DIY Hand Crank Tow Winch ($35 Ebay winch mod)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ย. 2017
- I recently purchased a new truck (well, 15 yrs old but new to me) that is only 2 wheel drive. I do a lot of camping in places that are easy to get a vehicle stuck in so I've been thinking about this winch project for a while. I'll feel a lot better having this hand crank winch on hand. Let me know what you think of this project in the comments below!
Here's a link you can use to find similar boat winches as the one in this video (this is an affiliate link): ebay.to/2vUkL48
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Just wanted to drop a thank you. You consistently put out awesome videos, and, unlike a lot of other makers on TH-cam, you have a lot of projects that are easy, fun, and practical.
Thanks again, NightHawk.
I have literally been subscribed to you for years, and I thought you stopped making content. . . only to randomly cross one of your old videos and find out you are STILL here! TH-cam notifications just suck!
Yep, they sure do. I've put out a lot of videos, especially recently.
hit the bell...
I've been watching you since middle school, and I'm an engineer now. Thank you. :)
A few months ago your video popped up on my "recommended" list and 99% of the time I ignore them because its junk. I can't remember what it was off the top of my head but it interested me and LOVE your videos. Thank you for all the entertainment and random knowledge :D.
I have made and used several variations of this over the years. The one thing that has bugged me the most, is at the point where the shackle on the back, is held by the chain around the tree. It twists/spins too easily. Then you are chasing the handle at odd angles. My latest thought is to set it up with two clevis hooks on that back end. Wrap the chain around the tree, hook it to the hooks, and it should naturally stay 'upright'.
I work in the sailing industry and we have some rope made from material called Dyneema. It's lighter in weight and stronger than steel, size for size. Some hi performace yachts use it to hold the mast up instead of wire these days.
sounds pretty like hemp, but way more expensive
fss1704 it's much, much stronger than hemp. A 10mm dyneema rope has a breaking load of 9000kg, which blows the 756kg breaking load of 10mm hemp (either flax or Manila) out of the water. It'll also stretch less under normal working conditions. Flax also sinks, whereas dyneema floats. Don't get me wrong, it is much more expensive, and hemp rope definitely has an aesthetic appeal. But as far as fibres go they're chalk and cheese.
Corkiepie epp
i work with this stuff to and love it. i recommend to all my customers that they go away from ss wire-rope lifelines and use dyneeema instead.
A 1/8 inch line is rated for 1000 pounds. I have it on my hand winch.
Not sure if I’m correct in saying this but it looks like the winch is mounted backwards the tension pulling off of that windshield come off the bottom of the spool closest to the mounting surface which would put the cranking handle towards the backside of the tension pulling out. That would also help with the system rolling out towards the tension. And presently there’s really only one bolt mounted underneath that spool that’s holding that thing from ripping off the seat channel. Looks like a really useful convenient project to build.
I really hope you'll enhance your system and that you will come back to this log to snap it in half!
Love your videos man, keep up the good work
Snapping a log with a winch isn't anything I'd want to be standing near, especially with a snatch block hanging off the end. I had to snap a log (fell over the trail and didn't have a chainsaw) with a 10k lb rated winch and a snatch block. Some trees won't fail suddenly, but the log I was breaking did, and it launched the snatch block (probably 20-25 lbs) straight back into my front bumper. Managed to put a pretty hefty scar into the 5/16" plate that it hit, I wouldn't want to be standing next to the winch cranking it when something let loose.
Maybe he could find a way to automate it? You're right, when it's gonna snap, everything's gonna fly in all direction, a lot of tension will be released, this is dangerous.
I would also secure the cable that attaches to the working end of the crank so the whole thing doesn't pitch the way it is great idea and thank you
The magic of gear ratio. I loved that unit last year when i was a junior.
I am sure I found same one on ebay. It does not say, but cable likely one quarter inch, and cheapo cable. I would not go over 1000 lbs single, and 2000 lbs double (with pulley hook). I plan to get one and mod it like you did. I move stuff a lot using winches, comealongs, tractor, etc. Youall should read all the comments below about safety, risk, etc. Because that cable Can Cut You In Half if the load releases, cable breaks, winch breaks etc. Other stuff can go flying and hit and go through you too.
Thanks again for making this video, I see how much work was put into this. I would suggest just moving the place where you click the wire of the winch to the bolt. You could just drill a hole on the front of your base plate and then connect the end of the wire to front of your base plate. Easy fix to your friction wear on the wire problem.
