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Jul 21st, 2025 | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | After years of building a set of Popeye arms with a come along, I finally broke down and bought a winch . It looks like it might be a pretty good one for what I need. It's a 10,000 pull and comes with a mounting plate for a receiver hitch. Power in and out, 85' of 3/8 cable. Also came with a snatch block and two differant length leads for the battery. It's from an American owned and based company but is manufactured in China, hopefully to our standards. It should hold up good enough for the amount of use it will get. Best part is it was only $300 at Sam's Club!!
Bruce | | | | | | Houston54 Unregistered | | Houston54 Unregistered | Congrats. I purchased one of those units also but decided it would add too much tongue weight to the trailer and returned it. The reviews I found on that winch rated it acceptable for occasional use but not recommended to trail (read 4 wheel drive) requirements.
Where are you going to mount it? Will it be a permanent mount or removeable? How are you going to hook it up to power? Hope it works well for you. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 586 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 586 | Looks good ! Keep it out of the weather and it should last a long time. If you use that small snatch block (aka a sidewinder) back to your vehicle you will take the load off your wire rope. Work safe and you should be fine.
Wanted Good Woman:
Must be able to cook , clean , sew , tune engines and polish trucks. Must have old Stovebolt and garage. Please send picture of old Stovebolt and garage.
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | I'll be putting it on this trailer for now. I'll make a mount or buy a junk trailer hitch and mount it to the trailer. This way I can take it off and store it when not needed. I'm also planning on using it for draging stuff around the yard instead of having to chain everything behind a truck to move it. Possibly make a gantry type setup also? I know there's lots better winches on the market but for what I paid and the amount it will get used, it should be fine. As far as tongue weight, I have air bags on my Suburban and with some loads hanging off the back of the trailer, it might come in handy. As far as power, I probably get a battery. I would like to figure some way to rig it up so it can be plugged into the trailer plug on the back of my truck. I'm electricaly challenged and don't even know if that's possible.
Bruce | | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | Bruce, Take a look at the power cables that came with the winch. This is the size you would need to power it..and that means with the battery pretty close to the winch. On your loooooooong Suburban, you would need battery cables the size of a tree trunk to make it work properly. Better think "battery near winch". What kind of stuff do you drag around the yard?  Stuart | | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | I guess I'll probably just put a battery in the storage chest on the front of the trailer. What kinda stuff do I drag around the yard??? Dead cars and trucks heading to the "parting out spot". 
Bruce | | | | | Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 586 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 586 | You can run a 10 gauge charge line from the output of your alternator (marked Bat) through a fusible link (Napa has them made up with terminal end) then run it back to your battery in the storage box. This will keep the battery charged as you drive. The seven terminal trailer connector has a "charge line" built in.
Wanted Good Woman:
Must be able to cook , clean , sew , tune engines and polish trucks. Must have old Stovebolt and garage. Please send picture of old Stovebolt and garage.
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | I don't get it?  I run a line from the alt. to the back of my truck or to the box on my trailer? If It goes to the box on the trailer what do I do with the line when the trailer isn't there?
Bruce | | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | Bruce,
The dedicated line from alternator to plug stays with the Suburban. The dedicated line from battery box (trailer) to hitch area stays with the trailer...just like all the turn/brake wires do!
Clear as Rapid City mud!
Stuart | | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | OK, I think I get it.  Is there some kinda plug to join the two harness' kinda like the trailer lights?
We would need rain to make mud!
Bruce | | | | | Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,168 "Hey! I sound like Darth Vader!! | | "Hey! I sound like Darth Vader!! Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,168 | Depending on the year of your Suburban and if it was spec'ed out with a tow set up, you should already have the #10 wire in your harness. It will be near the drivers side fire wall, engine side, below the power distribution box. It is an orange wire and it has a terminal on it for connecting to the hot stud on your power distribution box. It should also have a similar blue wire near it, the one used for the electric trailer brakes.
At the back end, the orange wire will be wrapped up near the end of the harness. You can feel the lumpyness of wire under the tape, inside the frame, on the drivers side. That orange wire is for your trailer hot. You'll have to provide the #10 wire from your connector ( I use a seven pin Pollack plug ) to your winch battery.
Lucky for me, I have the camper option on my Crew Cab. So from the secondary battery ( amongst other things connected to it ) I run, through a disconnect, some #2 wire down the frame and to a quick terminal attached under my rear bumper. My winch has about 2 feet of #2 wire lead with a mating quick connect so I can plug in or unplug my winch at any time. I usually keep those wires dead by turning the disconnect off when not in use. Most of this material I got from McMaster. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 586 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 586 | MNSmith, Good idea to check the harness,It might be factory wired for the seven terminal plug. Is "lumpyness" a technical term lol? Lots of good stuff at McMaster-Carr.
Wanted Good Woman:
Must be able to cook , clean , sew , tune engines and polish trucks. Must have old Stovebolt and garage. Please send picture of old Stovebolt and garage.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,168 "Hey! I sound like Darth Vader!! | | "Hey! I sound like Darth Vader!! Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,168 | Yes! Lumpyness is a technical term for wire that has been doubled back a couple of times and then factory taped over. It's true! I don't make this stuff up!! | | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | WOW! How did I ever live without a winch. I loaded my new 1954 COE in less than one minute with it. Never even groaned unlike me in the old days using a come-along.
Bruce | | | | | Joined: May 2002 Posts: 155 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2002 Posts: 155 | If ya have a 7 blade rv plug in on yer rig, it'll have a 12v line to it..if not then just trot down to yer friendly parts house and see what ya like that'll work..
Speakin of winches, I love Craig's list..fell into a winch bumper (which I wanted for a base for a moose guard) for $200 delivered and it came with a Ramsey DC200R towing and recovery winch, 190' 3/8 cable, 4' chain between cable and hook and 4 roller fairlead..
The winch will do 8000lb single line dead lift or pull...had to extend the frame on the Suburban, but works just fine..Now just gotta find some 1" pipe for cheap for the guard...
Geoff
68 GMC 3800
56 JD420C w/JD90 Loader
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 85 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 85 | I've been looking at the Champion at TSC. I think it is only an 8500lb winch though. I really want one rated for about 16,000 though! For pulling tractors/trucks/random junk up onto the haul trailer. but I don't want to spend $3k or better! $500 or less is more my budget.
Laterz,
Gator
>|--|~ | | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,186 | Hey Gator,
Mine is 10,000 lb. and worked great. Still in you budget you mentioned. Comes with two different lengths of electrical cable and a snatch block. Just used it today to unload the COE, backed it off like a dream. I hate come-alongs now!
Bruce | | | | | Joined: May 2005 Posts: 147 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2005 Posts: 147 | They are sweet I bought a used Warn 9000 from a friend last fall. It has a receiver mount on it. Plus she gave me a receiver hitch that mounts on the front of my truck.
55 are you taxing that trailer a bit with a big bolt on it?
-R | | | | | Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 578 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 578 | RT1 you read my mind. I was walking past a Sheriff's SAR monster truck. It had a big old winch mounted on a receiver like you described. As you walk around the truck you can see 6 different places that it could be mounted to. Front, back, and two on each side. It was even a GMC!
"Happiness equals reality minus expectations" - Tom Magliozzi
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