Start with the fact the search results skip: WARN does not sell a car-trailer winch. There is no trailer model in its current range and no car-trailer sizing guide on warn.com. What WARN sells that genuinely works on a car trailer is its utility DC line — the 2000 DC and 4000 DC — because a car on ramps is a rolling load: grade and rolling resistance, a fraction of the car’s weight, not the dead pull of a stuck truck. This guide matches that utility line to real rolling loads, fences the two portable tools that only fit the lightest end of the job, and says plainly where the shelf ends.
The full sizing arithmetic lives in our car trailer sizing guide; cross-shopping brands instead of staying with WARN? The non-WARN utility pool is ranked in our electric car trailer guide.
How we researched this guide
We audited all 8 products in WARN’s utility store on warn.com (October 2026) and compared the 6 that can touch trailer work: the 2000 DC, 4000 DC, the legacy 5000 DC, both PullzAll tools and the Drill Winch. Every rating, gear ratio and amp figure below comes from WARN’s own DC utility spec sheet or its PullzAll sell and spec sheets, matched to exact part numbers — never from a retailer listing.
Owner evidence comes from 3 forum threads — CorvetteForum, RacingJunk and IH8MUD — plus one marketplace owner aggregate that is labelled as such wherever it is used. We do not test winches. Where WARN’s own sheets disagree with each other — they do, twice — both versions are printed in this guide, not averaged.
The 30-second answer
WARN sells no car-trailer winch, so buy from its utility shelf. The WARN 4000 DC is the one-WARN answer for most car trailers: its 4,000 lb first-layer rating covers every realistic rolling-load cell in this guide, and its mechanical brake holds the car on the ramps. Cars up to about 3,500 lb take the smaller, gentler WARN 2000 DC. The PullzAll cordless and PullzAll corded are fenced helpers for light cars only. Every model here carries a 1-year limited warranty — not the lifetime terms of WARN’s vehicle winches.
Best WARN for Car Trailers
WARN 4000 DC (94000)
The only current WARN that covers every rolling-load cell in this guide — and its mechanical brake holds the car on the ramps while you reposition. Best if you load 4,500–5,500 lb vehicles, steep ramps, or simply want margin.
Best for Light Cars
WARN 2000 DC (92000)
WARN’s own spec sheet targets trailer loading with this one. Best if your car is under about 3,500 lb — and its 80 A full-load draw is three times gentler on a tongue battery.
Best Portable — No Power Feed
WARN PullzAll Cordless (885005 kit)
A 1,000 lb battery tool for where no 12V feed or socket exists. Best if you load a light car occasionally, on gentle ramps, close-coupled — its 15 ft of rope is the hard limit.
Best for Garage Trailers
WARN PullzAll Corded (885000)
The same 1,000 lb tool on 120V AC, so the pull runs as long as the power does. Best if your trailer lives in a garage or beside a generator and the car is light.
| Winch | Rated pull (first layer) | Rope | IP rating | Warranty | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WARN 4000 DC (94000) | 4,000 lb | 7/32 in × 43 ft steel | Not published | 1-year limited | |
| WARN 2000 DC (92000) | 2,000 lb | 3/16 in × 35 ft steel | Not published | 1-year limited | |
| WARN PullzAll Cordless (885005 kit) | 1,000 lb | 7/32 in × 15 ft steel | Not published | 1-year limited | |
| WARN PullzAll Corded (885000) | 1,000 lb | 7/32 in × 15 ft steel | Not published | 1-year limited |
How we ranked: rolling-load coverage against WARN’s own layer tables first, then the load-holding brake, then power practicality. Ratings are first-layer line pulls from WARN’s published sheets — editorial judgement, not test results.
The pulls your trailer actually asks for
A trailer winch never lifts the car’s weight; it overcomes grade resistance plus rolling resistance. Dutton-Lainson’s published rolling-load factors — level ≈10% of the car’s weight, 20% grade ≈29%, 30% ≈38%, 50% ≈54% — applied to typical cars give the pulls below. WARN’s own Guide to Winching chart is gentler (grade resistance only, no friction allowance); we plan with the conservative set and never merge the two. The GVW × 1.5 rule is recovery sizing and does not apply to a car that rolls.
| Car weight | Level (10%) | 20% grade (29%) | 30% grade (38%) | 50% grade (54%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 lb (compact / classic) | 300 lb | 870 lb | 1,140 lb | 1,620 lb |
| 3,500 lb (mid-size car) | 350 lb | 1,015 lb | 1,330 lb | 1,890 lb |
| 4,000 lb (car / small SUV) | 400 lb | 1,160 lb | 1,520 lb | 2,160 lb |
| 4,500 lb (SUV / light truck) | 450 lb | 1,305 lb | 1,710 lb | 2,430 lb |
| 5,000 lb (truck / large SUV) | 500 lb | 1,450 lb | 1,900 lb | 2,700 lb |
| 5,500 lb (heavy truck) | 550 lb | 1,595 lb | 2,090 lb | 2,970 lb |
Read the table the way the drum sees it: the climb happens with the rope mostly out, on the strong early layers, and the pull falls toward the level column as the car reaches the deck — which is why first-layer ratings are the honest basis for every verdict in this guide. A winch only has to beat the cell where your car meets your ramps, with margin. The same logic runs our dump trailer winch guide, where the load also rolls rather than hangs.
