Hand Winches

Gear Ratio

One person can't lift 1000kg using a hand winch without a gear ratio of at least 14:1 so that to the person using the winch it would feel like lifting 71.4kg. This is because the amount that an average man man weighs is 60-70kg and the maximum most people can lift is their own body weight.

Maximum Capacity

The winch needed for this design would have to have a maximum capacity of 1000kg or 2200lbs.

Weight

The winch needs to be a suitable weight so that it can be transported manually from the 4x4 vehicle to the disaster area.

Brakes

As the maximum load to be lifted will be 1000kg the winch needs to have a brake so that the person using the winch has time to rest and when the load is at the required height the winch can be locked.

These are the sites of suitable hand winches:

http://www.winchsystems.co.uk/sf-2200-hand-winch.php
http://www.winchsystems.co.uk/sf-5000-hand-winch.php