I think this is really useful. I am inspired to mod one that attaches to the Reese Hitch receiver on my truck. Thanks NightHawk
Great idea, can't wait to build one. However, I would recommend using a pin in place of the long bolt as bolts aren't designed for shear strength, especially with the long distance between the ears.
That size g8 bolt is rated around 28,000lbs shear, but I did think about the wide span. That's why the cable hook is put between the clevis, it balances the load in both directions.
You sure know it well and are a top Instructor. It is a gift and I hope that I see much more in time. Many of the cheaper winches are too weak for some jobs but I do like the boat winches now. I have found the cables too short on the the first mentioned.
Great idea. This is something I can use for sure! Thanks for the video!
Other people can say it better than I can, nonetheless I really enjoy seeing all of your interesting projects. Such quality content.
Thanks for the video! Was looking for a system with this kind of winch to get my car out when I am stucked. Very good idea to put a pully between. Nice thinking and greetings from Holland.
Thank You. Good Luck with future projects !
Too bad the log didn't snap. It would have been cool to watch. I've done this with 3 pulleys creating 8X the pull. I've been able to uproot small trees (12" dia) with this method. I had to replace a couple of my underrated pulleys though. The bottlenecks become very obvious when everything is under tension.
It would be nice to have extra pulleys on hand to double when needed, I'll have to see if I can find a deal on some. It's pretty cool to see the kind of power you can get with 2-3 doublings. I saw a video not long ago of a guy pulling a 24-36" stump with a little riding tractor and a 4 or 5x pulley set.
Did you use a standard drum or alternate capstan (single smooth vee, double grooved) type winch? All I can see with what you say is a typical drum and having to reel out the cable if your first pull was not enough. Also are those single (snatch block) or double or more pulleys? I understand how mechanical advantage, mechanics and such work but please entertain me a bit. I checked out your video library and you are still growing a channel it seems, Maybe if you made a video at the time or could recreate it, that could help. Most who made and posted a stump puller system using MA used a tractor or truck attached to the pull end showing how well it works, yet to watch one or make my own using a hand winch.
Make Build Modify I
Tributary House Ltd. LOL
@Make Build Modify re: your 12" dia. i.e., SMALL; o you mean 12" circumference? What kind of 12" dia tree do you consider small?
Gotta love compound pulley systems! The biggest problem I've had with these cheap winches is the cable bunching up on the drum - they generally have a very small shaft through the drum (one I had was just a 3/4" rod with the cable going through a hole) and if you have a lot of cable it tends to get squished together and tangled up. I ended up either shortening the cable drastically (just a few meters, and using a separate piece of chain on the end of the winch) or welding in a piece of pipe to increase the drum size and reduce the chance of it bunching up. But they are great little winches - I made a drawbench from one for accurately sizing the inner diameter of tubing.
Many folks never heard of a cable tensioner, great device, look it up.
This is great. This is the perfect idea for me. I think I may actually make it able to attach to my reciever for my tow hitch. Thanks!
Do not forget the space required for the handle to crank it in either speed if two speed like his.
Great demo, and I agree with Conner use a line damper for safety.
Always interesting to see other people's ideas. Suggestion for two mods: 1.) Install some sort of handle to stabilize the winch while you're cranking it. Placement would obviously be critical. 2.) I would definitely get a small pulley for the cable to ride on where it's rubbing on the frame. Granted, it would have to be pretty stout for that kind of tension, though it shouldn't be too hard to find.
That'll work. I need to move logs where no vehicles can go. I'll get a better cable and snatch block. Good simple solution. Thank you
You need to add two pieces of pipe on each side of the clevis to keep it centered.
Pretty decent idea, While I noticed there was a lot of "wobble" while cranking I wondered if it would be beneficial if the plate was a few inches longer with a "V" cut. That would allow it to be tightened against a tree and instead of the clevis (or use one on each side) a couple of very stout hooks and/or a ratcheting strap to do the tightening. It would somewhat limit the anchor point choices and also make more stuff to carry in and out. BTW I would use a "slip" hook on the log that allows the chain to slip through and tighten the chain. I also wonder if moving the original hook farther forward would eliminate the rubbing. Of course that is if the wobble bothers you, which it apparently doesn't. Thanks for the post, good simple solution to many difficulties.
Good call backing off on snapping that log; an awesome test next time with a better cable.
Beautiful forest. And great project and prototype testing...I would love to see a follow up video on this, if you are able to make one.
