engineers please read.

[jashaw]

This simple problem is driving me crazy right now...
So my dad and i just bought a trailer that tilts and are currently trying to figure out what size of winch to get for it. The max loading capacity is 7500 pounds. Since i am currently studying engineering i decided to put my limited knowledge to use. What i did was get the trailer perfectly level first. Then, tilted the bed until the rear hit the ground. This made the front of the bed 41 inches from the ground. The bed of the trailer is 260 inches long. This made the 3rd leg of the triangle about 257 inches long.

What i did was this problem here to figure out roughly what size we would need.

7500+ 7500sin(41/260)=about 7520 lbs rated winch.

the angle works out to be about 9.1 degrees.

here's a very rough sketch that i did in paint with my touch pad on the laptop lol. The blob on top is the supposed winch.



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My math knowledge is only limited to pre-calc as of now, so any help is appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[Dirty-Dog]

This is a self-solving problem...
Winches fall into two basic categories. Recovery winches and junk.
Go to your favorite offroad shop and look at recovery winches. Warn and MileMarker are my personal favorites. The best bang for the buck will be a winch with a pulling capacity of 8000lb or more. Get more. The reason? Because winch pull is not static. The rated pull is acheived with the line spooled out, with a single layer of cable remaining on the spool. As the line is spooled in, your pull decreases. You could, I suppose, put on a short cable, but there may be times that you'll want/need to pull something from a bit farther away.
Remember too that winch ratings are for a flat pull. You're pulling up hill...

The rule of thumb for offroading is to start with a winch with a rated pull 1.5x the weight of your rig, and go up from there if you're doing anything hardcore. I would think that rule would serve you well.

 

[jashaw]

thanks:cool2:, i was just trying out my limited skills...