Are you wondering which of many Reese winches would fit your purpose best? Have you been researching for this information a while and only stumbled upon this article now? No worries, better ever than ever. Whether you were looking to crank your load yourself or let a winch do it for you – continue to read this, you will find out everything you’ve been asking for and possibly more that you didn’t think you needed to know.
Reese – “For The Long Haul Adventure”
Why Is Reese Considered One Of The Best Brands?
Reese winches have made the top list for a reason. It was founded in 1952 and has become very popular amongst the heavy-duty towing industry but also developed other various high-quality pieces on the journey. Reese leads in automotive and recreational product solutions on the market.
Not Just Towpower And Winches
The company specialized in not only towing equipment but also in couplers, jacks, winches and trailer braking. Moreover, it offers a wide range of devices and gadgets such as adapters, converters and connectors all the way to floor mats, vehicle covers, bike racks, and bungee cords.
Immense Progress And Popularization Of Reese
There are certain top-line inventions you must have heard of such as the Titan®, Fifth Wheel Series, the Sidewinder® and the Goosebox® that are indeed working and descendants of this very brand. These and many other Reese works have had a major hand in the company achieving many different rewards in best hitches and travel equipment in general.
Whenever You Get Stuck, Reese Will Pull You Out
No matter if it’s your actual profession, whether you just need an occasional boost in your garage or you go camping regularly. I don’t think you ended up with this article for towing purposes but as long as you’re here, you might want to know that Reese is evaluated as a number one in towing by many and is frequently used by both professionals and people who often seem to go for their product just because it’s labeled with “Reese” without any fuss since they just trust the brand!
Two Types Of Warranties Reese Offers
Reese generally offers two warranty types which vary on the product. The first one is the so-called „Limited Lifetime Warranty“ which takes place under specific conditions such as the product being free from any defect at all, any tear and wear or improper installation. Their other warranty type is the „Year Warranty“ which basically warrants your purchase under the same conditions as the previous one. Neither of these is transferable.
Most Popular Reese Winch Models
Reese Towpower 74329 Trailer Winch
Reese Towpower 74329 Basics
The first Reese winch I want to discuss here is the Reese 74329, undoubtedly the most searched and popular Reese hand winch. This Reese winch serves a capacity of 1500 lb and comes with a 20ft strap and hook and weighs only around 3.9 pounds with dimensions of 8 x 6 x 10 inches. Its zinc-plated finish resists corrosion and the full-length drum bushing and oil-impregnated shaft bushings minimize maintenance. This piece is ensured to resist wear and last longer with high carbons steel gears. Plus, it’s really easy to hold while cranking thanks to the comfort grip handle.
Long-lasting Materials And Well-founded Construction
What most people seem to emphasize when it comes to Reese boat trailer winch are its firmness and strength. The Reese Towpower 74329 winch is more than a solid built. The locking latch is tight and holds the weight without any issues. The belt is strong and solid, making it overall a simple, nice and sturdy constructed winch. This Reese winch with a strap is generally affordable and the majority would agree that „you get what you pay for“.
Potential Drawbacks Of The 74329 Winch
The mounting plate offers 5 holes, but the winch comes with no mounting bolts. Here comes the part where you need to be really careful and make sure you remember the hole pattern is designed for 3/8″ bolts. A lot of people found themselves in a situation where they had to use a drill, even though the mounting plate allows you several options to line up your bolts. Furthermore, many ended up having to buy a larger hook or even the whole strap to replace the original one since it is just too narrow to close for most purposes. There are many DIY solutions to this, it just depends on how creative and patient you are.
- Solid
- Strong
- High capacity
- High-quality materials
- Affordable
- Slow
- Loud
- No mounting bolts included
- Relatively small hook
- Narrow hook closing
Reese Towpower Portable Electric Winch 70336
About Reese 1 Ton Portable Winch In General
The next model I want to talk about is the Reese 7033600, a 12V DC 1 ton portable electric winch which mounts to hitch ball for easy temporary use, but permanently mounts with a steel plate to trailers, trucks, etc. It weighs around 25lbs and possesses a capacity of 2000lb(or approximately 1 ton) for hauling full-sized vehicles effortlessly, which is rather impressive for a Reese portable electric winch dimensioned to 10.67 x 14.67 x 9.33 Inches. Rolling capacity goes up 6000 lb and 5000 for marine applications.
Features Of Reese Towpower 1 ton Portable Electric Winch
Like any other high-quality steel made machine, it resists heavy corrosion. It includes a 29′ galvanized steel cable and safety hook and high-carbon steel gears that ensure strength. 20′ power cord allows you to operate freely from a great distance especially using the wired remote control. It is an electric winch but has a manual hand crack and knob for manual operation as well. These aspects make it incredibly simple and easy to use.
Reese Towpower Portable Electric Winch Potential Downsides
Many would rate this Reese 1 Ton Electric Winch as half a ton actually, but this could be due to improper installation and incorrect usage. The cable seems to lack a couple of feet in some situations, especially with boats, but it’s nothing unfixable. So, if you’re looking for a Reese boat winch, you might opt for another one in the end, but I reckon this one would do the job of unloading your boat just fine. Most of the ratings for this piece are either excellent or horrible so the verdict seriously depends on the cargo you’re moving and (im)proper installation of the winch itself.
