Receiver style trailer winch mount

[Reb954]

I bought a new trailer last year and just got around to making a winch mount for it.

First I had to move the tongue jack from the front of the deck to the front of the tongue. The holes were predrilled in the tongue so it was just a matter of drilling and welding a new plate to the jack so I could turn it around and mount it.

Next I found some heavy 7" channel iron for the main mount. Drilled a 3/8" plate to mount on the front of the deck and welded the channel to the plate. Added a couple 5/8" x 2-1/2" flats with supports for the receiver and put a stiff leg from the cross member up to the channel. Not shown is a stiffener under the cross member I added for strength.

Here is the winch system I built a few years ago for use on a different trailer and in a pickup receiver. It is a 9,000 lb. Warn winch.

Here is the mount with a few layers of paint.

Here is the system with the winch mounted and the battery/misc. box pinned to the winch frame.

Next, when I get time, will be to mount a plug on the trailer so I have a charging point for the winch plus what ever else I might need in the future.

 

[ovrszd]

Nice build!!!

You didn't describe how you are powering the winch??

 

[aczlan]

Nice build!!!

You didn't describe how you are powering the winch??

Looks like a battery in the box above the winch.

Aaron Z

 

[ovrszd]

Oh, I must have missed that. Both pics I see with the box, it is closed. I couldn't see any wires going in/out of the box to indicate battery cables?

 

[aczlan]

Oh, I must have missed that. Both pics I see with the box, it is closed. I couldn't see any wires going in/out of the box to indicate battery cables?

Not sure, perhaps they are visible from the left side (where the cables enter the winch)?


Aaron Z

 

[Reb954]

A battery is stored in the box and is disconnected from the winch unless the winch is in use. In the pictures of the winch you can see the red plug, the battery has cables attached to it with a matching plug. The winch by itself is pretty heavy so I set it up to move the winch separate from the box which has the battery and misc. items in it.

I originally set this system up so the trailer or pickup I was putting it on didn't have to have any special wiring. It was easy to move it from vehicle to vehicle. Quite a few years ago I had a different trailer this was on. When I wanted to go hunting or just camping I would use the winch to drag my cabover camper up on the trailer, then drive my ATV crossways under the cabover part of the camper. When done with it I could use the winch to drag the camper back off the trailer so it was available for other uses.

 

[ovrszd]

Very good setup. I believe there's a way to wire it so the truck pulling the trailer can recharge the battery. But you probly already know that.

Nice work.

 

[Reb954]

Yup, I will just wire a plug, same plug as the pickup has, so I can plug into it to charge the battery or run lights if needed. I would plug in the camper in the picture into the trailer to charge the camper battery and run the camper lights. It worked out pretty good.

 

[ovrszd]

I've saw several winches solid mounted to trailers. I always thought they missed an opportunity to have versatility in the use of that winch. If you wired up a long enough power cord you could use the receiver on the rear of your truck to add more variety to it's use.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have a Warn 12,000 winch on the front of one of my trucks.

I also have a receiver tube on the front. I just unhook the trailer, turn the pu around, hook it to the front and use the winch on the front of my pu.

That way it easily works on all of my trailers, it's much easier to get the trailer in place for all of the winching and the rest of the time, it easily gets the truck out, or someone else out, if stuck.

SR

 

[WranglerX]

I have a Warn 12,000 winch on the front of one of my trucks.

I also have a receiver tube on the front. I just unhook the trailer, turn the pu around, hook it to the front and use the winch on the front of my pu.

That way it easily works on all of my trailers, it's much easier to get the trailer in place for all of the winching and the rest of the time, it easily gets the truck out, or someone else out, if stuck.

SR

Same thing with my Jeep. 10,000 winch and receiver under front bumper, use combination for recovery of dead off road vehicles onto trailer... But actually tow trailer with bigger truck... Yes the is mickey-motion disconnecting and reconnecting vehicles, but it all part of the recovery process.... And sometimes it easier to push trailer into where broken down vehicle is....

Dale

 

[Reb954]

Permanently mounted winches do have some advantages. For myself I wanted a self contained portable winch that could be moved from vehicle to vehicle without any extra wiring needed. If needed I can even haul mine out in the woods on the ATV, tie it off to a tree for winching something I can't get the pickup or trailer too.

At times I have just chained the winch to the front of a trailer that didn't have a receiver on it. The following picture shows a pickup I had to recover a few weeks ago, before the trailer was setup with a receiver. I just chained the winch to the front of the deck, winched the pickup as far forward as I could but the load didn't balance out so I moved the winch up on the tongue and pulled the pickup the rest of the way forward.

 

[ovrszd]

Friend of mine used to wheel an early 70s Blazer. Receiver front/back. Had them both wired with a connector like you have. Connectors were mounted inside the receivers and winch hitch stem. When he pinned the winch, he also made the electrical connection. Very cool idea. Limited the winch to that particular vehicle though.

 

[drivesitfar]

i'm going to install a couple hitch mounts on my workbenches so i can put different vises and grinders that are on a plate with tubing to swap them out, and am probably going to use a vise or grinder if there is power for the hitch on my Pilot, but hadn't thought of putting hitch mounts on my trailer.

how does it work with a heavy load on that winch?

 

[WranglerX]

IT's all about if winch is rated for load you are trying to pull aboard.... And Battery and/or electrical hookups (Anderson connectors) ... The receiver mount is very viable system...They make complete winch mounts for receiver "hitches"....

Dale

 

[Snobdds]

I need to do something like this to get my tow able chipper up onto my trailer for transport.

Nice job