The answer for the question: Can a hand winch be a better option than an electrical one? Seems to be obvious. An electrical winch allows you to tow a boat or recover a stuck 4WD vehicle almost effortlessly. However, there are a lot of different factors that need to be taken into consideration, and in some situations, an electrical winch is not the best option.   

What is a winch?

A winch is used to lift or pull objects by using mechanical force through a cable that is winded up or down. A simple manual winch has a drum attached to a crank. The wire is wounded around the drum and is operated by a crank. There are also complex electrical and hydraulic winches (or hoists) that can be quite overwhelming to be explained here in depth.  

After the electrical winch was created, it has taken the market as superior compared to the hand winch. While the operation of a electrical winch is way easier and it comes with many different features that make the job of pulling or lifting easier, there are some situations where a hand winch is more convenient than an electrical one.

Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of these two types of winches, so you can make up your own mind on which one is the best for you. 

Electricity Requirement - If you are using a hand winch, you can use it anywhere you want. The ability of not needing electricity is great to use this device as a contingency plan if you need assistance in a remote location where power is not available. 

Portability - Hand winches are generally small, therefore easy to carry around. Compared to  electric winches they are very portable. In some commercial and industrial applications, it might be necessary to use the winch in different locations to facilitate operations. When it happens a hand winch can be very handy over its electrical counterpart.

Cost-effective - It does matter which industry you are in, or even if the winch will be used in private applications, such as pulling a boat or a 4x4 out of the mud. The cost of the product is always important. Electrical winches are more expensive than manual ones. In businesses with a limited budget, choosing hand winches over electrical ones means more can be done, or purchased, with the current budget.Besides, good brands of hand winches can offer products with many useful features to make the winch almost as good as an electrical one.

Easy maintenance: Since a hand winch is a simple device, so is its maintenance. The product is made by a drum, crank and wire. So, compared to an electrical winch or hoist, it is very easy to maintain a manual winch.

Effortless Operation - It does not matter how good the hand winch is; it is a manual device, so it needs manual strength to be operated. It means someone needs to move the crank, so the load can be pulled or lifted. This is an advantage of the electrical winch, as it can move the load at the push of a button.

Capacity - Even though manual winches have a maximum rating, the truth is the maximum capacity will be determined by the person who is operating the device. Although the operator does not lift the load himself, he needs to be comfortable operating the winch. On the other hand, electrical winches are straightforward, anyone can operate at their maximum capacity.

Final Words

The best type of winch for someone will depend on the usage, budget, nature and load to be lifted. A commercial warehouse that needs to load and unload trucks all day, will definitely benefit from having an electrical hoist installed in the facility. On the other hand, a camper enthusiastic who eventually travels in his or her 4WD might get away with a manual winch, as the chances he or she will have to need the winch to pull the car in case it gets stuck is very slim.