Trailer Winch Rope

[Dougget]

Hi,
Time to replace my trailer winch rope and I have some questions.
My boat has a 19' glass hull and weighs 2300#. I have a roller trailer.

What capacity should the replacement rope have? Is there a formula related to a percent of boat weight?

Will any rope that meets the capacity requirement (home depot / lowes) do the trick, or is there special rope for this application?

Any advantage to switching to a strap or steel cable?

Thanks,
Doug

 

[Monkey Boy]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

IMHO, get a strap or steel cable with the capacity for more than the weight of your boat. Straps are nice and I'd get one with a 2500 lb capacity. A steel cable could handle more weight though and costs less.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

I'd go with the strap as well. Cable kinks and doesn't reel as nice as the strap.

Ensure you have sufficient capacity for the strap (don't buy simply the minimum capacity for your boat) as it's only a few bucks more for a stronger strap.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

I agree about the straps. They're great. Did you have rope on your winch before? Rope is, maybe, OK for lightweight fishing boats, but isn't the best choice for boats as heavy as yours.

Another thing: After you strip the old stuff off your winch, have a really close look at the winch itself. Is everything in really good shape? Winches tend to get ignored, and get rusty and balky.

Winches are relatively cheap. A brand new one will make your loading a lot nicer if your old one is rusty and worn. Also, a lot of older winches can't use straps, while all the new ones can.

 

[rndn]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

Straps all the way.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

strap.

 

[JoeCrow]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

One more vote for straps
Rope isn't dependable
Cable kinks and loosens on the hub
I changed to a strap and never looked back

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

I have straps on all but one of my trailers, they are easier to handle, don't rust or kink, and much stronger than rope or a rusty cable. They also don't scratch paint. Make sure to buy one long enough to extend far enough past the end of the trailer and still leave several wraps on the winch.
I normally run with the original cable till it gets worn or kinked, then toss it in favor of a strap.
If you go with a cable, then make sure to buy a good quality aircraft grade stainless cable with a rust proof hook. The higher strand count of a good cable makes it both stronger and easier to handle.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

I'm through with cables.
It's straps for me.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

I have cable and have no issues at present but when the time comes I will be changing to a strap.

 

[Monkey Boy]

Re: Trailer Winch Rope

I agree about the straps. They're great. Did you have rope on your winch before? Rope is, maybe, OK for lightweight fishing boats, but isn't the best choice for boats as heavy as yours.

Another thing: After you strip the old stuff off your winch, have a really close look at the winch itself. Is everything in really good shape? Winches tend to get ignored, and get rusty and balky.

Winches are relatively cheap. A brand new one will make your loading a lot nicer if your old one is rusty and worn. Also, a lot of older winches can't use straps, while all the new ones can.

That's a good call. You may need to replace the winch and a new one should already come with a strap or cable. The one on the trailer I bought turned out to be too small for my boat and stripped out on me at a shallow landing. I had to move the boat and trailer onto a hill where we could have a couple of people push from behind in order to get the boat all the way onto the trailer properly.

I quickly replaced it with a 2 speed winch that was rated to handle about 500 lbs more than my boat - it only cost about $10 more than getting a single speed one rated for about the weight of my boat, plus it came with a strap. Now I merely let out the strap, hook my boat when it touches the bunk boards, crank it up at the faster gear until it gets a bit more difficult and bring it the rest of the way with the power gear. Boat lines up perfect every time and I don't have to put the trailer as far into the water.