Gliders are often launched using a winch mounted on a trailer or heavy vehicle. These winches have been modified for use by skiers and snowboarders in cities. The winch may be mounted on the trailer hitch of a vehicle, set into the ground by stakes, or tied to a tree. When the winch is engaged, it pulls the boarder usually between 15 to 25 miles per hour (24 to 40 km/h). The person being towed walks (or swims) away from the winch and pulls out all of the rope. The winch consists of an engine, spool, rope, handle, frame, and some sort of simple transmission. Wakeskate winching is a growing hobby for many watersports enthusiasts. They are used on small sailing boats and dinghies to control sheets and other lines, and in larger applications to supplement and relieve tension on the primary winch mechanisms. They also allow controlled release of the tension by the operator using the friction of the line around the ratcheted spool.
The line is wrapped around the spool and can be tightened and reeled in by pulling the tail line, the winch takes the load once the pull is stopped with little operator tension needed to hold it. This is a vertical spool with a ratchet mechanism similar to a conventional winch, but with no crank handle or other form of drive.
Brand names include Tirfor ™ and Griphoist ™. Powered by moving a handle back and forth, they allow one person to move objects several tons in weight. Lever winches are winches that use self-gripping jaws instead of spools to move rope or wire through the winch. This new generation of winches is designed to pull riders swiftly across a body of water or snow, simulating a riding experience that is normally supplied by a boat, wave runner, or snow mobile. wakeboarding, wakeskating, snowboarding, etc.). Winches have recently been fabricated specifically for water and snow sports (e.g. They are often embedded in the stage floor and used to move large set pieces on and off.
Winches are frequently used as elements of backstage mechanics to move scenery in large theatrical productions. These are known as "self-tailing" winches. Some winches have a "stripper" or cleat to maintain tension. When trimming a line on a sailboat, the crew member turns the winch handle with one hand, while tailing (pulling on the loose tail end) with the other to maintain tension on the turns.