How to choose a winch for loading a car trailer
Rolling load vs rated pull
Size against the worst cell your car and ramps produce — from the table above — not against the car’s full weight or a headline rating. WARN’s utility ratings are first-layer line pulls: the pull available with the rope mostly out, exactly the layer a ramp climb starts on. A rating that beats your worst cell with margin is honestly sized; anything bigger is amp draw you did not need. Full arithmetic: our car trailer sizing guide.
Duty cycle and cooling on long deck pulls
WARN publishes one word for the DC line’s duty cycle: “Intermittent.” No minutes, no percentage. Plan pauses on long pulls rather than one continuous drag. A pause is only safe if the brake holds the load while the motor cools: the 4000 DC’s mechanical brake does; on the 2000 DC and the PullzAll pair, chock a wheel first.
Power source: vehicle battery, tool battery, drill or mains
Both DC winches ship with 6 ft of power lead, so the power decision is really a mounting decision: a tongue battery box, or a tow-vehicle feed on quick disconnects. Draw matters as much as capacity — at full load the 2000 DC pulls 80 A against the 4000 DC’s 240 A, the difference between a small tongue battery coping and fading (see our winch battery drain guide). The PullzAll pair leave the vehicle out entirely: a 24V tool battery, or 120V AC where the trailer lives.
Mounting on the tongue or deck
A utility winch mounts three ways: bolted to the tongue or deck on its maker’s hole pattern (3-hole on the 4000 DC, 2 holes on 3.1 in centres on the 2000 DC), on a portable plate chained to the tongue, or on a receiver cradle. Whatever the mount, the pull must line up with the car’s path up the ramps; an off-centre winch drags the car sideways. Our winch mounting guide covers plate, cradle and alignment in full.
Cable length vs deck length
Reach is the silent disqualifier. Deck plus ramps demand roughly 21–25 ft of line, so the DC pair’s 43 ft and 35 ft ropes are comfortable; the PullzAll pair’s 15 ft cannot span a standard car trailer. Measure your own geometry first: winch position, down the ramps, to the tow point. Over 15 ft, the portables are out.
Weather exposure on an open trailer
WARN publishes no IP rating for the utility DC line, so treat these winches as fair-weather electrics: an open trailer lives in rain, road spray and dust, and a steel rope holds moisture against the drum. A winch that lives outdoors wants a cover between jobs and a rope inspection before each load.
WARN trailer winches by budget and job
No prices are printed on this site — they move too often to quote honestly — so the tiers below are jobs, not dollars. Every tier is a WARN from this guide.
| Tier | What you get | Example pick |
|---|---|---|
| Light cars, occasional loading | A 2,000 lb mounted winch that covers every sub-3,500 lb car at every ramp grade, and sips current doing it | WARN 2000 DC (92000) |
| One winch for any car you own | 4,000 lb with a mechanical brake — the whole rolling-load table covered, mid-ramp pauses included | WARN 4000 DC (94000) |
| No power at the trailer | A battery tool that loads a light car with no vehicle feed and no socket, within its 15 ft reach | WARN PullzAll Cordless (885005 kit) |
| Garage trailer, shore power | Unlimited run time on 120V AC for light cars, at the cost of the tether | WARN PullzAll Corded (885000) |
Types of WARN trailer loading tools
| Type | How it pulls | Pros | Cons | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12V DC utility winch (2000 DC, 4000 DC) | Permanent-magnet motor on vehicle or tongue battery; rated as a first-layer line pull | Mounted and always ready; real brakes; ropes long enough for any deck | Needs a battery setup within 6 ft of lead; 1-year warranty | Regular loading of cars that roll |
| Cordless portable (PullzAll cordless) | 24V tool battery, 1,000 lb lift/pull rating | Works anywhere; load limiter warns before an over-pull | 15 ft rope; battery endurance; no clutch | Occasional light-car loading with no power on site |
| Corded portable (PullzAll corded) | 120V AC, 1,000 lb lift/pull rating | No battery to fade; rated to lift as well as pull | Needs mains or a generator; same 15 ft rope limit | Garage-kept trailers and shop use |
| Drill-driven portable (Drill Winch) | Your cordless drill turns a 750 lb winch | Cheapest way into powered pulling; 40 ft of line | 750 lb clears almost no car cell in the table | Motorcycles, ATVs, mowers and equipment — not cars |
Detailed reviews: the WARN utility line, pick by pick
Four picks get full reviews below, in ranked order. Two more WARNs — the Drill Winch and the legacy 5000 DC — get honest prose verdicts after them, because what they are matters to a trailer buyer even though neither is a pick.
