Recommendation for a Worm Gear, Brake or Trailer Winch for a Mushroom Harvesting Trolley  

Question:

Expert Reply:

There are a few things to determine before we can make a recommendation that will work well for your Mushroom Harvesting Trolley.

First, how do you want to control the load that you are using the winch for? A trailer winch controls the load as it is being pulled in, but free spools out. A hand brake winch, like the one you referenced, controls the load coming in and when in free spool the load can be controlled by manipulating the hand brake. A brake winch, or worm gear winch controls the load at all times and does not have a free spool mode.

Next, we need to determine the load required of the winch. If you are using the winch to lift the trolley, you will need a winch rated for the total possible weight of the heaviest possible load to be lifted. A brake winch would be a good choice for this application.

If you need to move the trolley on wheels, rolling load. from a fixed point toward the winch only then a trailer winch or a hand brake winch would be a good choice and you would need a winch rated for 1/10th of the heaviest possible load to be pulled.

If you are pulling the load on an incline, the winch will have to work harder, therefore you will need a winch with a higher capacity. We have a chart in our Hand Winch article, see link, that shows how to determine the capacity winch you will need for the heaviest possible load. When winching on an incline you will most likely want a winch that will allow you to control the load both in and out like a brake winch or a Worm Gear winch.

Finally, you will need to determine if you need a single speed winch or a two speed winch, like the one you referred to. A two speed winch offers the convenience of faster line pulls when there is little weight on the trolley and a lower gear when the trolley is loaded for easier cranking. A single speed winch is a more economical option, but you are limited to the same gear ratio at all times. All worm gear winches are single speed winches.

The Dutton-Lainson Hand Winch, item # DL14730, is a two speed winch with a hand brake and has a 2000 pound capacity. You may also be interested in the Dutton-Lainson Brake Winch, item # DL15721, which will control the load at all times. Or a worm gear winch like the Dutton-Lainson Worm Gear Hand Winch, item # DL1970, which will control the load both in and out and has the capability of being used with a loop drive, item # DL304399, for faster operation.

One other aspect to consider is if the winch will be mounted overhead. If the winch needs to be mounted overhead for lifting purposes, a worm gear winch would be the correct choice.

expert reply by: Robert G

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