Replacing winch

[tonyjh63]

I'm ready to replace my old corroded winch. My question is: if my boat weighs 2500 lbs, is that the rating I need to get for a winch? And is this "2 speed" and "3:1", "4:1" stuff about?
Any recommendations? It's for a Boatmate trailer that came with my '99 Bryant 182.
Thanks!

 

[Harritwo]

the 2 speed has 2 gear ratios to assist with winching up. A 3:1 and 4:1 is a gear ratio to enable you to winch heavier weight with easier work. Simply put, a 3:1 ratio you are wining the cable 1 wrap every 3 turns. 4:1 you are winding the cable 1 wrap every 4 turns. Easier to turn the winch, more turns required to move the cable the same distance.

 

[dingbat]

Winch ratings are deceptive. Get the largest winch you can find that fits on your winch stand

F= D x R
Force - effort
Diameter of spool
Radius of winch handle

Winches are rated with an empty, smallest diameter spool. Since the radius of the winch handle is fixed, every turn of the handle increases the force required to pull the next wrap on the spool.

By the time you winch the boat to the stop, it could easily take 2-3 times the effort to pull the same amount of weight.

Going with a 2 speed reduces the amount of effort but increases the number of times you have to crank the handle for a given retrieval distance.