Best WARN for Car Trailers: WARN 4000 DC (94000)
Best Overall — the one-WARN answer for most car trailers
Why the WARN 4000 DC is our pick
The current ceiling of WARN’s trailer-intended range, and the only current WARN whose numbers cover the whole rolling-load table — including the worst realistic cell, a 5,500 lb truck on a 50% grade at 2,970 lb, beaten into its middle drum layers. What earns the top spot is the brake pairing: dynamic and mechanical braking, so the car stays where it stopped on the ramps.
WARN 4000 DC key specs
- Part number: 94000
- Rated pull: 4,000 lb single-line (first layer)
- Motor: 1.9 hp permanent magnet, 12V DC
- Gearing: 176:1, 3-stage planetary
- Line speed / draw at full load: 6.9 ft/min / 240 A
- Rope: steel, 43 ft of 7/32 in
- Fairlead: roller
- Brake: dynamic + mechanical
- Remote / leads: 12 ft corded; 2 × 6 ft, 6-gauge
- Mounting / weight: 3-hole pattern; ≈36 lb
- Warranty: 1-year limited
Pull by drum layer (WARN sheet): 4,000 / 3,410 / 3,170 / 2,950 / 2,500 / 2,150 lb. Current draw: 6.7 A unloaded, 24.1 A at 500 lb, 44.7 A at 1,000 lb, 180 A at 2,000 lb, 210 A at 3,000 lb, 240 A at full load. Full sheet: WARN DC utility spec sheet.
WARN 4000 DC: fits and best for
Best for cars, SUVs and trucks from about 4,000 lb to the 5,500 lb top of the table, on any realistic ramp — tilt-beds, open haulers, short steep ramps. The pick for enclosed trailers (the owner pattern below is exactly that), for solo loaders who need the car to stay put mid-ramp, and for buyers who want the sizing question ended. Mount on the tongue or deck head, within 6 ft of its battery.
WARN 4000 DC pros and watch-outs
Pros
- Covers every rolling-load cell, with margin
- Mechanical brake holds the car mid-ramp during pauses
- Strong on middle layers (3,170 lb on layer 3)
- 43 ft of rope spans any deck geometry
- Strongest trailer-intended WARN still sold new
Watch-outs
- 240 A at full load — needs a real battery setup
- 1-year warranty, not WARN’s lifetime vehicle terms
- Duty cycle published only as “Intermittent”
- ≈36 lb — a committed mount, not a carry-around tool
WARN 4000 DC: what owners report
Drag racers run 4,000 lb WARN winches inside enclosed trailers as their loader — winching the car in and out at the track is exactly this winch’s duty (RacingJunk thread).
One caution, labelled as a marketplace owner aggregate, not a forum record: a 4000 DC owner reports a clutch-pin failure during car loading and trouble sourcing the part. Printed because this model’s forum record is thin — sentiment only, not a pattern.
WARN 4000 DC: who should not buy
Skip it if the cars you load do not roll — flat tyres, seized brakes, crash damage make it recovery work, and that is vehicle-class territory: start at our car trailer winch guide. Light-car owners on a tongue battery should also weigh the 2000 DC’s third of the amp draw first.
WARN 4000 DC: pair it with
A snatch block makes this the dead-car escalation rig — a doubled line for the day a car will not roll, rigged per our snatch block guide. The matched accessory is the WARN Epic snatch block (92188):
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Tip: Use the mechanical brake as a work tool: winch halfway up the ramps, stop, and check strap and ramp alignment with the load held — then finish the pull. Our mounting guide shows the centred pull line to aim for.
Best for Light Cars: WARN 2000 DC (92000)
Best for Light Cars — WARN’s own sheet targets trailer loading
Why the WARN 2000 DC is our pick
WARN’s own spec sheet positions the 2000 DC at trailers and hitch mounts, and its copy names loading a vehicle onto a trailer as a core use — the closest thing to a maker-endorsed trailer pick in the range. The arithmetic backs it for light cars, and its 80 A full-load draw makes it the kindest pick to a tongue battery.
WARN 2000 DC key specs
- Part number: 92000
- Rated pull: 2,000 lb single-line (first layer)
- Motor: 1.6 hp permanent magnet, 12V DC
- Gearing: 153:1, split-ring (differential planetary)
- Line speed / draw at full load: 4.2 ft/min / 80 A
- Rope: steel, 35 ft of 3/16 in
- Fairlead: hawse
- Brake: self-braking transmission (gear train holds the load)
- Clutch / remote: pull-and-turn freespool; 12 ft corded
- Leads / mounting / weight: 2 × 6 ft, 8-gauge; 2 holes, 3.1 in centres; 18 lb
- Warranty: 1-year limited
Pull by drum layer (WARN sheet): 2,000 / 1,504 / 1,348 / 1,222 / 1,117 lb. Current draw: 6.7 A unloaded, 44.7 A at 1,000 lb, 72 A at 1,500 lb, 80 A at full load. Naming note: syndicated WARN copy calls this brake “dynamic braking”, one dealer feed “self-locking gear train” — three labels for the same gear-train braking; we print the sheet’s term. Full sheet: WARN DC utility spec sheet.
