Recommended Hand Winch to Pull Up a 3,500 Pound Vehicle onto a Tow Dolly

Published 01/16/2015

Products Featured in This Question

Dutton-Lainson Hand Winch - TUFFPLATE Finish - 2 Speed - Direct Drive - 2,500 lbs

(477)

$137.72

Hand Winch Strap with Safety Hook, 2" Wide x 25' Long - 4,000 lbs.

(107)

$27.46

Question:

I would like to attach a hand winch to a Master Tow tow dolly, so that I can pull a car up onto the tow dolly instead of driving it up. The tongue of the tow dolly where the winch will be anchored is 3 inches wide. I dont think I would drill holes in the tongue so the winch would have to be wide enough to use some U bolts. 1 The car I will be pulling up onto the tow dolly with the winch, weighs 3500 lbs. What load capacity winch would I need??? 2 Since the tongue is only 3 inches wide, do you have any winches that will fit that application?? I think I would prefer one with a strap already installed.

asked by: David Z

Expert Reply:

There are a few options I recommend when using a winch to pull a 3,500 pound car onto a tow dolly.

The Fulton single speed hand winch # F142306 has a 1,800 pound capacity. A winch can pull a rolling load that exceeds its rated capacity, but an incline, like the ramps on your tow dolly, adds some resistance. To find the amount of load that can be pulled up an incline, multiply the winch capacity by the factor shown in the chart (see the help article on hand winches I included). For example, if the incline you have is 5 percent, you have a rolling load maximum of 12,006 pounds. If the incline is 10 percent, you have a rolling load maximum of 9,036 pounds.

A brake hand winch I recommend is the Dutton-Lainson two speed # DL14830. It has a capacity of 2,500 pounds. At a 5 percent incline, you will have a rolling load maximum of 16,675 pounds. At 10 percent incline, you will have a rolling load maximum of 12,550 pounds. A hand winch strap with safety hook # DL24249 is worthwhile to get because it has a breaking strength of 4,000 pounds. An extra piece of mind when you are pulling your car up an incline. A hand brake is perfect for manually-controlled load releases.

With the 2 hand winches (one being a hand brake) you will need to drill in order to secure.

I recommend viewing the help articles and videos I included.

expert reply by: Chris B