Winch mounting help

Butch(OH) · Aug 3, 2015

I have a P&J tilt deck trailer like the one pictured and need to mount a winch to drag some pretty heavy machine tools, around 8,000 lbs up on it. Please, I don't need to be advised on how to move machine tools, I have skates, rollers, plates etc. I cannot figure out where to mount the which where it isn't pulling the cable over the front of the tilting portion of the trailer or in the way meaning on the front end of the tilting portion. Need creative minds to help me out, Thanks in advance!!

Indiana Ken · Aug 3, 2015

I am not a winch expert but I think a winch can operate upside..? Could you mount the winch below the tilt deck at the front, with a pulley used to bring the cable to the top of the deck. The winch cable would then pull the same regardless of the deck tilt angle. To pull a machine all the way to the front, deck could be tilted to level, the cable could be dropped through the deck and repositioned to pull around a pulley mounted at the very front of the trailer.

Build a box to protect the winch from road splash, it will be below deck and out of the weather.

davyfireball · Aug 3, 2015

Don't think that will work very well Indiana because the winch's I have seen are aluminum and if he hits a low spot in the road it will tear it off( and salt eats aluminum like crazy) Is it possible to build a hoop- U - over the front and put a pulley block on it. The hoop would have to be as high as the tilt --That way when the bed is level it would still pull straight.

Steve@Advance · Aug 3, 2015

Looks like there would be room on the front, in front of the rail, to mount a double pivot bracket that the winch would mount to. Winch would mount to the front, pivot just in front of the front rail.

Let it down and pin it for pulling straight. When it needs to pull up the ramp, pull the pins, the winch would pull it up as the cable tightened, (lock it in the up position just in case the cable slipped).

The double pivot would keep the winch in the upright position. It would need to be heavy duty though, going to add a lot of tongue weight.

Mike M · Aug 3, 2015

Get an old tow truck to pull trailer with and use boom winch ?

ObsoElitist · Aug 3, 2015

I have seen the upside down thing work on 5th wheel haulers where it wont get crushed.

On my 6 ton tilt deck I added a 4 foot foredeck that does not tilt with the main bed which often reaches a 40 degree angle. I welded half of a fairlead roller assembly to the front edge of the tilting deck, solved the problem.

Adirondack case guy · Aug 3, 2015

With that trailer having a ridgid deck forward of the tilt bed, I would say you are going to have to mount the winch in the tilt bed frame work. A winch in the front section will pull the tilt deck down flat which you don't want, unless you build a much higher mast for the winch on the front of the trailer. (a lot of heavy steel).
Loren, the Acg.

leroy in ne · Aug 3, 2015

have seen winch mounted to a ball type trailer hitch and ball on front of trailer. don't see why an extra ball couldn't be put on tilt deck either temperarily or permenant. this would allow winch to also be attached to ball hitch on truck and stored in tool box when not needed. out of sight & in locked box keeps sticky fingers away

ss55 · Aug 3, 2015

That looks like a fairly new trailer. The manufacturer or dealer might offer a winch as an option. You could copy their winch mounting and any additional bracing that they add.

Mike Van · Aug 3, 2015

I'd put it on a suitable plate on the part of the trailer that tilts, straightest pull there, out of the road salt.

JOB · Aug 4, 2015

If your winch is not too heavy a thought would be to build a receiver hitch on the front of the tilting part of the trailer deck.A smaller winch would work by adding a block with a sheave in it. Or a couple of blocks with sheaves, that could get messy though. Mount the winch on a plate welded to a receiver tube. When you need a winch pin the tube in the receiver, when it is not needed remove the winch and put it indoors and you do not have too worry about someone permanently borrowing it without permission, and it is not always in the weather.

A friend of mine used a winch like that in his receiver hitch on his truck.

Ellis Kinney · Aug 4, 2015

My suggestion would be to build a platform welded to the front of the trailer, the triangle section that goes to the hitch. I don't know if you weld or fab metal but it should be fairly easy. Ellis

showcrop · Aug 5, 2015

I would fab up a mount above the front rail, braced down to one of the cross members just behind the hitch. You could incorporate a spare tire mount and tool box into it. It would have to be just higher than the front edge of the tilt section when tilted. Everything would be up out of road spray.

NoNewParts · Aug 7, 2015

(quoted from post at 12:38:20 08/03/15) I have seen the upside down thing work on 5th wheel haulers where it wont get crushed.

On my 6 ton tilt deck I added a 4 foot foredeck that does not tilt with the main bed which often reaches a 40 degree angle. I welded half of a fairlead roller assembly to the front edge of the tilting deck, solved the problem.

What I would do too, cheap and simple.
or, where the pictured roller is, weld a 2" ID piece of tubing.
Have the winch mounted on one of those 2" receiver plates.
tilt the trailer up, slip the winch mount in, pin it, and pull.

or if you are really cheap..like me.
I have a winch in my shop attached to an old floorjack frame.
rolls around...I chain it to a post and use it to drag dead tractors in, or help me split a big one.
If I bought your trailer, I'd weld a D-ring at the tilt, drag my floorjack winch up there, attach it to the ring and pull

Winch mounting help

Butch(OH)

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Indiana Ken

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davyfireball

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Steve@Advance

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Mike M

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ObsoElitist

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Adirondack case guy

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leroy in ne

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ss55

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Mike Van

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JOB

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Ellis Kinney

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showcrop

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NoNewParts

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