Best Electric Winch [Buying Guide And Tips]

Do you need a winch to professionally shift large loads from one side to the other? If you want to know the best electric winch that you are going to find in the market. We bring them to you, being able to be used both at a private level, in your own home or small workshop. Even used by specialists and workers in the sector who require a useful tool and with great possibilities. 

Our team has made the best electric winch buying guide to help you make the right choice. 

You don’t need to worry about the accuracy of our list of the best electric winches. We compare such factors of each electric winch as material, weight, price, number of customer comments and many more details.

Types of electric winches

Before these modern devices were used there was already another kind of mechanism for these tasks, are manual winches.

The most used types of electric winches are 3:

  • For off-roaders the 12v electric winch and 24v
  • In trucks and 24v rescue vehicles
  • And in industry and construction the 220v electric winches

We are going to focus on electric winches for industrial and construction jobs. These work at 220V and are connected to the electric current. Unlike 12V and 24V winches that are connected to the battery of a vehicle.

The most versatile for this type of work is the portable electric winch. A great help when it comes to lifting or moving loads in different parts of a construction site, for example.

Top 6 Electric Winches 

Partsam Electric Hoist Crane

Partsam Electric Hoist Crane

We are going to start this list of the best winches by telling you about a product that I have all my confidence in and that will give you the best guarantees for your work on loading and unloading heavy objects. 

It is a product manufactured by the Partsam brand, which has been providing us with professional tools for many years for anyone who requires them.

In this case, we have a model made of very resistant metal that has been treated with anti-corrosion products, so that it can last much longer. It can be placed on a metal beam for better fixation.

Its high-powered engine will be able to carry at least 250 kilos of weight, perhaps one of the least able to bear. But given its price, it is more than advisable, especially when greater capacity is not necessary. It has two hooks that can be easily interchanged and it will be operated by means of a knob that you can easily control.


FIERYRED Electric Winch

FIERYRED Electric Winch

We continue with great products that will provide us with everything we expect and much more. In this case, we are going to analyze a model from the FIERYRED brand and that. Although it may seem smaller than what we have seen in the previous article. 

We can tell you from the outset that it is a much superior model since it is capable of pulling up to a total of 3500lb of weight. So you can easily tow a medium-size car and even larger ones.

As you can see in the image, you will have to assemble the winch yourself. Since all the parts will be disassembled so that you can place it where you see fit, having an instruction book for this purpose. 

The motor power will be about 900W, also having a cable made of stainless steel that measures approximately 10 meters long, including wireless control for its operation.


Bravex Portable Electric Winch

Bravex Portable Electric Winch

If you are looking for a small winch that you can install on a quad or even a boat. We are going to analyze one that may interest you due to all the characteristics it has. Being perfect for what you require and above all and more importantly, being portable.

We find ourselves with a very compact product, as you can see in the image, which can be carried with one hand. Thanks to its resistant handle, placing it at all times in the place you prefer. Being perfectly attached and with an incredible pulling force. 

You can move large objects that do not exceed 6,000 lbs in weight, having a large gear that will help with this task. It has a 30ft steel cable and although this little one does not have the power of his older brothers, with 12 Volts. It has nothing to envy.


WARN Portable Electric Winch

WARN Portable Electric Winch

We found another portable winch but it has many indications to become the best electric winch on this list, especially for its ease of use and utility.

The first thing we will highlight is that it can be carried in one hand, to be installed in one place or another. Being able to enjoy a single product and use it wherever you want to go or need it. It has a housing that will protect both the cable, which is made of stainless steel and has a length of 15 feet in total. 

Although in the image you can see a crank on the body of the product. This will only work if you want to store the cable manually or want to adjust the product to the object to be moved beforehand, being more precise than others.

Speaking of the important thing, it will be able to drag a whopping 1,000 pounds of weight.

Becoming the one that will be able to move to have a compact size.


RUGCEL Single Line Electric Winch

RUGCEL Single Line Electric Winch

This product that we have selected for you is expressly indicated for use in quads. Although it is true that it can be installed in other elements always following the instructions that the manufacturer will include in the shipping package. 

One of the strengths of this product is that all the parts. With the exception of the remote control with which you are going to control the device, is made of metal. So its durability will be perfect, as long as you take care not to go overboard with the recommended weights.

This model will be able to pull a load that does not exceed 907 kilos in weight. Having as a differential point a small roller that will help the load to be balanced and can be guided much better, preventing the cable from going the other way or winding in a bad way. 

The most important thing you should know is that you will not be able to lift objects with this product, being useful only to drag them from one side to another. The remote control is very precise and is connected to the main part by a thick cable.


FIERYRED Electric Synthetic Rope ATV Winch

FIERYRED Electric Synthetic Rope ATV Winch

Coming to the end, we have a winch that has certain differences from what we are used to seeing. However, it has characteristics that will also give you a lot of quality.

This product, like the previous one, has been designed to be used on quads but can be attached to other types of places, including boats. What most appeals to us about this product is that it replaces the usual stainless steel cable with a lighter one, made with plastic strands. Which according to the manufacturer, can be much stronger than the steel itself. 

