Everything Jefe4X4 wrote, I concur.
In the 20+ years of vintage car racing, I learned a lot about moving cars without the engines running. The clutches in those cars are expensive and you do everything to avoid abusing them, like driving into the race trailer or up my steep driveway (former home), to the shop I had. I installed those lighter Warn Winches in the race trailer and along the back wall of my garage. Like you, I used the winch to get the car up the driveway and did it by myself. Not sure why you need someone in the driver’s seat, but O.K. I just nudged the steering wheel, hit the controller, and then repeat.
I installed bolts in the floor, out of the way of anyone tripping over them and kept a spare battery with a short patch cable set with Anderson Connectors and the same on the winch. Pulled the battery over and connected them and put the battery charger on the battery and I was good to go. (Electric winches just don’t cut it). Disconnected the Anderson Connectors and stored the battery. You don’t need a good battery to do this, any will work, with a charger on it.
As for spooling. Remember I did this, all by myself. Easier with two. As the car is being winched in, put a chock behind the tire, reverse the cable and pullout the cable, reverse back in and reposition the cable as it goes in, the car pulls forward, leaving the chock in place. Also, I use a Crow Bar, instead of a Broomstick, for the same effect. By taking the Crowbar, setting under the cable, at an angle, then pulling it up, you will find you can adjust the cable position on the spool, very easily. Try different distances from the winch and you will find a good distance to make this work. Works with very little effort.
Sorry about your winch. As you stated yourself, you need to keep an eye on how it spools up. Many times I re-racked my cable spool by pooling it out, after winching up the driveway, put my foot on the cable, pulling up the cable, downhill side of my boot and begin winching. By varying the angle of the cable in my hand, as it is pulled under my boot, it creates enough friction to put tension on the cable going onto the spool. You can also vary the location on the cable being loaded on the spool by moving your boot. Sometimes, I would enlist my kids to be the “boot” and they had a good time being moved by the cable. It does not take a lot of tension to spool the cable.
Good luck.
b