I made the same thing 30 years ago ... except I used a 2500 pound electric winch, I made heavy electrical (12 volt) lugs on the case and just use jumper cables OR bring a spare battery if I'm expecting trouble ... I have TWO snatch blocks for it and a remote control so I don;t have to stand in the "snap back area" to operate it.
if your going to use a widow maker winch inspect your rigging. it doesn't take much to mame you and is your life or ability to work worth a 15$ strap failing. just be smart about it. the biggest issue with winches like that is you cant really get a feel for how much tension it is under. The main thing i would suggest to make sure you dont over tension anything is a rigging dynamomiter. Also keep your winch well maintained any kinks or frey in the cables is a bad sign steel cable is cheap. try and stay out of the bite ( where if anything fails you can get "bit") of the rigging
Man, I'm going to show your video to my father, when he comes back from travel. He's going to get crazy about that. LOL
Cool project. I used to have a very small electric winch on the front of my 4Runner. I had a few blocks and I was able to use it when I was stuck in the mud, it only needed to give my car a little pull so it would keep momentum. My only thought with this unit is it seems a bit of winching power is lost through the winch being able to rotate. Might be a good idea to make some steel stabiliser rods to allow the winch to be braced and held steady.
part of the issue you are running into with the cable starting to unravel as you said is the tension, but the main issue is that you have the cable gong onto such a tight spool, and through a very small block and tackle. when cable is overbent, it will exhibit the same signs as uneven tension.
Yeah that's probably an issue as well. Maybe I can make a sleeve to widen the core of the spool.
Just make sure that with the cable you get to replace the original cable, you do not go under the minimum bend radius spec for that cable, and you shouldn't have that kind of issue anymore :)
Useful tool and for a good price. Nice mod too !
Great video! I would love to see you return to this video later on with stronger cables and a new pulley system, and maybe if you go crazy you could break that log😜.
Excellent idea!
I'll be making one, too.
Wow, what a great presentation, just awesome
Great video! Use synthetic line. SAFETY EQUIPMENT!!!! Gloves when handling the cable, line dampers, and eye protection. Great invention!
synthetic line wouldnt be the best when dragging through abrasive surfaces
Great idea for the tool kit. Many thanks 👌
What a great execution! Thanks so much for sharing it. I've been planning one and now I have great new ideas for mine. I want the quick release handle. Depending on where you are it might be better to strap the tree to protect it rather than use a chain which can tear up some types of soft wood tree.
Correct: ALWAYS use a tree-saver strap: Basic Off-Roading 101.
-- BR
You could add snatch block to your setup from the trees location to add even more pulling force!
I know this video was quite some time ago, but this is relevant. Modern winches us UHMW-PE synthetic line which is stronger and smaller in diameter than steel cable. What you are looking to buy is called Dyneema SK-78 or if you want to spend a bit more for even smaller diameter line you can buy Dyneema SK-99 which is more than 20% stronger than SK-78 for the same diameter. Dyneema is used on ship rigging, tug boat lines, cargo ship lines, commercial fishing vessels, etc. What does this all mean, it means you can uses crazy small diameter synthetic line and still have all the strength or more of the steel cable, but you may get 100 feet or more of winch line on you hand winch making it much more useful especially when doubled back with a pulley to double its capacity. Samson AmSteel-Blue 12 Strand SK-78 is a very popular Dyneema that is available online by the foot
i think you need to check your math at 5:15, adding a pulley just increases your mechanical advantage (input/output force), it doesn't alter the capacity of the winch (or of the cable or any other component in the system)
since you're multiplying your input force, the cable experiences much greater force than it would without the pulley, so with the pulley you're actually going to reach the capacity of the cable & other components quicker than you would without the pulley
in other words, if (based on the rating) that winch breaks at 3800 pounds without the pulley, it's still going to break at 3800 pounds with the pulley, but you're also multiplying the force going into it, meaning it will reach that 3800 pounds with much less input force
As always, great Video! Keep it up!
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.
You could lighten it up a bit by replacing the steel cable with Dyneema or Spectra type rope.
bro ur actually the best utubr ever
You ought to remember the location of that log so once you've upgraded the winch you can come back for revenge lol, your videos are always great!
Good, informative video. You might also check the hook on the end of your chain that you use to tie of to the stationary tree. It doesn't look to be rated even to 1K.
Great video as usual. Keep it up!
you could put a bolt and d-shackle at the other end to clear the rubbing on the cable,also I think running the cable through a snatch block and back to the winch gives you a 150% increase.so 1000 pounds would become 1500 pounds.hope this helps.
