Drill-Powered Portable Winch

Hand-cranked winches and electric powered winches are used regularly to pull heavy, bulky items, such as a vehicle, felled timber, a piece of equipment, etc. A Drill-Powered Portable Winch can be mounted in place of a hand crank winch for workers with arm impairments. The benefit of the Drill-Powered Portable Winch is it does not need to be cranked by hand nor does it need a heavy battery for power source. It is portable and simple to use anywhere a cordless drill is available. The McMaster winch is hand cranked but can be drill-powered by removing the crank handle and inserting the drill’s chuck over the shaft. The Warn winch is designed to receive the drill’s chuck when inserted with no adapting necessary. For both types, pulling capacity is 750 pounds, cable line is about 40 feet, and line type can be synthetic rope or steel wire.

Cost: $150-$300

Impairment Category: Back, Strength/endurance, Upper extremity