gear Reduction	153:1	153:1
Pull Capacity	2500	2000
Price	$69.99	$94.99

The only advantage I saw to the HF was the remote control but that is not too critical for me.

Eric Little

[AaronP]

I've used one of those for the past 3 years. Changed to nylon rope and cut shorter to fix it jumping out of the spool. Has worked great so far.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Steve Demeter]

My winch is mounted to the underside of the workbench which is very securely attached to the floor and the reinforcements running up the sides. In 20 years it is still there and out of the way.

Before that I had a come along attached to the floor by a piece of e track and an e track thingie

[BeerBudgetRacing]

I use one of these on a gantry a built to lift my car onto a stand. Not a direct lift (built a double tackle block).

My biggest problem with it is the wireless remote. I'd prefer a wired remote. Their older units had a wired remote.
Seems the batteries die frequently - and there is NO brake without the wireless controller.

The old adage "you get what you pay for" is certainly true, but I'd argue this $100 "Superwinch" (which I thought was a reputable brand) is the exact same unit:
https://www.amazon.com/Superwinch-LT...ateway&sr=8-25

The HF is probably worth $59 and a spare is a good idea.

[RussMcB]

My trailer has a Badland winch and it has worked well. Mine looks a little different, black. Maybe I have a different model. I don't have a keyless remote fob, but it does have a pretty long cable (12'-15'?), which has been good enough.

My steel cable got screwed up (I wasn't watching/guiding it closely enough), and I replaced it with a nylon rope, and it has worked much better than the cable. I don't have to be as cautious with protecting the race car's paint, don't need to wear gloves to handle it.

Also, when I was building a bench in front of the trailer, I incorporated the winch's fairlead about 2-3 feet away from the winch. I think that should also help with the cable jamming problem.

https://www.harborfreight.com/atvutv...SABEgIXYvD_BwE

[hdsporty1988]

I have a Badland that I have used for 2 years with no problems other than to shorten the cable as it was to long (they never rewind like new). I also bought a lifting strap that reaches from the rollbar to the front of the car to avoid scratches.

[Allan31]

So, from what everyone is saying, the "average truth" (thank-you Mr. Wenz) seems to be:

1 It will work most of the time.
2 Be carful how it's operated. ( stay well within the "design parameters".)
3 Have a back-up plan when it does fail.
4 For Chrisake, don't loose the FOB!
5 Make sure to have extra batteries for lost FOB.

Armed with everyones advise, I went down to HF and bought one. Bought a swivel coupling to reattach the hook correctly, and bought two of those wheeled dollies thingys for 10 bucks each for when the car will not roll.

I will mount it inside the previously inquired about Pit-Posse cabinets. I was leaning towards the smooth finish rather than the diamond plate on the doors but my-much-better-half reminded me that scratches and dinks will happen and show up more and bother both she and I. So, diamond plate doors it is.



Thanks again for everyones help in this, most appreciated!!

[EYERACE]

If I need my winch, I connect my tie down straps to the D rings in the floor of the trailer.. .. and also to the winch. ...solved the problem of how to mount it and when I don't need the winch, it's out of the way instead of sitting there sort of in the way. I power it using the jump battery...which solved the wiring problem

[Eric Little]

I power it using the jump battery...which solved the wiring problem

I do the same. I put the same Anderson connector on the power feed for the winch that I use for the jump battery to the car. Makes hooking up to the winch simple and no need to carry an extra battery.

I do however note that I tow the car in a toy hauler and have a generator so the FF on-board battery and the jump battery are regularly recharged. Not sure that it would not make it through an entire weekend without it but if you have the ability to charge it to avoid a DNF, why wouldn't you?

Eric Little

[TimH]

I do however note that I tow the car in a toy hauler and have a generator so the FF on-board battery and the jump battery are regularly recharged. Not sure that it would not make it through an entire weekend without it but if you have the ability to charge it to avoid a DNF, why wouldn't you?

I don't have an easy way to charge my Group 58 Interstate jump battery during the weekend, have never failed to have plenty of charge left on Sunday to run the winch. Worst case if I did I'd need another person to help load the car.

[mmi16]

So, I'm thinking of installing this winch in the floor of my trailer with the hopes
I will never have to use it, but when I do, it has to work because it means I absolutely need it now.



Has anyone had positive or negative experiences with this or should I just run away now?

Have used that winch to power my car lift - I have had no trouble with the winch itself, however, the relay box was something else - it took on moisture and quit working. Replacement relays and it still works. Started using it in 2013.