WARN 2000 DC: fits and best for
Best for cars up to about 3,500 lb at every ramp grade (worst cell 1,890 lb), and a 4,000 lb car through a 30% grade (1,520 lb). At 50% with a 4,000 lb car (2,160 lb) it is past its rating — that buyer steps up to the 4000 DC. It suits tongue-battery setups that cannot feed 240 A, hitch-mount and portable-plate users (see our receiver hitch winch mount guide), and rental-trailer loaders who carry the winch with them.
WARN 2000 DC pros and watch-outs
Pros
- Covers every light-car cell in the rolling-load table
- Only 80 A at full load — a third of the 4000 DC’s draw
- WARN’s own sheet targets trailer and hitch-mount use
- 18 lb — genuinely portable between plate, tongue and cradle
- 35 ft of rope clears the reach rule easily
Watch-outs
- A 4,000 lb car on steep ramps (2,160 lb) is past it
- No mechanical brake — chock before repositioning
- 4.2 ft/min at full load makes long pulls slow
- 1-year warranty, as with the whole utility line
WARN 2000 DC: what owners report
A classic-Corvette owner in Texas asked WARN directly which winch suited loading his car onto a U-Haul car trailer — WARN steered him to the 2000 DC (CorvetteForum thread).
He runs it on a portable plate chained to the tongue, so the kit works on rental trailers, and reports easy one-person loading.
Because the stock leads are only 6 ft, he built a roughly 24 ft 4-gauge extension with quick disconnects off the tow vehicle’s battery — the DIY version of the WARN Quick Connect setup below — and notes the 35 ft cable leaves room to double the line.
WARN 2000 DC: who should not buy
Not for 4,500 lb-plus vehicles, steep ramps with a 4,000 lb car, or anyone who pauses mid-ramp expecting a mechanical brake to hold the car — that is the 4000 DC above. If the car may not roll at all, neither DC winch is the tool; the escalation path is in our car trailer winch guide.
WARN 2000 DC: pair it with
A fixed mounting plate turns the portable-plate trick into a permanent tongue mount. WARN’s winch mounting plate (11078) is the maker’s own plate:
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Tip: On a tongue battery, this winch’s 80 A ceiling is the feature: roughly triple the loads per charge versus the 4000 DC. Battery chemistry and sizing for that box are in our winch battery guide.
Best Portable — No Power Feed: WARN PullzAll Cordless (885005 kit)
Best Portable — for light cars where no 12V feed or socket exists
Why the WARN PullzAll Cordless is our pick
It is the no-power-anywhere option: a 1,000 lb lift/pull tool on a 24V battery, with a variable-speed trigger and an electronic load limiter that warns before an over-pull. Fenced honestly, it earns its place for one job — occasional loading of a light car where neither a vehicle feed nor a socket exists, used close-coupled.
WARN PullzAll Cordless key specs
- Part number: 885005 kit (two-battery kit — see the caveat below)
- Rating: 1,000 lb lifting / pulling
- Power: 24V DC — two NiMH packs + rapid charger in this kit
- Rope: steel, 15 ft of 7/32 in
- Controls: variable-speed trigger, forward / reverse
- Load protection: electronic load limiter with LED indicator
- Brake: dynamic
- Clutch: none
- Weight: 18 lb
- Warranty: 1-year limited
Kit caveat, printed beside the button on purpose: warn.com now lists the cordless PullzAll as PN 885030 with one battery; the listing below is the 885005 two-pack kit. Same tool and rating — check which kit ships. Maker sheet: WARN PullzAll pages.
WARN PullzAll Cordless: fits and best for
Best for a roughly 3,000 lb car on gentle ramps — 870 lb at a 20% grade is inside the rating; 1,140 lb at 30% is past it — and only close-coupled, because 15 ft of rope cannot span a standard deck plus ramps (roughly 21–25 ft of reach). Realistic roles: a light car loaded occasionally at a storage yard or field, or a helper tool beside a mounted winch — not the mounted answer for a working hauler.
WARN PullzAll Cordless pros and watch-outs
Pros
- Works where no vehicle feed or shore power exists
- Load limiter warns before you over-pull
- Two packs in the 885005 kit cover a full load cycle
- 18 lb carry-anywhere tool — no mount to install
Watch-outs
- 1,000 lb ceiling — light cars, gentle ramps only
- 15 ft rope fails the deck-plus-ramps reach rule
- No clutch — owners notice it when rigging
- Battery endurance ends the job if both packs fade
WARN PullzAll Cordless: what owners report
Marketplace owner aggregate (labelled as such; sentiment only): cordless PullzAll owners report pulling disabled cars — including a small SUV — onto trailers with the tool, describe it as slow but strong, and advise carrying the second battery for a full load.