With a longer U-channel you can mount the winch in the middle, the clevis to one end and the free cable end to the front of the U-channel. Basically have the free end of the cable not pass under the U-channel. I suppose a temporary good fix would be to drill a hole in a block of wood and pass the cable through the hole. The wood is cheap and easily replaceable (plus you can soak the wood in oil or hot wax to impregnate it).
A) An $11 Diamond blade from Home Depot will cut faster & last 50x longer than the blade you were using in your grinder.
B) A little cutting oil or WD or general lubricant will make your drill bits last much longer in the drill press.
C) Another great video, nice work man!
I don't know if someone else already suggested you this, but you could put and firmly fix a roller with a cylindrical shape (let's say a sort of a wide pulley) into the place where your cable actually rubs against (the place you smoothed with your grinder) in order to prevent cable rubbing under tension, because it would "accompaign" more gently the movements of your cable with much less friction. I hope this suggestion will be useful for improving your winch safety :)
use a small section of denim to stop the friction. it is what i and many other climbers use ass well as myself using it for heavy haulage and so forth.
I would suggest looking into Amsteel Blue rope. It's an incredibly strong rope that has been replacing steel cable in large ship mooring lines for some years. It comes in different diameter and is stronger than the equivalent diameter steel cable. Though you do need to be more careful about friction and rub points.
Dyneema which is what it is made of and a form of UHMW PE is more durable, frayless, and frictionless than you think compared to wire cable. Amsteel as well is much the same but not as dense as blue, and you can get core dependent rope with the core being amsteel and cover being double braid polyethylene, Not just Sampson is the best, Cortland also makes comparable Purple colored but can also be colored other colors.
Thank you for showing this!
Really fantastic thing, man!
I would add a weight bag for the cable for safety. On another channel, Wranglerstar, he has one of these that someone modified to work off a chainsaw motor.
A couple of sleeves would keep your clevis in the center of your base. Nice project.
Wow the quality of your camera is incredible.
Awesome video as always.
what about a heavy duty cordless power drill attachment. would something like that be feasible?
schel sullivan 65ford did just that. It was a cool build
use a nut and a washer on one of the two bolts in the front to have it hold to keep the cable somewhat in place while not doing too much work or mods.
Never been this early before.. Pretty sweet. Keep it up 👍
A couple of design improvement if I might suggest. Put another clevis shackle and bolt at the other end of the C-channel and hook the wire rope to that clevis. That will keep your wire rope from rubbing. Also, put spacers on the bolts to keep both clevis shackles centered.
This is a great idea. The only thing that I wonder about is where the person cranking is standing. I've seen cables under tension break free from hardware and it tends to whip back along the line of tension. For this reason I'd definitely keep any loads well below the max for the weakest link. But used intelligently, this is a win.
Plus Tip: To stop the wobbleing during cranking use two cables to fix the winch to a sturdy object.
Look into getting some synthetic winch line for that thing! It would save a lot of weight and it's sooo much nicer to work with! Of course, it costs quite a bit more but for what you need, it shouldn't be too bad!
......some safety issues present, but you show some great ideas in this video. Thanks.👍🏽
This is so cool but.... I worked in construction doing pretension beams at forces about equal to what theoretically that winch can pull. By manually cranking that winch, you are standing in a very dangerous spot. I'm glad you didn't snap the log because that cable could kill you on the backlash. My coworkers have seen guys get beheaded by cables like that that snapped.
This video was like, half ASMR. Love it lol
How about a second handle to make it more stable and conftable to turn? You can add one just beside the spool and it would probably help a lot.
Not really new, but still an interesting take on a winch system and using a boat winch to boot.
BTW, with your voice, you were born to do videos!
Be it used for a boat or not, a winch is really just a winch, but for boats you want the automatic brake along for hoisting as well.
brilliant but what about a tree trunk protector
Someone may have already mentioned it, but have you considered using removable supports to stabilize the winch as you crank it? Lot easier and less effort.
The "Safety Sally's" will love this video
Great Idea. The Small roller is causing problems with the cable!!
Fist up, Fight for Truth.
Great Idea I could've used it for a prodject I'm working on.
Thanks for showing this video
You should do radio advertising or something your voice is great!
I'm no expert but I expect you to get loads of comments about winch safety...
djmips ..but honestly if you're already expecting the hook to break, i don't think i'd stand in the direction the cable would snap to :D
i was thinking exactly the same
As it should. That setup can potentially kill you if it fails.
My butthole was clinched so hard watching him crank that with no line damper and a half-ton block & hook. All it takes is a snapped bolt to send steel back toward you at lethal speed.
