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I am considering replacing the winch on my McX '97 trailer. Anyone know what rating is needed? 1500lbs? 3000lbs?
thanks

Mine is a 97 also. My winch kept slipping and I was going to replace it so I checked it and would you believe the winch capacity is 1200 pounds? By my calculations, that's not enough to pull the balast, let alone the boat around it. I replaced bolt that holds the locking mechanism and now it works fine. The capacity rating still scares me though.

Check out my mod under 'trailers', dated 4May05.....the model I used is clearly a knockoff of the OEM, but improved with double gear plates and better multi-position switch. Tahoe Jack

Winches are rated based on vertical pull. Depending on the angle of the ramp and the friction on the bunks which must be overcome, the winch should be able to pull quite a few times its rating onto the trailer.

That being said, the Mac winch, like all the other components on the boat, and even the trailer itself, is probably marginally rated. A system however, is only as good as its weakest component, so exercise a little restraint. If you get a winch which is rated way higher than the stock winch, there's a good chance you'll have enough pull to bend the winch post or break the bow eye.

I ended up bending my winch frame while pulling the boat out. When I looked at how it bent, it looked like it was installed backwards! The steel frame part that was towards the front of the trailer didn't have a right angle bent into it for strength but the other end where the strength wasn't needed had the right angle. If I put it on the other way the trailer ladder would interfere with the handle so I just bent it back and reinforced it with a 1/4" thick piece of aluminum.

I've found that it's always good to lubricate the bunks with dishwashing soap or silicone spray before putting the boat on the trailer. It really takes a lot of strain off of things when you winch up the boat. I also pull the boat out slowly so the ballast can gradually drain out.

I agree with Chip. I wouldn't want a winch so strong that I could damage something.

Sounds like 1200lbs in the right number.
dishwashing soap, hmmm why didn't I think of that. sounds like a great idea! might even make the mac-bump unecessary.

There is no way in hull I'd go back with a 1200 lb winch! I didn't!!!

On one very memorable pullout, I had the boat pull the winch just about completely off the mount. The bottom bolt pulled completely through the winch frame, which is just sheet metal.

So, I made a mistake and went to Harbor Freight. There, I found a winch rated at 2000lbs with a much beefier frame. The frame was at least twice as thick and had a curl along the edges. This curl is hard to describe, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it, and especially when you keep in mind how yours failed...

Anyway, I paid about $40 for this winch and was thinking I was set. Well, those cheap harbor freight models may hold 2000 lbs, but they sure can't pull anywhere near that. Because, they have a concentric crank shaft. The handle is secured to the core of the crankshaft and the gearing is part of the external tube of the crankshaft. The core and tube are mated with a single rivet, which you can just make out in the picture and which will fail at the worst time. You know, when the boat is about 3/4 on the trailer...

Boater's World, and I'm sure just about any marine supply, will charge only ~$20 more for something like this, which is what I ended up with. That $20 will be cheap peice of mind... You can even get a galvanised one for another $10...

Bottom line, buy a good winch. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but here are things I recommend looking for:

1 - 2000lb rating. Strictly speaking, you don't have to have this. But, the cost difference will be cheap peace of mind. This lets you know it is capable of handling whatever you throw at it, in terms of boat load, grade, etc.
2 - The curl along the edges of the frame, where it bolts to the winch support. You'll know this when you see it and compare it to lesser winches. This just about precludes the failure I had... This will also almost certainly be on all 2000lb winches...
3 - Make sure the crankshaft is one-piece. If you see a rivet through it, put it down, step away, and run, fast!

I did not like the stock winch and its 6 foot piece of rope. So I went shopping for a winch with a strap. I found that the Mac26X winch was backwards and otherside handled compared to the standard winches. So I looked over each winch carefully looking for the possibility to take it apart and reverse the handle and get it back together safely. My first replacement was from West marine, the conversion went "OK" but not as well as I'd have liked. It was possible the miss the detent when setting the ratchet to hold. So I added the original winch rope and a standard bow strap to keep the Mac26X on the trailer. Sometime later I was at another store BoatUS I think, they had a black winch on sale right in the front of the store. This black winch was perfect for swapping the handle over to the other side, so I bought it. And it worked great. I still always placed the extra two straps on the bow eye for trailering.
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I think the first replacement winch was 1800lb. and the black one that worked best was 1500lb.
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I almost forgot, I ended up using the handle from the original or the 1800lb. winch with the black winch because the black winch handle would hit the bow guide poles.

I replaced ours with a Fulton T1500 and strap but had to use the MacGregor handle with it to clear the bow guide rods. Didn't want to go too far over the factory rating and pull the bow eye out of the boat.

Yeah, I had to use the factory handle too...