Dedicated owner coverage of this tool is thinner than for the DC winches; our full treatment is the WARN PullzAll review.
WARN PullzAll Cordless: who should not buy
Not for standard car-hauler decks — the 15 ft rope rules it out before the rating does — and not for cars over about 3,000 lb or ramps past a gentle grade. If you load weekly, a mounted 2000 DC ends the compromises.
WARN PullzAll Cordless: pair it with
The second battery pack is the pairing that matters — the 885005 kit includes two; if your seller ships the one-pack 885030, a spare pack (buy it against the tool’s own battery spec) is the difference between finishing a load and pushing. Our PullzAll review covers pack care.
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Tip: Rig it close: position the trailer so the tool works near the deck head and the rope stays near its strong, fully-spooled layers — with 15 ft of line, geometry is the whole game.
Best for Garage Trailers: WARN PullzAll Corded (885000)
Best for Garage Trailers — 120V AC, for light cars beside a socket or generator
Why the WARN PullzAll Corded is our pick
It trades the battery for a wall socket: 120V AC, the same 1,000 lb lift/pull rating and the same 15 ft of rope as its cordless sibling. For a trailer that lives in a garage or beside a generator, the pull runs as long as the power does — the only pick here with no battery to fade mid-load.
WARN PullzAll Corded key specs
- Part number: 885000
- Rating: 1,000 lb lifting / pulling
- Power: 120V AC (1,200 W)
- Rope: steel, 15 ft of 7/32 in
- Controls: variable-speed trigger, forward / reverse
- Load protection: electronic load limiter with LED indicator
- Brake: dynamic
- Clutch: none
- Weight: 15 lb
- Warranty: 1-year limited
Its rating basis differs from the DC pair: the PullzAll is rated to hoist as well as pull, a credential neither DC winch carries — mostly irrelevant to trailer loading, but it is why the tool also earns its keep around the shop. The distinction is spelled out in our winch vs hoist guide. Maker sheet: WARN PullzAll pages.
WARN PullzAll Corded: fits and best for
Best for garage-kept trailers, workshop loading bays and generator-equipped haulers moving light cars (about 3,000 lb, gentle ramps, close-coupled — the same pull and reach fences as the cordless). WARN’s fixed AC utility winches (1000 AC, 1500 AC) live in this world too, but their home is the workshop wall, not a trailer tongue.
WARN PullzAll Corded pros and watch-outs
Pros
- No battery to fade mid-load — runs while the power does
- Lightest tool in this guide at 15 lb
- Rated to lift as well as pull — handy around the shop
- Load limiter warns before you over-pull
Watch-outs
- Needs 120V AC at the trailer — a socket or a generator
- Same 1,000 lb ceiling as the cordless
- Same 15 ft rope limit as the cordless
- A helper tool, not a mounted trailer winch
WARN PullzAll Corded: what owners report
Owner coverage specific to the corded tool is thin — the forum and marketplace record clusters around the cordless version above, and we will not borrow its reports for this model. Our full treatment of the family is the WARN PullzAll review, and the 120V pattern shows up in the RacingJunk thread in Sources: a racer loading a 3,200 lb car weighed a 120V winch on a generator before choosing.
WARN PullzAll Corded: who should not buy
Not for trailers that load away from buildings — no socket, no pull. And not for cars past the light class or decks the 15 ft rope cannot span; a mounted DC winch is the honest answer there.
WARN PullzAll Corded: pair it with
A generator or a proper shore-power lead is the pairing — the tool draws 1,200 W, so size the supply to the tool, not the other way round. Running winches on AC power, including the DC-on-AC question, is covered in our 12V winch on AC power guide.
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Tip: Keep the AC lead out of the ramp path: a cable a rolling car can cross is a cable that gets cut, pinched or tripped over mid-load. Route it along the trailer rail and tape it down before the pull starts.
The Drill Winch: an honest no for cars
WARN’s Drill Winch (PN 101570) is a clever tool — 750 lb of single-line pull from a standard cordless drill (not included), 40 ft of 5/32 in steel line (a synthetic-rope variant, PN 101575, exists), a free-spool clutch, integrated hawse fairlead, rigging hooks front and rear, dynamic braking, 1-year warranty — and it is a 50% capacity increase over the original 500 lb model (PN 910500, now history). WARN’s own blog pitches it at loading trailers. Run its number against the table, though: a 3,000 lb car needs 870 lb at just a 20% grade, already past its 750 lb rating, and it clears nothing in the table beyond the level column. What it is for: motorcycles, ATVs, mowers and equipment — loads in the hundreds of pounds, where it belongs in our portable winch guide conversation, not this one. For cars it gets no pick framing and no button here, because the arithmetic says no.
