Trailer Winch Shootout -make the right choice
Trailer winches can be your best friend. Especially when you need to bring back a car that’s not running back the garage before the next race. Today, we’ll look at 3 common options for trailering a vehicle. Many of these revelations can apply to other trailer uses as well, so follow along.
At NOVAWINCH, we believe the best winch is the one designed to do a specific job. We also believe in Synthetic Rope - easy on the hands, doesn’t scratch paint or decals, and its failure mode typically won’t require a trip to the hospital. We’re very big fans. Best of all, you can put synthetic rope down without it whip-sawing back to winch making a real mess.
So, let’s take a look at the contenders:
NOVAWINCH U5000 Trailer winch
The Basics: Based on the original trailer winch, the U5000 updates gearing and electrictronics. Features a 30 foot corded remote and there’s a wireless remote available. Almost 50’ of aircraft-rated wire cable.
Our Review: We love this winch. It’s compact, features simple 2-bolt mounting and comes with a wired remote. Call us old school, but having a wired option to run the winch instead of searching for batteries is a win for us. Integrated roller fairlead plus a free spool control on the winch top saves backache.
Our score: 9/10
NOVAWINCH U5000 Synthetic Rope Trailer winch
Take everything we just said and add our favorite synthetic rope to the mix and you’ve got a winner. Easier on the hands, safer for everyone near the trailer and lighter to haul around, synthetic rope really is as good as they say. Treat it right and it can outlast wire.
Our score: 10/10
NOVAWINCH FENIX 4500 winch
Can it do the job? Absolutely.
The Basics: NOVAWINCH built this winch as a premium ATV/UTV powersports winch. It features IP68 rated seals, sealed electronics and 55’ of synthetic rope. 4-bolt mounting on hawse plate.
Our Review: There’s no question this is a great winch. It’s 12 foot remote is going to frustrate users hoping to steer the vehicle onto the trailer. Taking a bit more to install, all hardware is geared to install on an ATV. Freespool is controlled on the righthand side, less convenient than the on top control of the U Series. Battery cables connect to the left-hand motor making a pretty trailer a matter of preference.
Our score: 8/10
NOVAWINCH Pro Series 9500 winch
More power is better, right?
The Basics: NOVAWINCH built this winch as a premium truck recovery winch. It features IP68 rated seals, sealed electronics and 85’ of synthetic rope. 4-bolt mounting.
Our Review: Legendary performance is what the NOVAWINCH Pro Series is all about. For a trailer application, this winch is fast - pulling in at 52.5 feet per minute at no load. Depending on your loading style, it’s something you’ll want to watch. The hawse is a good idea to have in front of the drum but you’ll need a bracket to attach it. The 12 foot wireless remote is perfect for in-truck operation but again, that’s not going to help a wincher trying to get a good view of the pull.
Our score: 8/10
The bottom line.
In the end, the winch that works best for you kinda depends on what you want. For most trailer users, a trailer-specific winch will be the best bet as it’s go the features that make the most sense to the most amount of people. Those that put cost ahead of convenience might find a small ATV winch to fit the bill while those wanted to haul anything short of a large tank onto a trailer might find truck winch to be beneficial.
For us, we believe the U Series answers the call best, has the best features most trailer users desire and is ready for years of service.