Winch on trailer deck. Yea or nae?

[Jeepnford]

I have a winch on my trailer with a receiver mount. It's great until you have to install the winch on the trailer. It's gained weight in the last twenty-five years. I have a tongue box which I want to keep using for tie downs. I'm thinking about putting a narrow box on the front of the trailer deck to put the winch in, so more permanent. The obvious problem with that is losing a foot or so of deck length. Has anyone mounted a winch that way and regretted it? My trailer is 24 ft. long.

 

[ericm979]

Diamond C has a really nice flip up winch mount. Maybe you can borrow the design.

 

[John_Mc]

No room to move your tongue box forward a bit so you can mount your winch just in front of the bed?

If not, is there a way to mount your winch so that it is easily removable in case you need the full deck (ideally with no tools required)?

I've seen two custom installations. I wish I had pictures of them. One had the winch permanently mounted below the deck with a pulley redirecting the cable up above at the front of the bed. The other had the winch mounted below the deck in a box that could flip up, putting the winch above the deck when needed. I'd be a bit worried about either of these two options if it made the winch hang down too low under the deck: too much chance of damaging it if you found yourself on rough or uneven terrain (even backing out of some driveways might be a problem.)

EDIT: Eric posted while I was typing. I'm betting that Diamond C was the one I saw that flipped up.

 

[Jeepnford]

No room to move your tongue box forward a bit so you can mount your winch just in front of the bed?

The tongue box was "built in" I guess you would call it. Its angles formed and then welded to the trailer tongue and front rail and they kind of hold it all together. If needed I could cut it loose and move it a little but that's a last resort.

 

[Topzide]

What about putting in the box with roller fairlead attached to the box with cable feed thru. Then fit a foam plug to fill hole. This way, the winch is kept out of the elements. Just a thought that I'm thinking of doing with mine.

 

[Jeepnford]

What about putting in the box with roller fairlead attached to the box with cable feed thru. Then fit a foam plug to fill hole. This way, the winch is kept out of the elements. Just a thought that I'm thinking of doing with mine.

I want to put winch in a box but am trying to keep the existing box for straps, etc. I would also like to leave everything needed on the trailer in place of keeping it in shop and having to gather it all up when needed. While typing this I thought a recessed strap box might be an idea, then put winch in tongue box.

 

[Renze]

I wanted a winch on my equipment trailer for winching up cars. Untill i bought a car with a bad engine, for body parts. It turned out to be a thrown rod and it couldnt make it up the ramps. I threw out two ratchet straps and pulled over the trailer with the car after uncoupling. That worked so nice that i never bothered about a winch again. In 8 years i did this trick 2 times now, so i dont really need a winch often.

 

[5030]

Mounted a 12K Harbor Freight Badland winch on the front of my goose neck and I use it all the time. Have 3 Group 31 batteries mounted in the tray under the goose neck and I charge them with the harness that power's the trailer lights. The winch batteries also power the breakaway brake system.

 

[Jaybr]

My car trailer has a flat winch plate just in front of the main deck with a basket underneath. I didn't want to mount a winch permanently because the trailer stayed at a friends with more space, so I made a hitch receiver and mounted that to the winch plate. I use a Harbor Freight 12k Badlands mounted in a receiver mount and drop the battery in the basket below.

 

[Jeepnford]

My car trailer has a flat winch plate just in front of the main deck with a basket underneath. I didn't want to mount a winch permanently because the trailer stayed at a friends with more space, so I made a hitch receiver and mounted that to the winch plate. I use a Harbor Freight 12k Badlands mounted in a receiver mount and drop the battery in the basket below.

Mine is on a receiver hitch now. The older I get, the heavier it gets. Where I am, the risk of theft is relatively low, I might just leave it as-is and put a cover on it since it has synthetic rope.