The 5000 DC: the strongest trailer WARN, gone from WARN’s store
WARN once built a trailer-first flagship: the 5000 DC (PN 99963 CE / 99964 US) — 5,000 lb, 1/4 in × 60 ft rope, dynamic + mechanical brake, hawse fairlead, 12 ft remote, 2 × 6 ft 6-gauge leads, 4-hole mounting, about 42 lb, 216:1 gearing, 1-year warranty — and dealer channels still describe it as a trailer winch; one Canadian dealer page literally files it as “Trailer Winch”, and WARN’s own release copy pitched it for loading trailers. Its predecessor, the trailer-badged 4700 DC (PN 94700), is confirmed discontinued. As of October 2026 the 5000 DC no longer appears in WARN’s own utility store, though dealer stock remains — never announced as discontinued, and never framed here as a current pick. On the numbers it covers the entire rolling-load table with margin at every layer: the strongest trailer-intended WARN ever sold.
Why it carries no button: WARN publishes two different performance tables for this model. The DC spec sheet gives drum layers of 5,000 / 4,280 / 3,750 / 3,341 / 3,020 lb and a no-load speed of 13.8 fpm at 40 A; the sell sheet gives 5,000 / 3,980 / 3,450 / 3,041 lb and 10 fpm at 50 A. Its motor is printed as 1.9 hp in most dealer data and 1.47 hp on the sell sheet. We print the conflict rather than a settled table — and no buy button goes on an unverified sheet. If you find dealer stock, buy it against the conservative (sell-sheet) figures.
Spec comparison
The four picks side by side, from WARN’s own sheets. Where WARN does not publish a figure, the cell says so — nothing is estimated.
| Spec | WARN 4000 DC | WARN 2000 DC | PullzAll Cordless | PullzAll Corded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rated pull | 4,000 lb | 2,000 lb | 1,000 lb | 1,000 lb |
| Rating basis | First-layer line pull | First-layer line pull | Lift / pull tool rating | Lift / pull tool rating |
| Power | 12V DC | 12V DC | 24V DC battery | 120V AC (1,200 W) |
| Motor | 1.9 hp permanent magnet | 1.6 hp permanent magnet | Not published | Not published |
| Gear ratio | 176:1 | 153:1 | Not published | Not published |
| Rope | 7/32 in × 43 ft steel | 3/16 in × 35 ft steel | 7/32 in × 15 ft steel | 7/32 in × 15 ft steel |
| Fairlead | Roller | Hawse | Not published | Not published |
| Brake | Dynamic + mechanical | Self-braking transmission | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Full-load draw | 240 A | 80 A | Not published | Not published |
| Duty cycle | Intermittent | Intermittent | Not published | Not published |
| Weight | ≈36 lb | 18 lb | 18 lb | 15 lb |
| Warranty | 1-year limited | 1-year limited | 1-year limited | 1-year limited |
| Check Price |
Installation & wiring basics
Mounting a utility winch on a trailer is a half-hour job with three decisions. First, position: tongue or deck head, centred on the car’s path up the ramps, bolted on the maker’s pattern (3-hole on the 4000 DC; 2 holes on 3.1 in centres on the 2000 DC) or clamped to a portable plate or receiver cradle if the winch must travel between trailers. Second, the pull line: the rope should leave the drum level and meet the car’s tow point without dragging on the deck edge — our winch mounting guide works through plates, cradles and alignment. Third, wiring: the winch lives within 6 ft of its battery because that is the lead WARN ships, and it gets its own fused, heavy-gauge circuit — never the trailer plug. Connection order, fuse placement and disconnects are in our truck battery wiring guide and the general hookup sequence in our winch hookup guide. Keep the tow vehicle’s engine running during the pull whenever the feed comes from it.
Power on a trailer: the 6 ft problem
Both DC winches arrive with just 6 ft of power lead — they are built to sit next to a battery. On a trailer, that means one of three maker-supported setups:
- Tongue battery box. A dedicated 12V battery at the tongue, charged between uses — the setup behind the RacingJunk racer whose winch battery loaded and unloaded four cars across two days before fading. Deep-cycle chemistry suits repeated winch discharge; sizing and runtime are in our winch battery guide and winch battery runtime guide.
- Tow-vehicle feed on quick disconnects. WARN sells this exact kit: Quick Connect plugs (PN 22681) and rear-mount power cables — 20 ft (PN 32963, with a Power Interrupt Kit and dust cover) and 24 ft (PN 32966) — sold for rear mounting of portable winches, so the winch plugs in at the back of the tow vehicle and unplugs when the trailer comes off.
- Shore power, where the trailer lives indoors. The corded PullzAll above, and WARN’s fixed 1000 AC (PN 80010) and 1500 AC (PN 85330) utility winches, run off a wall socket or generator — context only; their home is the workshop wall.
