Guy at the hardware store told me to use a harbor freight winch to hoist my milling machine into the bed of my tacoma

So I was at the Pasadena Home Depot last Saturday grabbing some grade 8 bolts for a welding cart build. Older dude in a stained Carhartt sees me loading up and just walks over. He goes 'you gonna lift that mill with 550 cord and a prayer?' I laughed. But then he dead serious pulls out his phone and shows me a photo of a Bridgeport hanging from two Harbor Freight 1500lb winches bolted to his garage ceiling. Said he's been doing it for 4 years and no issues. Meanwhile I spent 3 hours building a gantry out of unistrut and 4x4s. Has anyone else actually trusted those little winches with something heavy? I keep thinking about that photo.

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.robert2d ago

A 1500 pound winch on a Bridgeport? That thing weighs damn near 2000 pounds empty. Did he have the motor and head off and just not mention it? Even then I'd be sweating bullets standing under that. What happens if that little brake lets go while you're walking around underneath it?

wyattmitchell2d ago

@walker.robert I gotta push back a little here. That 1500 pound winch rating is for vertical lifting, not horizontal dragging. You'd be surprised how much a good come-along or a properly mounted winch can handle when you're not fighting gravity the whole way. Plus, most of those older Bridgeports have the ram and head as the heavy parts. If he stripped the head, motor, and maybe even the table, you're looking at a lot less than 2000 pounds. Still sketchy with a tiny brake though, I'd want a safety strap or block under it too.