In addition to the weight for transporting it will be drastically reduced, which is welcome. Although it will require more care than conventional ones. It will have a hook to grab the load, which will not be able to exceed 4500lbs of weight. Being able to only drag it and not lift it.


12v electric winch

Another important element in these products is its remote control. Many of them, as you may have seen in our list of the best electric winches, are wireless, that is, you can operate it from a distance without taking risks with the load you are moving or even to be able to place yourself in a place that you can see better.

It is important to know the scope of these models, and above all, the energy they are going to use when driving and moving the loads. On the other hand, and being more common, there are those that will work with a control that will be attached by a cable to the central body of the product, having to ensure, among other things, that said cable will never interfere with the steel cable nor in the path that the load must take.

This cable also has to be well reinforced, having a wider diameter than we could find in other devices. This will give you the security that, if by chance the load passes over it, you will not run the risk of running out of the winch or that you will not be able to move the weight from one side to the other, lasting much longer.

Tips for buying the best electric winch

In the list that we have proposed, you will find those products that once we have checked and compared them with the rest that you can find in stores, have better performance than others.

In addition to being much cheaper than what you are going to find, But if you still want to continue checking and looking at the one that is perfect for you. We want to give you a series of tips that will help you get the best electric winch and that are usually characteristics that are popularized among the highest quality models.

First of all, you have to keep in mind that many of these products are not going to be used to lift the weight. Although you may think that the dragging effect is the same as lifting, you can be very wrong.

Because they play many different factors and what you will get is having paid for a product that either will not work for you or simply after a little use will be unusable, potentially putting your health and those near said product at risk. 

The weight of the load is important. So if you are going to move machinery or boats or other types of objects, you must be clear about the limitations at all times. Always trying to buy the one that will have a greater capacity to avoid being unable to perform any task.

However, among our analyzed and selected articles, you will find two very different models of cables to be used. The first one, which is the most common, is the one made with stainless steel. This type of material is very resistant and hard, although if the length of the cable is greater than 9 meters, the final product may weigh much more than you expect, also having to count on the motor. This type of metal will not corrode as long as it is treated perfectly and will give you much greater efficiency.

On the other hand, the second type of cable is one that consists of hardened plastic. There are many divided opinions regarding this material since in some sectors they will tell you that it is a very resistant and useful element.

How do winches work with electric current?

A 220v electric winch is a machine for lifting, pulling, or pulling forces by hooking with a cable, steel, or synthetic plasma cable.

It is built by a cylindrical drum where the cable is wound, the axis of the drum can be vertical or horizontal.

The drum is attached to a motor and some ratchets or brakes are responsible for blocking the drum.

Why does an electric winch develop so much force?

The key to the power that a 220v electric winch has is inside it, in the gears. They all fit together perfectly, it is this gear system that is responsible for increasing the force of the turn.

When the transmission starts to work, it rotates more than a thousand times per minute. The gear system composed of more than 15 sprockets reduces the speed of the electric motor.

The sprockets increase the torque, making the drag force of these machines very powerful.

Winch brake

When the current stops reaching the motor, the weight of the load pulls on the cable, unwinding it from the drum. When the gears begin to rotate in reverse, the brake mechanism engages and stops the winch. Lock the spin in less than a second.

Everything is assembled in a housing with heat dissipative grooves. These prevent the brake pads from heating up. This is how the winch moves and drags loads safely.

Parts of an electric hoist

Knowing the parts of an electric winch is key to its proper use, this tool is also known as a hoist. So we’re going to gut it, so you can learn to handle it properly.

Internal part of electric hoist

  • MOTOR: the motor supplies the energy to the mechanism, this causes the drum to rotate and the cable to wind on the winch.
  • GEAR TRAIN: here is the power of the winch, it converts the energy transmitted by the motor into drag force. This gear block makes the winch lighter, smaller and more compact.
  • BRAKE SYSTEM: the brake is activated automatically when it supports a load, also when the motor stops.
  • CLUTCH: allows to unwind the cable manually by disconnecting the drum from the gear train. Once the load is hooked, you operate the clutch and connect the drum to the gears again to start working.

Outside of the electric hoist

  • THE DRUM: it is the (cylinder, roll, coil, spool, roller) where the cable is wound on the cylinder. It is driven by motor and gear train, it works in both directions to wind and unwind the cable.
  • CABLE: there are a variety of materials with which the cable is manufactured, usually steel, but plasma or synthetic fiber are also used. The length and diameter of the cable is related to the load capacity of the winch. It is placed rolled up on the drum of the device.
  • ROLLERS: Rollers guide cable for work from different angles. These minimize cable friction when changing angle.
  • DRUM BRACKETS: these are the frame and frame of the winch, to be able to fix it to a safe place.
  • TIE RODS: are the parts that connect all the machinery, the gear train with the cylinder and finally with the electric motor.

Control parts of an electric hoist

  • CONTROL BOX: from here you control the direction in which the cylinder rotates, to unwind or retract the cable.

REMOTE CONTROL: connected to the control box, you can work away from the winch, for safety. Here you operate the winch from afar, it allows you to use all its functions.