Mounting a winch inquiry.

[Jeepnford]

I recently acquired a new trailer and I’m working on installing a receiver for a winch. The toolbox is welded against the front rail, so that adds a level of difficulty. Putting a winch in the box would be ok, but there’s not enough room to mount the fairlead. I’m thinking about laying a piece of channel across the front and using two of the stake pockets to hold it, and also fastening it to the front rail. Another option, which would look better is to fasten some channel iron perpendicular to two of the crossmembers, drill through the deck and fasten a flat plate on top with a receiver welded to it. Pictures of rough mock-up and bottom of trailer. Thoughts or ideas?

 

[CliffordK]

How do you use your trailer?

My trailer is flat in the front and dropped down for the tongue, so I can overhang the tongue a bit which I like.

Anyway, I buried 1 1/2" ID steel tubing (2" OD) into the deck so the top of the inside of the tube was flush with the deck. Channel iron for the winch mount, and 1 1/2" OD tubing on the bottom of the channel. 1 1/2" slot of a foot of so in the decking.

Hitch pin is forward of the front of the trailer.

That means everything is close enough to flush when the winch is off the trailer, and the winch is sitting on the decking when mounted to the trailer.

I'll try to upload some photos shortly.

 

[bcp]

Maybe a vertical receiver flush in the front of the deck. Nothing to get in the way when the winch isn't mounted.

Bruce

 

[BlueKnife]

I recently acquired a new trailer and I’m working on installing a receiver for a winch. The toolbox is welded against the front rail, so that adds a level of difficulty. Putting a winch in the box would be ok, but there’s not enough room to mount the fairlead. I’m thinking about laying a piece of channel across the front and using two of the stake pockets to hold it, and also fastening it to the front rail. Another option, which would look better is to fasten some channel iron perpendicular to two of the crossmembers, drill through the deck and fasten a flat plate on top with a receiver welded to it. Pictures of rough mock-up and bottom of trailer. Thoughts or ideas?

How big is the trailer and winch? What might you be pulling with the winch? Makes a difference in how sturdy this needs to be. My first thought though is that I would use tube, not channel. Tube of roughly similar dimensions is going to be significantly stronger than channel.

Maybe a vertical receiver flush in the front of the deck. Nothing to get in the way when the winch isn't mounted.

Bruce

Might be tough getting to the hitch pin that way...... Unless he doesn't use one. Might not need one, unless the pull is uphill from the trailer for some reason.

 

[CliffordK]

For the vertical mount, my winch plus receiver is about 100 lbs. It could be a pain to pull up.
I don't think it would fall out, but one could design a twist rod that goes through the hitch to the bottom of the receiver.

 

[BlueKnife]

FWIW, if you're building a detachable winch mount, there's nothing necessarily that says it has to use a receiver tube. Obviously that's popular, but that's because receiver hitches are common. Those of us with fabricating skills are not limited by such things. We can built a lower profile, stronger mount if we so choose.

 

[5030]

All gonna depend on winch capacity but if it was me, I'd be welding it up and not bolting it on.

I read good reports on the HF 'Badlands' 12K winch. It's on sale this week too. I have their 5K winch with remote on our side by side and it always works well.

 

[Jeepnford]

It's a 24 ft. 10K trailer bumper pull. I ended up fastening to the front channel and the first crossmember, and also to the front bumper crossbeam. It will just be used if I have a dead car to load. Not likely I'll drag something that won't roll. I have a 3700 lb. Warn that easily pulled anything I loaded on my previous trailer. I missed getting the winch on sale. I probably will get a larger winch since the little warn has a fairly small drum.