Giantz 4WD Electric Car Winch 4500LBS/2041KG

A fallen limb across a station track, or a front wheel dropped into a washout, is the point where a shovel stops being any help. A 12 V winch on the bar gets the vehicle out under its own power, with no second car to wait for and no tow rope stretched between two nervous drivers.

2 hp behind a 136:1 reduction

Giantz drives this one with a 2 hp (1.5 kW) permanent-magnet motor through a three-stage planetary gearbox at a 136:1 ratio. A shallower reduction than some winches of the same rated pull, it trades a little torque for line speed, so the cable comes in faster once the vehicle starts to move and a long recovery takes less time under load. Braking happens automatically inside the drum, which means the load is held by the drum rather than the motor and nothing runs back when the switch is released. The clutch is a sliding ring gear type for freespooling cable out by hand.

Steel cable and the fairlead that feeds it

Fifteen metres of 5.5 mm high tensile steel cable spools onto a 74 mm drum through an aluminium fairlead. Steel is the sensible choice where the cable gets dragged over rock and buried in mud repeatedly, because rope abrades badly in that environment. Mounting holes sit on a 124 x 76 mm pattern, the standard spacing for quad and light 4WD winch cradles, and the whole unit measures 35 x 12 x 12 cm at 10.35 kg. Lead lengths are 305 cm for the remote, 1.6 m for the battery wire and 1.1 m for the motor wire.

About the pulley hook

A pulley hook comes in the kit. Rigged as a snatch block it redirects a pull around an anchor point, and it can be used to reeve the cable double. Giantz, however, publishes exactly one rating: 4500 lbs (2041 kgs) single line pulling capacity, with no double-line figure anywhere in its data. Treat the single-line number as the working limit for the winch regardless of how the cable is rigged, and size recovery points, shackles and straps to match it. The housing is described by the supplier as waterproof and corrosion-resistant, though no ingress rating or test standard backs that up.

Key features

• Single line pulling capacity 4500 lbs (2041 kgs): Giantz's stated figure; no double-line rating is published.
• 2 hp (1.5 kW) motor: permanent magnet, running on 12 V DC.
• 136:1 three-stage planetary gearbox: a shallower reduction that favours line speed.
• Automatic load-holding brake: acts inside the drum, so the cable does not run back.
• 15 m x 5.5 mm steel cable: abrasion resistance where rope would not last a season.
• Wired and wireless remotes: both supplied, plus a sliding ring gear freespool clutch.

Specifications

• Voltage: DC 12 V
• Single line pulling capacity: 4500 lbs (2041 kgs)
• Winch motor: 2 hp (1.5 kW) permanent magnet
• Gear train: 3 stage planetary
• Gear ratio: 136:1
• Clutch: sliding ring gear
• Braking action: automatic in the drum
• Fairlead: aluminium
• Steel cable length: 15 m
• Steel cable diameter: 5.5 mm
• Drum length: 74 mm
• Mounting hole: 124 x 76 mm
• Remote control cable: 305 cm
• Battery wire: 1.6 m
• Motor wire: 1.1 m
• Dimensions: 35 x 12 x 12 cm
• Weight: 10.35 kg

What's in the box

• 1 x Giantz 4500 lbs electric winch
• 1 x steel wire rope
• 1 x fairlead roller
• 1 x clevis hook
• 1 x pulley hook
• 1 x wireless remote control
• 1 x wired remote control
• 2 x battery wire
• 2 x motor wire
• 1 x accessory pack
• 1 x user manual

Before you rig a recovery

• 4500 lbs (2041 kgs) is the single line figure. Giantz publishes no double-line rating, so the pulley hook must not be treated as a way of doubling capacity.
• The supplier calls the housing waterproof and corrosion-resistant but names no IP rating. No compliance standard, certification or test rating is stated for this winch.
• A recovery winch is not a hoist. Never lift or suspend a load over anyone with it.
• Keep everyone clear of the cable while it is loaded, and lay a dampener over the line.
• The pack contents list a fairlead roller while the specification list gives the fairlead as aluminium. The two entries describe the same part in different terms.

Suits 4WDs, utes and trailers with a cradle on the 124 x 76 mm pattern. Check your bar or cradle is rated to carry the pull before fitting.