Will The Pro Series Standard Brake Winch, # PSKR15000301, Work To Pull A 12 Foot Boat Into A Garage

Updated 07/28/2010 | Published 07/27/2010

Products Featured in This Question

Fulton Galvanized Winch Cable with Hook - 50' x 7/32" - 5,600 lbs

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$51.28

Question:

I use a winch to pull my 12 foot boat into the garage using a winch with a 50 foot 3/16 cable. The slope to pull the boat up is only about 5 degrees and maybe a bit more. It takes two to push it into the garage. The problem with the winch that I am using, pulling the cable results in a mess on the drum as there is no braking mechanism. Looking at your model PSKR15000301, I think that would work out just fine. Question: What sort of effort in pounds does it take to pull the cable when the brake is on? Does the brake engage when the lever is in the wind up position. Any suggestions?

asked by: Peter

Expert Reply:

On the Pro Series Standard Brake Winch, # PSKR15000301, it is an automatic brake winch, so it will engage the brake whenever the handle is released even in the wind up position.

The boat size to winch capacity is generally 2 to 1. For example, a 2,000 lb. boat will require a 1,000 lbs. winch.

This brake winch has a weight capacity of 1,500 lbs with the cable only wrapped on the drum in one layer. For every layer of cable that is wound onto the drum it will reduce the weight capacity by 10 per cent. The capacity of the winch with the drum full is 700 lbs. So the boat weight range for this winch would be 1,400 lbs to 3,000 lbs.

The effort in pounds to pull the cable when the brake is applied would be hard to know because as you are winding up the cable onto the drum you are reducing the weight capacity by 10 per cent for each layer it winds up.

The gear ratio on the winch will give you the best answer of the effort you will need to crank up the boat. The gear ratio on this winch is 5.1 to 1, which would mean for every 5.1 revolutions of the handle the drum on the winch will complete 1 revolution.

Also, when winching a rolling load (load with wheels) the winch can handle more weight than its rated capacity. On level ground a winch can pull 10 times its capacity on a rolling load.

An incline will offer extra resistance. You say you have around a 5 degree incline, so that would be about a 10 per cent slope. To calculate the weight this winch can pull up a 10 per cent slope you would multiply the winch capacity by 5.02. For this winch that would be 1,500 lbs. X 5.02 which is 7,530 lbs. in the first layer of cable.

This winch does not come with cable so you will also need the Fulton Galvanized Winch Cable with Hook, # FWC7500100. This cable is 50 feet long and 7/32 inches wide. It has a maximum load of 5,600 lbs. and safe working load limit of 1,865 lbs.