Electric Winch Guide
Using the Electric Winch on the Car Hauler and Tilt Deckover
The 20′ car & equipment hauler and the 24′ full-tilt deckover in our fleet each come equipped with an electric winch mounted at the front. It’s there for one job: loading vehicles or equipment that can’t move under their own power onto the trailer. Used correctly, it’s safe and easy. Used carelessly, a winch line under load is one of the most dangerous tools you’ll touch.
1. Before you start
- Park the trailer on the flattest ground you can find.
- Chock the trailer wheels. Front and back. Don’t skip this.
- Confirm the trailer is hitched to your truck and the truck is in park with the parking brake set. The truck engine should be running — winching draws significant current and a running engine keeps the battery topped up.
- Turn the winch on. The power switch is inside the battery box on the trailer tongue. The winch does nothing until that switch is on — and turn it back off when you’re done.
- Wear gloves. Steel cable develops “burrs” that will rip your hands. Synthetic line is gentler but still abrasive.
- Clear bystanders. Nobody stands within a 10-foot radius of the winch line, and absolutely nobody stands in line with the winch cable (front or back).
2. Connecting to the vehicle
- Switch the winch to freespool (clutch lever on the winch body — disengages the drum so you can pull cable out by hand).
- Pull the cable out to the vehicle. Keep tension on it as you walk so it doesn’t bird-nest on the drum.
- Connect to a rated tow point on the vehicle — a frame loop, a tow hook, or a recessed tow ring.
- Never connect to a bumper, a suspension component, a tie-down loop rated for transport only, or a trailer hitch ball (the most common fatal-injury misuse).
- Use a D-shackle or tow strap with a loop to connect — don’t hook the winch hook directly to a small hole if the hook can pop out under load.
- Re-engage the clutch so the drum is locked.
3. Winching in
- Plug in the wired controller or pair the wireless remote — every winch in our fleet works with both.
- Press IN in short bursts to take up slack and align the cable with the drum.
- Stay out of the cable’s plane. Imagine a line drawn from the winch to the vehicle, extended in both directions — don’t stand on that line. If the cable snaps, it whips along that line with enough force to kill.
- Drape a heavy blanket, jacket, or commercial winch line damper over the middle of the cable. This dampens whip if the cable fails.
- Press IN steadily. The vehicle should track up the ramps and onto the trailer deck. If it veers, stop and reposition.
- If the winch slows or stops under load — release the button, let the motor cool, and try again. Don’t hold the button against a stalled winch; you’ll burn the motor.
- Continue winching until the vehicle is fully on the trailer and positioned correctly per the 60/40 rule.
4. Securing after winching
The winch line is NOT a substitute for tie-downs. Once the vehicle is in position:
- Set the vehicle’s parking brake (and put it in gear if it’s a manual).
- Strap the vehicle down with four-point tie-downs to the trailer’s D-rings.
- Then release tension on the winch line and disconnect.
The winch holds the vehicle while you load. Tie-downs hold it for the drive.
5. Spooling the cable back
- With the vehicle now strapped down, switch the winch back to freespool and pull the slack cable back to the winch.
- Re-engage the clutch and use the IN button to wind the rest in tightly.
- A cable spooled loosely will bird-nest the first time it gets a load on it.
Related guides
How loading fits the bigger picture
Loading and Unloading
Strapping the vehicle down
Packing & Securing Your Load
Emergency response
Emergency Guide
Need to haul a vehicle that won’t start?
Our 20′ car hauler and 24′ tilt deckover both come with an electric winch.