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Trailer mounted winches, covered or not?

4Eyedturd

Well-known member
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Waco, TX
Wife bought me a harbor freight 12k lb winch for father’s day. I feel like I’m moving up now after only ever used come a longs for dead cars. I’ve seen winches mounted in boxes on the tongue of trailers and some out in the open. I don’t use my trailer a lot so it sits outside in the backyard. I can see pros and cons to covered vs out in the open but no real life experience. Anybody have regrets of one way or the other?
 
I would keep it covered. Preferably in a secured box.

Unless of course it is on a receiver hitch setup.
 
I’d put it inside a tongue box so you can keep the battery, remote, snatch block, etc in there with it but easily open the lid and sort out a messed up cable.
 
I welded a receiver on my trailer and made a plate for the winch. Truck is wired to power the winch right from the battery. Works great, I can use it on the trailer or in the truck hitch.

Heavy mofo to move around but works when I need it.
 
I plan to do a receiver with a HF 9k I have. I'll put a mount on my trailer(s) :laughing: and I plan to build a little stand off for my gooseneck hitch. That way I can use it with a trailer or my redneck hitch mounted cherry picker.

My buddy had one mounted on his trailer and ended up moving to his truck. He said it's handy when buying non running projects from peoples back yard. Unhook trailer, back down to where you can winch it to you, drag it up near trailer, rehook trailer, then winch it on. :usa:

The only problem is the power source. I have a small agm battery that was my 2nd battery on my sxs, I was thinking about mounting it on the receiver with the winch, then running jumper cables to whatever vehicle battery. Or will good jumper cables be enough?
 
I have 2/0 wiring running to the back with a forklift plug on the rear bumper and a high power seliniod under the hood. Like the warn kit. Just made a cable for the winch side long enough that it reaches my trailer mount.
 
I have 2/0 wiring running to the back with a forklift plug on the rear bumper and a high power seliniod under the hood. Like the warn kit. Just made a cable for the winch side long enough that it reaches my trailer mount.

I was thinking about that on the tow rig, then make a set of jumper cables that plug in for random stuff.
 
If its a electric winch yes cover it but if its mechanical or hydraulic naaa no need to.
 
They're not covered on the front end a vehicle so doesnt matter (yes I know some bumpers they're inside, but not like a toolbox). Just make it as ergonomic as possible.
 
Neither for me. I have a receiver on the trailer and a receiver mounted winch with Anderson connectors and a battery box. I can chain the receiver mount to a tree or pretty much anything which makes it a lot more versatile and I don’t have to worry about the winch being in the elements.
 
They're not covered on the front end a vehicle so doesnt matter (yes I know some bumpers they're inside, but not like a toolbox). Just make it as ergonomic as possible.

Here is the rust belt a winch can be destroyed by salt spray off the roads in less than 5 years.
 
My opinion:

ONLY way is to mount on a quick attach, such as a truck hitch. Well, 99% of the time anyway. Mount it on a 2 inch drawbar and mount a 2 inch receiver at the front of your trailer (and anywhere else a winch would be handy like rear of trailer, front of truck, rear of truck, front of garage bay attached to floor, or rigged up with chain to anything).

Pros: Gets it out of the salt/road shit/etc. Protects from theft, and makes it more versatile. You can also remove it when it's in the way of something on your trailer.

Use Anderson connectors and butcher a set of jumper cables by cutting near one set of clamps and splice back together with Anderson connectors, then you can use them to connect winch to battery with the battery sitting beside the winch (short half of jumpers) or connect to tow vehicle battery with the long half of the jumper cables.

Edit: Now that I've read the whole thread, that's Nine recommendations for a multi mount.
 
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Also on a multi mount with Anderson connectors here. Each trailer has a deep cycle marine battery and a cheap 12v solar charger. Also have a set of jumper cables with Anderson's on one end to use with the winch off trailer or to use to try and jump a dead/dying vehicle on the trailer from the trailer battery.

Duane
 
I just carry a 20ft set of jumper cables. They have always reached.

that is on a 2014 crew cab superduty short bed. With a few feet to spare.
 
They're not covered on the front end a vehicle so doesnt matter (yes I know some bumpers they're inside, but not like a toolbox). Just make it as ergonomic as possible.

Poor analogy.

You aren't riding someone's ass 24/7 with your truck. Trailer fronts go through absolute hell. Ton's of morons up here that haul their snowmobiles uncovered on trailers without shit shields, then complain that their sled's a piece of shit full of electrical gremlins.:homer:
 
Poor analogy.

You aren't riding someone's ass 24/7 with your truck. Trailer fronts go through absolute hell. Ton's of morons up here that haul their snowmobiles uncovered on trailers without shit shields, then complain that their sled's a piece of shit full of electrical gremlins.:homer:

It's a good point even where they don't salt the roads.

If not going on a mobile receiver, I'd definitely put it in a box. Every trailer should have a box on the tongue any way.
 
Poor analogy.

You aren't riding someone's ass 24/7 with your truck. Trailer fronts go through absolute hell. Ton's of morons up here that haul their snowmobiles uncovered on trailers without shit shields, then complain that their sled's a piece of shit full of electrical gremlins.:homer:

You'll have to excuse my logic, I dont live in a rust belt so I dont take into account these issues. Rock chips from gravel are the worse itll see.

I have no issues with a winch bolted to the tongue of a BP or GN.
 
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Mines in a box, its great for straps and accumulating random crap its worse then my trucks box. I have a 4awg charge wire that plugs to my truck. Also have a snatch block for the reat of the trailer for winching cars off
I would have no problem mounting it in the open though, The winches on the front of bumpers arent in boxes and alot of them probably see way worse conditions then a trailer ever will.
 
Nearly exactly what I did. Added work lights and made it so we didn’t have to use the remote, but still can if we need to.

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Put it in a box and leave it.

I never want to get into the scenario where I can say “aw, I forgot my winch.” Lol. On that same topic, if you want one on your truck, bolt it down. I never want to say “aw, my winch is still on my trailer.” The cost of decent winches have come down over the years. There really isn’t a good reason not to just buy a dedicated winch for the truck or trailer.

I used a normal trailer box. There’s a battery and the winch in the bottom under the shelf. The shelf holds four ratchet straps, a set of axle straps, two d rings and two “t” or “j” hooks for attaching frames. Then two J hook chains. Light comes on when you open the lid and there’s a switch to change the deck lights from “reverse with vehicle” or “switched on” or simply “off.”

Wouldn’t do it any other way if I was going to redo it. The winch is always there Incase I want to use a different vehicle to pull it, I don’t need to worry that the winch is somewhere else, it’s ALWAYS on the trailer ready to go no matter the scenario. Anyone can borrow it and use the winch without crazy connectors.

As far as “in the box” or “outside the box” it just seems like a no brainer to cover it. I’m sure it’ll be ok in the weather, but it’s like any piece of equipment, if you take care of it then the chances of it failing prematurely or needing excessive care is lower.
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I mounted my smitty-bilt 17.5k winch feet forward on my gooseneck trailer in a 10” wide ship channel. Seems to be pretty protected from road grim and the weather tucked under my safe tire.
 
No pics, but I mounted a 9k lb winch on a piece of 4" x 6" angle iron that's welded to the front of a utility trailer. I wish it was in a box, but I needed it mounted right then.
 
I live in NH, the salt the roads capital. I have a winch on my trailer. It's used and abused. Been 4 years, no issues works hard to this day. It's a cheapie Tractor supply winch. 240.00 out the door.

They're made to be exposed. So I did it.
 
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