Double glove, safety squints and mom on speed dial, then you are good to go.
great idea my friend : )
Look up "Portable Winch", they have this neat strap system for mounting their systems to a tree and keeps the winch itself stable and not bouncing and moving around like your first design which is great if you need the swing, pretty sure you can easily build one similar to theirs without much copying if any or you can just buy theirs and modify if need to fit your winch like using an extension plate like the one you built as you showed.
If you want more single line pulling for a hand crank, look up Maxpull 6600 lb 3 tonne capacity (model # GM-30-SI or Mr-30-SI), though it is not cheap it is the the largest capacity of hand winch you can find, also it does not come with rope, you can supply your own wire cable or synthetic core dependent (double braid polypropylene cover) or pure Amsteel or Amsteel blue (Dyneema, or similar by others). Or if you really want versatility, you can get the Maxpull (ME-5-L) 1,100 lb (.5 Tonne) Dual Drum endless (grooved Capstan) and some good pulleys or even snatch blocks to multiply the pulling power and use as much cable or rope as you want. Japanese Made quality.
When doubling or tripling and so on, you reduce the line or pulling speed, but not crank speed.
Maxpull winches come with adjustable handles and built in automatic brakes for safety to use as hoisting winches as well, the ones I recommend are the most powerful hand cranks I could find thus far.
I am not an affiliate.
I suggest you drill two holes for another bolt at opposition end just like the one for clevis but put a pipe on the bolt as a full length barring
also a tree protector might be nice for the anchor tree
Nice rig.Just a tought,maybe attaching an other shackel at this end and clip your hook on it instead of the other end will solve your rubbing problem, without very much weight increase .
Had a smaller version of this tow winch to grub up trees and roots. Was'nt happy with it because it had to be mounted on a wooden beam and that one would rotate during use, very difficult to turn the handle. Now I am using a small chain hoist which does not need to be mounted on anything. It cost approx. 60 euros, that's around 60 Dollars. If I move the lever round, that is 1,50 meters circumference, the chain will move 21 millimeters, which is a gear ratio of approximately 1:75. So with 10 kilograms pull from my hand(s), I can apply 750 kilograms on the other end of the chain. I also have some pulleys and wire rope so I can double the traction, too.
The disadvantage might be the length of the chain, which on my small chain hoist is 3 meters, but I connect it to another chain. I have to open the shackle and shorten this connection every few meters.
Else I would have to buy a grip puller for hundreds of Euro.
Remove the clevis and use a strap instead of the chain. To prevent the cable from rubbing, add another bolt across the walls just behind the front lip so only the hook is touching. Then you will have 2 bolts so you could strap it around something by running the strap over the 2 bolts.
Maybe use the front two bolts to mount a roller to stop the cable rubbing??
I carry a cable hoist. Or as they say a “come along” I have no winch but that cable hoist will bring yonder here
Not sure if you have fixed your rubbing cable issue
But an idea for you drill 2 holes in your C channel like you did with the bolt for the clevis but smaller and place a bolt to hold the cable away from the edge
To replace the cable for something stronger did you think about synthetic rope ?
Otherwise and amazing job
Going to fab one up for my quad as a backup winch
👍🏻👍🏻
It may be safer weld an extra center tab to the underside of the c channel to support the center of the clevis bolt (between the ends of the clevis) to help prevent deflection of the bolt, and have much greater resistance to deflection and about a 50% overall strength increase
Recommend trying to add cordless drill to replace handle. Also other projects I have seen use worm gear winch instead of ratchet because it will allow you to reverse better.
Yes...I have a worm-drive Dutton-Lainson (model WG2000) hand-winch, and DO use a cordless drill with it (HAND cranking is WAY too slow on a 40:1 ratio winch). And I like the fact that worm-drives winches are "naturally braking," which is very useful (and WAY safer).
-- BR
You want to get some blankets to lay over the cable to help mitigate the cable whipping when it does break.
Is this going to turn into a mini-series for your channel?
P.S
Where was your little bird?
I have plans for other videos right now but I might come back to this. My bird is tough to film, always jumping around. I couldn't get him on camera this time
How about a miniaturise winch attached to a grabling hook system. One could simply winch in elevation without a climbing vertical surface.
harbor freight has a fairlead that will bolt on to the bottom of your mounting bracket and keep your cable from chafing and cross drill both crank shafts and the threaded end of your clevis pin and use lynch pins (HF) to retain crank and clevis bolt quick change no nuts to loose also snatch blocks are expensive to buy but easy to make hope my suggestions give you some ideas to make things easier good video
Necessity is the mother of invention.