One hard rule: the trailer plug is not a winch feed. WARN’s tables put full-load draw at 80 A (2000 DC) and 240 A (4000 DC) — no light or auxiliary trailer circuit is built for winch current. The full draw reference is our amp draw guide. And note the buying factor inside those numbers: the smaller winch is three times gentler on a tongue battery.
Safety essentials
Six rules for loading a car by winch
- Never stand in line with a loaded cable, and never downhill of a car on ramps — if the line or a strap lets go, the car and the cable travel that way.
- Chock a wheel before repositioning anything mid-load. Only a mechanical brake (4000 DC) holds a car on ramps by itself; gear-train and dynamic brakes are not parking brakes.
- One person on the remote, one clear set of signals. Everyone else stands clear of the ramps and the deck until the car is parked and chocked.
- Keep hands off the fairlead and drum under load; wear gloves, and lay a damper over the line on long pulls.
- Inspect the steel rope before every load: broken wires, kinks or rust-stiff sections mean the rope is retired, not nursed.
- Take up slack slowly and watch the first feet of the pull — most loading incidents are rigging slips in the first movement, not failures at full load.
Three rigging accessories that earn their place on a car trailer — a snatch block for the doubled-line escalation, a strap for soft anchor points, and rated shackles for tow points:
Rigging
WARN Epic Snatch Block (92188)
Doubles the line for the day a car will not roll — rigged as a doubled pull, never as a way to upsize an undersized winch.
Rigging
GearAmerica Tree Saver Strap
A wide, low-stretch strap for anchoring to a frame or tongue without chewing paint or edges the way chain does.
Rigging
AMBULL D-Ring Shackles
Rated shackles for the car’s factory tow points — the connection the whole pull hangs on.
The full kit logic is in our essential winching accessories guide, with the shackle and strap choices detailed in our D-ring shackle guide and tree saver strap guide; complete kits are compared in our winch recovery kit guide.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Winch slows and runs hot on a long deck pull | Continuous running past the “Intermittent” duty the DC line is published with | Pause mid-pull and let the motor cool — the 4000 DC’s mechanical brake holds the car; on the others, chock a wheel first |
| Car creeps back when you release the remote | Dynamic or gear-train braking only (2000 DC, PullzAll pair) on a grade | Chock before repositioning; for regular steep-ramp work, the mechanical-brake 4000 DC is the fix |
| Cable piles up on one side of the drum | Pulling at an angle, or spooling with no load on the line | Centre the winch on the car’s path and keep tension while respooling — see our even spooling guide |
| Tongue battery fades after a few loads | Undersized or tired battery against an 80–240 A draw | Deep-cycle battery sized for winch duty, charged between uses; check the runtime maths in the power section above |
| PullzAll load limiter trips early | The pull at your ramp grade exceeds the tool’s 1,000 lb rating | Lengthen the ramps to cut the grade, or move the job to a DC winch — never defeat the limiter |
| Winch clicks but will not pull | Low voltage at the motor: long or thin leads, tired battery, engine off | Shorten and thicken the run, charge the battery, keep the engine running — diagnosis in our winch solenoid troubleshooting guide |
Keep whichever WARN you choose on the schedule in our winch maintenance checklist — trailer winches live outdoors and die of neglect, not of work.
Who should NOT buy these
Anyone loading dead or damaged cars. Everything here assumes a car that rolls — aired tyres, free driveline, brakes off. A flat-tyred, brake-seized or crash-damaged car stops being a rolling load and its resistance climbs toward recovery territory. First escalation is a snatch block doubling the line (our snatch block guide); past that, the utility line ends and vehicle-class winches begin — hauler owners run them on receiver cradles that come off the trailer and store indoors (IH8MUD thread). Those winches are ranked in our car trailer winch guide.
Anyone regularly loading 4,500 lb-plus vehicles on steep ramps who wants margin at every layer. The 4000 DC covers the table, but it works into its middle layers to do it. A vehicle-class winch covers the same job without thinking — the car trailer winch guide is the honest destination.
Anyone whose deck-plus-ramps geometry exceeds a short reach. The PullzAll pair’s 15 ft of rope cannot span a standard car trailer, and no accessory fixes rope length. Measure first; if the number beats 15 ft, your choice is between the two DC winches only.
Anyone buying on warranty length. Every model in this guide — DC winches, the PullzAll pair, the Drill Winch and the legacy 5000 DC — carries a 1-year limited warranty, while WARN’s vehicle winches carry lifetime mechanical terms. If warranty drives the purchase, weigh it before the button, not after it.
Anyone with no power at all, or cross-shopping brands. If even a tool battery is too much infrastructure, a hand winch is the honest tool — see our hand winch for car trailer guide. And if the WARN badge is not the point, the Dutton-Lainson / Champion / Superwinch utility pool is ranked in our electric car trailer guide.
