Winch on my trailer

RollTideRam · May 8, 2009

I have been wanting to put a receiver on my trailer so I can use my quick mount winch. I used to have a 18' car hauler and just welded some square tubing to the rail on the front of the trailer. It worked but flexed more than I liked. My current trailer has a center mounted drop leg jack and spare tire mounted in the center of the front of the trailer. I'm thinking of building a box out of square tubing to mount at the front of the trailer. I'll put a battery box in it and a receiver on top to get my winch higher up. I want to make it removable also. In my mind I can see it working, but may be wrong.
Here is where I need some help. I want to make a roller to go on the dove tail to keep from dragging my winch cable. Does anyone have an idea how to make a roller? My dove tail is a "self cleaning" design made from angle iron. I thought of making the roller to sit on two rows of the angle where it can easily be removed also. JC

George2615 · May 8, 2009

For something easy you could make the roller out of 2"x2" angle. Use two pieces each side of the roller welded to fit the angle of the dove tail. You could use a simple roller between them and just set it on the dovetail as a cable guide. When the vehicle starts to come up the tail and the cable clears the roller you remove the roller frame. For a roller you could use one of those rollers like you'd use at the end of a table saw for supporting long boards.

firedog · May 9, 2009

I'm right there with you JC.
Not just the cable either, I've had low sitting cars drag as they came across the edge from the dovetail to the deck. I was thinking of something like a rolling tailboard you see on big oilfield trucks.

Not quite sure how to mount it yet. Thinking between the outer channels, maybe a 3" pipe on some spindles that will bolt in from the outside of the channel. Hmmm. Still thinking.

ampsucker · May 9, 2009

check out marinas and boating supply websites.

there are tons of rubber rollers and other similar things designed to mount on any trailer cross member design you can think of. most are adjustable up and down. you might even find you can just just slide down out of the way when not in use.

pics of your actual setup would help... ;-)

amp

wkpoor · May 10, 2009

I'm there dude.

wkpoor · May 10, 2009

My first attempt on the winch also flexed more than I liked so I had it beefed up. It now ties into the structure below. That winch was flexing the whole front of the trailer and that is 10" C stacked twice. The roller is about 1/2" above corner.

Willl · May 10, 2009

Nice looking job wk, is the winch quick removal ?

wkpoor · May 10, 2009

Yes it is but it hasn't come off since it was first mounted. That is a receiver tube mounted vertical.

Blast Chamber · May 18, 2009

Here is what I just finished after working on it for over a year. I wanted an electric winch for my 18' flatbed trailer, but needed it to be protected from weather and theft plus be removable for use on my truck receiver hitch.

What I came up with is the following. The winch is a 12,000# Atlas with a corded hand-held controller plus a wireless remote. The box is mounted on a 2" solid steel receiver draw bar. The draw bar slides into a 2" receiver that is welded on a steel platform on the front of the trailer A-frame. This is all heavily reinforced to handle the worst possible stress while winching.

There is an Optima blue-top secured in the box to provide stand-alone power, and it can recharged from the truck batteries through a switched connection.

There are also red LED stop/tail/turn lights on the rear of the box to provide additional visibility, plus white LED backup lights that can also be turned on separately for night loading plus strobe as emergency lighting for roadside protection. These white LEDs backfeed into the truck backup lights (also LED) to provide additional lighting and strobe capabilities.

The box is quite heavy and takes two people to move it safely (hence the numerous handles). However, I use my forklift to move it when I'm alone, and it will spend the vast majority of the time living on the trailer which is parked indoors.

Here is a link to a video of the strobes in action. I hope this post is helpful and maybe inspires ideas for your trailer winch setups.

wkpoor · May 18, 2009

Blast Chamber, you were wise to install the structure for the winch. That 12K has some real power and as I found out, when the whole front of my trailer flexed, just what it takes to contain those things.