Things to Consider When Buying a Winch

If you’re on the hunt for a lifting winch, it won’t take you long to realise that there’s a surprisingly wide variety of winches out there on the market. As such, knowing which winch is which is well worth it!

To make things a little easier for you, we’ve outlined a few of the most important things to consider when buying a winch in this helpful, handy winch-buying guide.

IMPORTANT: Please note that these winches are designed for lifting goods, not people. If you need a winch that is suitable for lifting people, please contact our Sales team.

Hand Winch vs Electric Winch

One of the most common conundrums faced by winch buyers is deciding between hand winches and electric winches. Both can be great options, but here are a couple of key factors to consider:

Economy vs Efficiency

Hand winches are typically less expensive than their electric counterparts; however, electric winches are widely considered to be far more efficient.

Muscular Endurance vs Battery Life

Both options are capable of lifting a heavy load, but the electric option won’t tire and is likely to be able to handle a heavier lift. That being said, even the electric winch will need to be powered by something and can drain a car battery flat with extended use.

How powerful does your winch need to be?

Most winches come equipped with a winch rating, declaring how much weight they can safely pull. However, to make matters slightly more confusing, these ratings don't always indicate exactly how much a winch can handle. The ratings are more of a guide to how much your winch can take under perfect conditions. There are lots of variables that can affect the performance of your winch, ranging from engine size to angle of the cable.

One of the most important influences on winch power is the number of layers on the winch line. As odd as it sounds, the more layers of cable wrapped around a winch, the less power it is capable of exerting.

For example, multiple layers of cable on one spool can lead to an overall power loss of up to 40%. That’s almost half of the optimal capacity, so keep that in mind if you’re planning on hauling some heavy loads.

How to mount your winch

Now that you’ve decided on exactly which winch you want, it’s also important to take into account how you plan to mount your winch for the task at hand. Vehicle winches are straightforward enough, but if you plan on using your winch in a factory/warehouse setting, you may have some decisions to make.

Floor- and wall-based mounts are popular options, providing a static and sturdy fixed base for lifting. The choice is yours, but wall-based winch mounts may allow for better use of space in your work area.

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