Powering a small winch.

Got a few questions about powering a winch… I plan to install a small (under 2000lb) 12v winch on my trailer. Actually, the winch will be mounted to a removable wheel chock (for a motorcycle) which will, when needed, be bolted to the trailer. The idea is to be able to, single handed, load/unload a motorcycle onto a trailer.

The questions;

Can/should I run a 12v winch off the (2017) Tacoma battery (with suitable sized wiring) or should I get a 2nd battery?

When using the winch powered off the truck, should the Tacoma be running or tuned off?

Is there any reason to route the winch power via a solenoid (similar to a snowplow kit)?

Also, I have a Blue Sea Systems 6 circuit Fuse Block installed and it can handle up to 30amp per circuit. Not sure yet if I'll mount a power receptacle in the rear bumper, or just have a coiled up wire in one of the bed storage bins.

This idea spawned from the ‘keystone cops’ episode this morning trying to load my 700lb cruiser onto a 4x8 trailer. Despite having 3 guys helping, it was everything we could muster getting the fat bike up the ramp and into the wheel chock. The dismount was just me and my son on the job but was none the less just as entertaining.

I’m fairly certain I’ll be recovering another dead bike again in the near future and be driving to pick up the random project bike, so I’d like to take the steps now to upgrade the trailer and gear such that I can pull off this stunt by myself.

For your reference, the trailer is an Ultra-Tow, 4x8 aluminum folding trailer. Yes, it’s a bit lightweight, but it serves my purposes well. That it’s a “folder”, I can pull the pins securing the deck to the front yoke, and pivot the deck to facilitate bike loading and unloading. We did the similar technique recently picking up my father-in-law's new lawn tractor and it went well. As the lawn tractor was being driven onto the deck and reached the balance point, the deck leveled onto the trailer yoke and was pined in place.

 

Can/should I run a 12v winch off the (2017) Tacoma battery (with suitable sized wiring) or should I get a 2nd battery?

Main battery is fine. Getting a deep cycle group 27 AGM like an X2Power would be a potentially good idea

When using the winch powered off the truck, should the Tacoma be running or tuned off?

Ideally running, esp with the oem battery. A deep cycle could pull a bike up on its own likely, but the added charge off the running truck won't hurt.

Is there any reason to route the winch power via a solenoid (similar to a snowplow kit)?

Direct to the battery is simple and no harm done. A disconnect switch wouldn't be a terrible idea, but a full solenoid doesn't need to be in the mix.

Also, I have a Blue Sea Systems 6 circuit Fuse Block installed and it can handle up to 30amp per circuit. Not sure yet if I'll mount a power receptacle in the rear bumper, or just have a coiled up wire in one of the bed storage bins.

Run it direct off the battery. I wouldn't run it through the blue sea block. The bottleneck in terms of wiring gauge will likely be an issue for a hard pull.

 

Great advice above. Don’t forget to use thick cables if routing from the front of the truck to the trailer. Also, a winch can pull some crazy amps when under load, so I agree with wiring directly to the battery. 30 amps is only 360 watts at 12 volts, your winch will most likely exceed that.

 

Thanks for the input.

Another idea I'm working on is to augment the wheel chock ( ) with a set of retractable rollers and use a manual winch ( ) between the trailer and chock. That way, I can attach the bike to the wheel chock (holding the bike upright), lower the rollers and then crank the bike onto the trailer deck. This idea will require a short entry ramp to help the roller make the transition from flat ground onto the trailer deck.

 

Finally found the time to get my single-handed bike recovery project completed. I opted to go with a hand winch rather than a powered winch, but after testing it out and having to turn the crank handle about 800 times, I'm rethinking the 12v option. The bike in the pics, a Bandit 1200, weighs about 460lbs. The real test will be pulling the 700lb cruiser onto the trailer.

 

I have a lift that attaches to the receiver. It uses a winch motor. I only mount it when needed. Factory wiring is pretty wimpy.

I use the stock battery. Run the vehicle, do the same on all large amp draw equipment, while operating the lift.

I mounted a plug on the battery end after a breaker. Factory recommends using a breaker. It’s already set up for a plug on the lift end. For wires I used smaller welding cables. More than capable of handling the amp draw. And they don’t twist or kink. Much less resistance than the factory supplied wiring

Connecting the wires only requires opening the hood (Sokie Tech for the win) and plugging it in.

You won’t be running your small winch for very long so it shouldn’t effect the stock battery adversely.

Looking at the trailer it looks like you have plenty of room for a battery box. I’d install one there. You should have two plugs for trailer connections. Wire the battery to the unused outlet.

This way you’ll have the battery charging whenever the truck is running. No changes to the vehicle itself.

 

How about this or similar; cordless drill powered portable winch:




PreviewPreview4:01WARN Drill Winch: Drill-Powered Portable WinchYouTube · Warn IndustriesJun 16, 2016

 

Just remove the handle from the winch and use a cordless drill.

 

I wonder, does anyone know if the Tacoma will charge a camper/trailer battery when connected to 7-pin?

 

Winner!! I did use a cordless drill to spool out the cable, but in the other direction (pulling the bike onto the trailer), it just unscrewed the nut holding the handle. Before I buy a different winch, I'm doing to weld up an adapter to replace the handle and allow using a cordless drill in the pull direction.

 

Barely. (depending on how it was wired up.) It will charge, but it won't be fast.

If its a camper, use a solar panel to keep the battery topped off.