- Solid
- Portability
- Simple & easy to use
- High-quality materials
- Wired remote control
- Very slow
- Loud
- Reported short durability
- Possibly short cable
- Allegedly weak
Reese Towpower 74337 600 Pound Capacity Winch
74337 Specs And Adaptability
Another winch that’s worthy of a mention is this Reese Trailer Winch with a relatively low capacity. It technically could be classified as a trailer winch but based on general reviews, people don’t really use it for such loads. It weighs only about 4 pounds and extends itself into 5.6 x 5.6 x 6.2 inches (L x W x H) which makes it really easy to store anywhere and use whenever. Whether you keep it inside or use it outdoor, it doesn’t matter. Outdoor users report that even after a few years it still looks the same as the day they bought it.
Add-ons And High-Quality Texture
This winch includes a comfort grip handle for a positive hold while cranking, considering it requires quite physical activity to crank anything up, let alone gear close to 600 lb. Every piece that could have been made of steel was made of steel, except for the zinc-plated finish. Oil impregnation and full-length drum bushing make this winch very easy to maintain. It is a very solidly built heavy-duty machine and despite its strength, it is very easy to use release on, without worrying something will fall on your head.
Extra Information And Probable Disadvantages
What you should know before acquiring this Reese winch is that it does what it needs to do, but it does not reverse. Changing the handle and its components might be very complicated and impractical in order for it to ratchet the other way. This is a one-way ratcheting winch after all. Another drawback seems to be the fact that it is very slow and could take up to a hundred cracks for only 5-6 feet lift. The ratcheting is loud as well, as expected. Overall, what you see is what you get, and this little piece is a very fair deal for the price.
- Solid
- Versatility
- Low weight
- High-quality materials
- Affordable
- Slow
- Loud
- No reverse
- Low-capacity
- No strap included
Reese Towpower 74528 Hitch Winch without Strap
About The Hitch Winch In General
This Reese Hitch Winch extends itself into 12 x 12 x 9 (L x W x H) dimensions and weighs about 12 lb. It allows you to handle capacity up to 1800 lb and supports two-way ratcheting unlike some of its akin models. Again, a very simple little machine to use that comes in-handy whenever and wherever you need a lift of your bike or to crank a gate open. This model generally offers very little feedback online but if you look at reviews of other Reese winches, you’ll probably decide to trust this one.
Attributes And Materials Of The 74528
Just like its fellow similar models, this winch includes zinc plating which provides effective corrosion resistance and consists of shaft bushings to minimize maintenance and has steel gears to resist both wear and corrosion. Reese winches in general consist of only high-quality metals and almost metals(steel) that ensure a prolonged lifetime, especially if you follow instructions on how to take care of your winch.
Accessories To Keep An Eye On
As the product name itself says in the title, this winch does not come with a strap. It is designed with a spongy comfort grip handle for safe cranking and offers dual-speed option for different loads. You might need to acquire a clip attachment yourself if you don’t own it as it does not include it in order to start hitching things with this one. Overall, it offers a very fair price for what you get.
- Strong
- Great-capacity
- Two-way ratcheting
- High-quality materials
- Good price & quality ratio
- Slow
- Loud
- No clip attachment
- Insufficient feedback
- No strap included
Reese Towpower 74418 Winch
74418 Applications And General Information
The last model I’m going to tell you a little bit about is the 74418. It weighs about 6.5 pounds and dimensions to 6.3 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches. Its capacity allows you to lift load up to 1100 lb and unreels easily after done job. It is designed completely for better control, includes permanently lubricated bearings and it also ratchets in two directions. Even though it is generally designed as a boat trailer winch, many use it for less heavy loads on a daily basis as well.
Materials And Features Of 74418
Reese 74418 includes a comfort grip handle for a better grip and hold while on the job and self-activating automatic brakes when not in motion, you can crank while being fully safe. Lubricated bearings allow rope(or wire) to smooth unravel and reel as needed. Along with a zinc-plated finish and steel body, the heavy-duty rib reinforced frames maintain proper gear alignment for optimal operation with every use.
Parts You Might Need To Acquire Yourself And Complaints
According to former and current users of this winch, it does not come with a bolt to hold the strap in place on initial winding. Mounting hardware either. However, these are just bumped on the road for such a low cost and heavy-duty well-built winch. A switch in cranking directions can be a little difficult, but this is just up to proper installation and mounting since others say it’s a rather surprisingly easy switch.
- Stolid
- Small dimensions
- Two-way ratcheting
- High-quality materials
- Easy & safe use design
- Slow
- Loud
- No bolts included
- No mounting hardware included
- Low capacity
Reese Winch Parts And Accessories
For any replacements, especially when we’re talking about Reese Towpower portable electric winch parts, you’ll have to contact the manufacturer. Reese offers many different accessories for their winches but no solid parts included. If you’re keen to know more you should go ahead and read my post about universal winch parts and where to get them.
Reese Winches Manual And Instructions
These winches are relatively easy to maintain because of their features and good materials but you should still follow the manual instructions you get with your product. Especially during the installation, you’ll get what you build. Make sure you store it safely, considering you won’t be able to find the same manual online.
CONCLUSION: Which Winch Should You Haul Home?
If you were looking for a manual winch, you should definitely opt for the Towpower 74329 as it’s most popular and highest rated trailer winch that this brand has to offer, from great solidity to high capacity. If your necessities go a little different way, Reese Towpower Portable Electric Winch is the one for you. If you don’t need electric, 2000lb winch you should stick with the 74329 as it comes with most parts and almost unbelievable capacities.
In case these models above haven’t done it for you, maybe go ahead and check this post about the best manual winches you can get. In cases of missing parts worry you too much, you might find the right information in my article on how to get common winch parts that sometimes don’t come with winches and if you still don’t even know in which direction to turn, then head to my post about best winches that has to offer, and you’ll surely spot the right one.