Trailer winches

So I'm continuing to set up my little trailer to carry race cars in.  The other day I loaded the Miata (in non-running condition) and using a come along it took 45 minutes and I hated the entire process.  What winch do I need to get to drag any reasonable weight car (up to 3,000 lbs but horizontal pull)?  Is $300 enough to budget for such a thing?

I'd like it to be as idiot resistant and simple to use as possible, and it seems that synthetic line is better than wire and faster line speed is better than 3 ft/min like some I saw. 

Help me spend my money guys.

I use the Harbor Freight ATV winch on the recommendation of Patrick and Michael.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/winches/zxr-2500-lb-atvutility-winch-with-wire-rope-and-wireless-remote-control-56258.html

I have the HF #3000 on mine. It has been getting the job done for 8-10 years and has never failed to pull whatever I needed up on the trailer.

I have the harbor freight 5k pound model. It has done everything i need including dragging a Volvo 240 wagon loaded with scrap onto the trailer that i realized was still in park once i was done.

I have used two different brands and both did the job. I first used  an ATV winch with a 1,500 lb rating but I doubled the line cutting the load in half. It worked fine loading my 2500 # car.

 I now have a 3K lb winch and that works just a well just a bit faster since I only need a single line.  

I've used what was probably the cheapest Harbor Freight ATV winch on the suggestion of Dr. Hess. I've pulled a bunch of dead cars up with it, but I always have a backup plan. I probably should have been doubling up to make it easier on the little winch, but I've never had an issue.

I use my vintage Superwinch , its what Harbor Freight copied  ,  they were USA made and sold by everyone including Sears in the 70s-80s  and you can find them at swap meets for $10-$20

I made a flat steel mount for it with a hole for a 2 inch tow ball , so I could use my truck bumper as the anchor !

I have also used it with the jumper battery  to pull cars around the yard , putting a chain around a tree and bolt it to the winch.

and something like this "Captain Hook"  that tow trucks use ,  great for pulling dead cars on the trailer

2500lb is usually plenty until you want to drag something on the trailer that doesn't want to roll. I have a 5k now and a big battery and cables.

We have a 5000 lb Superwinch. Overkill on a 2300lb car except on nights it comes back with no wheels.

I used to use Masterlock branded clamp-onto-the-battery winch.  It was only rated for 2000 lbs.  Hauled any number of cars onto the trailer.  The only reason I refer to it in the past tense is that I sort of lost the control for it, although I suppose I could just bridge the two pins to make it go.

When I bought the car, Stampie helped load the Morris with his hammer store ATV winch. 
 

I made sure to follow his lead when I picked it up from storage after struggling to get it off the trailer the next day. 
 

2500 lb ATV Winch with wireless remote. Made loading easy, even with a flat tire and a stuck caliper.