winch question
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 17,398
Likes: 317
From: Whittier, CA
Well, I don't wantcha to feel ignored, so I'll throw in my 2 cents.
It won't really take much to roll the car on the trailer. Lots of trailers just have a hand winch. But if I was going to go electric, I would go bigger but I would look at the structure I was mounting it to first. No point in mounting a 4k winch to something that will just bend or tear off the trailer. So, with that in mind, probably a 2k or 4k and either one would easily roll your car.
It won't really take much to roll the car on the trailer. Lots of trailers just have a hand winch. But if I was going to go electric, I would go bigger but I would look at the structure I was mounting it to first. No point in mounting a 4k winch to something that will just bend or tear off the trailer. So, with that in mind, probably a 2k or 4k and either one would easily roll your car.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,392
Likes: 0
From: Greenvile, SC
Just to pass off an idea on the winch / mounting point....
A friend of mine has made a plate /recv'r bar that goes between his blazer and the trailer or whatever else he has to yank on.
IIrc, its about 12"-18" long total... with one end able to slip in the rec'vr opening and the other side had a rec'vr opening if he had a trailer. Then he had a 3/8" or 1/2" plate welded and bolted on- then the winch was mounted to this plate.
So this way if he needed his winch to pull himself out of a jam or pull on a semi-stationary item (front or rear) then he would able to do so. Or he could put one of his trailers on and use it to winch items on to the trailer.
Then for size...I was always told to try to go double than whatever live load I was going to pull. But in your case... a 5K-6K winch would do it w/out excessive strain.
A friend of mine has made a plate /recv'r bar that goes between his blazer and the trailer or whatever else he has to yank on.
IIrc, its about 12"-18" long total... with one end able to slip in the rec'vr opening and the other side had a rec'vr opening if he had a trailer. Then he had a 3/8" or 1/2" plate welded and bolted on- then the winch was mounted to this plate.
So this way if he needed his winch to pull himself out of a jam or pull on a semi-stationary item (front or rear) then he would able to do so. Or he could put one of his trailers on and use it to winch items on to the trailer.
Then for size...I was always told to try to go double than whatever live load I was going to pull. But in your case... a 5K-6K winch would do it w/out excessive strain.
Super Moderator
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 24,308
Likes: 42
From: SW Virginia
Excellent advice above. The only other thing would be to use a ****** block. The pulley will essentially double the pulling strength of the winch and ease the load on the mounting points for the winch.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
I easily pull F250s up onto my trailer using a 1700lb Warn winch. I pulled up one 4x4 that had some pretty wide wheels that rubbed the side rails, I doubled the line up and pulled it up fine too. Makes for some slow going, but it works.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 3
From: Simpsonville, KY
In this case bigger is usually better 
You can pick up 6k winches pretty cheaply, and light duty 8k winches for just a few hundred. The biggest thing isn't weight, its class of winch. Don't buy a cheap brand (Chicago Electric, for example) if you intend to pull a few times a week. But if you pull two or three times a year, don't invest in a top-of-the-line Warn, go for the Chicago. I had an 8k Chicago on my F150 and while it was waaaay less than I should have bought, it was cheap (under $300) and did the job.
You can pick up 6k winches pretty cheaply, and light duty 8k winches for just a few hundred. The biggest thing isn't weight, its class of winch. Don't buy a cheap brand (Chicago Electric, for example) if you intend to pull a few times a week. But if you pull two or three times a year, don't invest in a top-of-the-line Warn, go for the Chicago. I had an 8k Chicago on my F150 and while it was waaaay less than I should have bought, it was cheap (under $300) and did the job.
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 17,398
Likes: 317
From: Whittier, CA
Just to clarify, the OP was asking about a winch to roll a car on a trailer. Not a recovery winch. So while bigger is always better, you don't need much power to roll a car up a ramp.
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If you anchor the line back at the same place that the winch is mounted, then both lines are pulling on the same mounting point -- this is fine if all you needed was more pulling power and the original mounting point was strong enough -- but it is a recipe for disaster if the purpose was to avoid stressing the winch mounting point.
As for the original question, the general rule of thumb for pulling a rolling load is 20% of the weight of the load. By that standard 780 pounds pull ought to handle a 3900 pound rolling load. A little more is needed to pull that rolling load up hill (you can work the trig if you want a detailed answer) but unless you are going to have a really steep ramp up onto the trailer, 1000 pounds pull ought to be plenty for your car.
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: new paltz ny
Just keep in mind that when you use a ****** block you are "doubling" the effective pull of the winch by creating an equal pull at the anchor point of the line.
If you anchor the line back at the same place that the winch is mounted, then both lines are pulling on the same mounting point -- this is fine if all you needed was more pulling power and the original mounting point was strong enough -- but it is a recipe for disaster if the purpose was to avoid stressing the winch mounting point.
As for the original question, the general rule of thumb for pulling a rolling load is 20% of the weight of the load. By that standard 780 pounds pull ought to handle a 3900 pound rolling load. A little more is needed to pull that rolling load up hill (you can work the trig if you want a detailed answer) but unless you are going to have a really steep ramp up onto the trailer, 1000 pounds pull ought to be plenty for your car.
If you anchor the line back at the same place that the winch is mounted, then both lines are pulling on the same mounting point -- this is fine if all you needed was more pulling power and the original mounting point was strong enough -- but it is a recipe for disaster if the purpose was to avoid stressing the winch mounting point.
As for the original question, the general rule of thumb for pulling a rolling load is 20% of the weight of the load. By that standard 780 pounds pull ought to handle a 3900 pound rolling load. A little more is needed to pull that rolling load up hill (you can work the trig if you want a detailed answer) but unless you are going to have a really steep ramp up onto the trailer, 1000 pounds pull ought to be plenty for your car.