Lassy's Winch
08/06/2008
How much did it cost? How hard was it to build? These seem to be the popular questions you hear after you’ve built a winch. They’re probably the most important questions, however the answers can really vary from one build to another. The total cost and build-difficulty depend solely on how complex the builder/end user wants to get and how deep their pockets are.
When building my first winch, I set out to design one a little different from the rest and hopefully include some features that would come in handy down the road. Of course, I knew that I was shooting blind since I didn’t have much “winching” experience, but I was optimistic I’d get pretty close the first time.
There are a TON of different resources and write-ups already on the web as well as a few dedicated “winching” websites. I’ll go ahead and list the ones that I found to be useful:
This is how you do a Winch Build write up
A great gallery of DIY winches
A solid winch build write up
Another solid write up with some dimensioned sketches
Very reasonable completed winch you can buy today.
An ok winching forum
If you spend some time on these sites, you can get a pretty good idea of the winches out there in the mix and who is doing what in terms of designs and layouts. Since you’re not going to spend an hour looking through those sites right now, I’ll give you the basic components of a good winch:
-Engine (6-11 HP with a horizontal drive shaft, NOT A LAWNMOWER ENGINE) $140
-Torque Converter (for deep water starts) $130
-Chain (must match your torque-converter’s drive sprocket and the driven sprocket) $20
-Driven Sprocket $25
-Hub for driven sprocket $20
-Spool $40
-Axle $30
-Brake $60 (not a necessity, but it’s nice)
-Rope and handle $180
-Frame $200-800
If you’re resourceful, and don’t buy things retail, then you’re looking at atleast $800 for those items alone. Remember, this doesn’t include fasteners or any tools you may need to assemble all of this stuff. Sometimes people can get a free engine, a rope and handle (not more than 100’ though) and maybe even a frame (THANKS ANDREW) but that’s it. So you’re still looking at spending $600 on it if you luck out and get some good freebies.
I remember when I first started thinking about building a winch; I was convinced that it could be done for like $400 max. However, after building my first one and still not being through with it after around $800 or so, I know better.
I will say this though, if you don’t care what the winch looks like, how it really performs, or how user friendly it is and just want something to pull you across the water, then yeah, you could probably pile a bunch of crap together for under $400. But why spend $400 on something that’s not going to last, work well or be safe?
So if dropping $800 on a winch doesn’t scare you, then the next thing you need to do is think about what features you want your winch to have. Some good questions to start off with are:
Is size as issue? Does it need to be small so that you can fit it in a car or pick it up with just two people, or can it be a BEAST like mine? Will you be transporting it a lot, or primarily use it straight from a receiver hitch?
How much line do you think you’ll need? More is always better, right? Maybe you only need 100’ or maybe you want 2000’, decide on what you want. You can get the coated wakeboard line for around $.30 a foot from Bullet Lines. They might cut you custom lengths, you’ll have to ask. Other styles of rope have been tried, and for the most part have failed. Spend the money on good rope and you won’t ever have to worry about it. Try to get the uncoated line, I think that’s what the Grinch and a few others are running. They do it for a reason, it works better.
These are just a few questions to get you thinking about what you want your winch to have.
I wanted my winch to be versatile and user friendly, so I set out to design a frame that would enable me to do so. I knew the winch would have wheels and possibly some type of handle for transporting. I spent more time than I want to say trying to come up with a simple way to have the winch self-propelled, like a lawnmower, so when you were transporting it, you didn’t have to work very hard. However, the design was going to be too complex and was going to add in extra cost that I figured wouldn’t be worth it in the end.
Instead, I came up with a frame that had a very basic layout, but still had a couple interesting features including a rotating hitch mount to enable the winch to swivel like the 12 Gauge Revolver winch, removable wheel dolly, leveling legs and adjustable feet with stake holes. These all sounded like necessary items in the beginning, but I’d later realize that they weren’t super important.
It all came together pretty good, but I must say it took a lot longer than I anticipated, primarily because it’s so BIG. I really need to tear it down and build another frame that’s smaller, but I don’t have the time right now.
The winch is currently sitting in my garage and hasn’t been cranked in about a month. I’ve been super busy and haven’t had time to fool with it. It needs to be powder coated still but I haven’t had the energy to take it up to Daniel at the paint shop.
My winch still has a few kinks to work out, but it’s done for the most part. I’d call it a success….now I just have to get my money out of it and USE THE DAMN THING!
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