Continuing on the road to load security, Scott Frasier, national accounts manager for Kinedyne LLC, sounded off on the topic of securing loads using winches. “When a customer is spec’ing a trailer with winches, he or she is looking at a variety of attributes to make the decision,” he said. “Winches provide a method for securing cargo on flatbed trailers, rail cars and other vehicles. There are a variety of styles in the marketplace. Spec’ing the correct style will ensure the correct winch is used for the intended application.”

So what style best fits your application? Here’s a quick rundown of the options.

• Standard, low profile, storable, three bar, portable, weld on, sliding C–Channel or Double L.
• 2-, 3- or 4-in. web straps, cable or a combination.
• E-Coated Black Finish (E-Coating is an electrocoat finish that provides a uniform paint surface), Zink or Galvanized.
• Working Load Limits typically fall between 3,335 to 5,500 lbs. depending on the style of winch.
• Warranty can be for six months to five years depending on the style of winch. Split mandrel winches have a six-month warranty and cast mandrel winches have up to a five-year warranty. Cast mandrel winches were designed to lessen the risk of a mandrel crush in the event of a load shift as well as the egging effect on the end cap caused by continual winch bar misuse.
• Winch frame thickness, 7 or 8 mm. 7 mm is lighter but may not hold up as long as an 8 mm.

For more on trailers, check out our Top Spec’ing Tips story.