Final verdict
- Best WARN for Car Trailers — WARN 4000 DC (94000) — Check its price
- Best for Light Cars — WARN 2000 DC (92000) — Check its price
- Best Portable — No Power Feed — WARN PullzAll Cordless (885005 kit) — Check its price
- Best for Garage Trailers — WARN PullzAll Corded (885000) — Check its price
And the boundary, one more time: the day the car will not roll, none of these is the answer — that job belongs to the vehicle-class winches in our car trailer winch guide.
WARN trailer winch FAQ
Does WARN make a winch for car trailers?
No dedicated model. WARN’s current range has no trailer winch and warn.com publishes no car-trailer sizing guide; the trailer answer in its catalogue is the utility DC line — the 2000 DC and 4000 DC — matched to rolling loads. The trailer-badged 4700 DC is discontinued, and the 5000 DC has left WARN’s own store, though dealer stock remains.
What size WARN winch do I need for a 4,000 lb car?
Size by rolling pull, not car weight: a 4,000 lb car asks for about 1,160 lb on a 20% grade and 1,520 lb at 30%. The 2000 DC covers it through a 30% grade on its early drum layers; for steep ramps (2,160 lb at 50%), margin, or mid-ramp pauses on a mechanical brake, the 4000 DC is the pick.
Can a PullzAll load a car onto a trailer?
Only just, and only sometimes: its 1,000 lb rating covers a roughly 3,000 lb car on gentle ramps, and its 15 ft of rope cannot span a standard deck plus ramps (about 21–25 ft of reach). Treat either PullzAll as a close-coupled helper for light cars — not a mounted hauler winch, and not a substitute for the DC pair on a working trailer.
How do I power a winch mounted on a trailer?
Both WARN DC winches ship with 6 ft leads, so choose: a tongue-mounted battery box, a tow-vehicle feed using WARN’s Quick Connect cables (20 ft PN 32963 or 24 ft PN 32966 with PN 22681 plugs), or shore power for the AC tools. Never run a winch from the trailer plug — full-load draw is 80–240 A.
What if the car will not roll?
Then it is no longer a rolling load and the utility numbers stop applying. First escalation is a snatch block to double the pull; beyond that, a vehicle-class winch — our car trailer winch guide ranks them. Everything here assumes aired tyres, a free driveline and brakes off.
Is the WARN 5000 DC still worth buying from a dealer?
On capability, yes — it covers the whole rolling-load table with margin at every layer, the strongest trailer-intended WARN ever sold. The cautions: WARN publishes two conflicting performance tables for it, it carries the same 1-year utility warranty, and WARN no longer lists it in its own store. Buy against the conservative figures.
How long will a tongue battery run these winches?
It depends on draw: the 2000 DC tops out at 80 A, the 4000 DC at 240 A, so the smaller winch roughly triples the loads per charge. The owner precedent here is a dedicated winch battery loading and unloading four cars across two days before fading. Charge a tongue battery between uses.
Does the one-battery 885030 kit change the PullzAll cordless pick?
The tool and its 1,000 lb rating are the same; only the kit contents differ. warn.com now lists the cordless PullzAll as PN 885030 with one battery, while the Amazon listing here is the 885005 two-pack kit. Owners advise carrying the second pack for a full load — check which kit your seller ships.
What warranty do WARN utility winches carry?
One year, limited — every model in this guide: the DC pair, both PullzAll tools, the Drill Winch and the legacy 5000 DC. That surprises WARN buyers because the vehicle winches carry lifetime mechanical terms, but the utility shelf has never shared them.
Sources & changelog
- WARN Industries — utility winch store listings, DC utility spec sheet (2000/4000/5000 DC specifications and performance tables), PullzAll sell and spec sheets, Quick Connect cable data, and the Guide to Winching “Estimating Load” chart: warn.com (accessed 2026-10-12).
- Dutton-Lainson — rolling-load selection factors: dutton-lainson.com.
- Owner reports (paraphrased): CorvetteForum — 2000 DC on a U-Haul trailer; RacingJunk — WARN winches in enclosed and tilt trailers; IH8MUD — cradle-mounted vehicle winches on haulers.
- Dealer attribute corroboration for part-number ties (Amazon listings for PNs 94000, 92000, 885005, 885000, 101570; HH Truck Accessories; Toys For Trucks; Grainger Canada; Quadratec; PartsEngine), per this post’s research file.
- Changelog — October 12, 2026: guide first published.
By Leo, Founder, WinchInsider
Leo researches winches the way this guide was built: manufacturer spec sheets first, owner reports second, marketing last — and no “we tested it” claims, ever. More about the site and its method: About WinchInsider.
Related guides
- Best winch for a car trailer — the vehicle-class and multi-brand guide
- Best electric winch for a car trailer — the non-WARN utility pool
- What size winch for a car trailer — the full sizing arithmetic
- Best electric winch for a trailer — general trailer picks
- Best trailer winch for the money
- Best 12V winch for a utility trailer