Sensor selection for two small winch

Hi,

Newbie here to electronics so struggling quite a bit and more confusion from yt videos and AI responses.

I have two small independent winches 3000 lb rated that are mounted inside and on the front of the trailer, one on the right side and one on the left. The ropes go up and via pulleys lift and drop bedframe on the rear of the trailer using a single rocker switch. The only issue  - The travel between winch lift points are not synchronous, one side moves much faster than the other and I was suggested by AIs to use encoders.

Well, multiple issues, I'm mechanically very good but challenged when it comes to electronic engineering. So first, where would I attach the encoder? On the rear of the motor coil? Second, How do I know which encoder to select and then there's suggested use of coupling.

My first step is to figure out what electronic component that I need to use. I read on ATO site this morning something to do with linear weight scale sensor or something like that. I just need a no complex solution.

Any help is much appreciated.

Best,
FzAll

fz wrote:Hi fz, I'm sorry for the late reply.
This winch is not a precision instrument; its movement accuracy can even be described as crude. The winch's speed (or the distance the rope moves) depends on the force applied on that side and the rope stacking position (given the different winch positions you mentioned). However, we don't recommend using an encoder, as this is used for precision equipment and will actually limit your performance.
I'm not entirely sure how the bed frame you described works at the rear of the vehicle, but if a single winch can move the bed frame and your bed frame allows for single-point force application, we recommend using only one winch. This will eliminate the issue of two winches being out of sync. When your bed frame reaches the desired position, use a pre-set rope (chain) to secure it.
If your bed frame doesn't allow for single-point force application, we recommend moving the winch to the center position, with the winch rope hook directly connected to the center of the bed frame. This ensures an even force is applied to the shafts on both sides of the bed frame. When lowering the bed frame, the pre-set rope (chain) or mechanical stop should be positioned ahead of the winch rope, allowing for easy removal of the winch rope hook. When you put away the bed frame, just hang the hook again and retract the winch rope.

Thank you taking time to respond. I prefer two winches, one for the right side and second for the left side of the frame. After a lot of homework on this i decided to use  a master rocker switch and another local switch to level off the 2nd winch that moves faster than the other by incorporating two spdt relays and diodes.