I'll be picking up a winch tomorrow, and was just curious how to bring the battery power back to the trailer to power the winch...any ideas? Maybe I'll browse tractor supply tomorrow for ideas too....

or maybe mounting a battery on the trailer, and running back alternator juice coupled via a male/female regular style trailer plug...think that'll work? it just popped into my head as I was typing this post....

I think most people just mount a battery in a tool box on the trailer and keep it freshly charged to use every time. It sure would have been useful this last time as I loaded my sisters dead car on the trailer. Good luck. Bryan.

maybe there is some way to use the power for the tail lights and brakes?

7 pin RV plugs -- ( Standard on newer fords and other trucks)

Have a pin for battery charging .... so a travel trailer battery can charge going down the road...

Its the #4 pin

http://www.marksrv.com/wiring.htm

Yup - All new Fords, Chevy's and I *think* Dodge's come with the 7 pin RV style connector, which is wired for a charging lead form the factory. Put a battery on the trailer somewhere (close to the winch), wire up the charging wire, and you are set :)

have a solar panel on top of the tool box hooked up to battery.. since you dont use it that often.. it works great.. the panal is only $25... i just cant remember where i got it from.. i have the info at home.. so ill post it when im off of work.. and done drinkin

Being the odd man out, I'm going to run two cables from my second battery to one of those big grey disconnects at the bumper for mine. I may use a battery on the trailer someday, but for now...I got a good deal on 2/0 cable...

Bryan

Originally posted by Oxjockey
Being the odd man out, I'm going to run two cables from my second battery to one of those big grey disconnects at the bumper for mine. I may use a battery on the trailer someday, but for now...I got a good deal on 2/0 cable...

Bryan

That was my first thought. It is just a "removeable" winch. Hook it up just like a Warn Miltimount would be.

Originally posted by motorhead72k5


That was my first thought. It is just a "removeable" winch. Hook it up just like a Warn Miltimount would be.


$1/ft on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2345945644&category=3188).

But, noone can borrow your trailer and use it. It's probably cheaper to run the wire, if you get it cheap.

Bryan

Well...I guess you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but....
I picked up the winch today, and come to find out it's a Superwinch model ATV-1500....which is as the model states, for atv's rated at 1500 lbs. Even with 2 snatch blocks, I'd only get 4500 lbs out of it....I'm not sure it's worth it now....

Ain't worth much on a trailer. You wouldn't have enough line to snatch it twice and get something up on the deck.



As far as power, mount a battery on the tongue of the trailer. Quickest, easiest, simplest.

Why not just use the winch on the rig?

Originally posted by Robert C Anderson
Why not just use the winch on the rig?
1. read through the posts...it's self explanatory
(it's an atv winch...didn't know that when I was picking it up)

2. already have a winch on the rig...

Originally posted by Dubu

1. read through the posts...it's self explanatory
(it's an atv winch...didn't know that when I was picking it up)

2. already have a winch on the rig...

His point was just use the rig's winch to winch up on trailer if need be

I'm going low-tech and getting a come along :)

Originally posted by Joe_W


His point was just use the rig's winch to winch up on trailer if need be

I'm going low-tech and getting a come along :)
oh, yeah, I miss read it.....well, I was thinking of going low tech when this opportunity for a free winch came along.....it just wasn't what I thought it would be....it was kind of a friend of a friend deal with a lot of miscommunication....so now I'll be going low tech too....

So why not use a trailer ball type winch? They're less than $80.00 and all you need is a long lead with some alligator clamps on a long 12 ga. stranded wire leads to hook to your truck battery. I mounted a trailer ball to the front of my trailer and store my cheapo winch and wiring in a #40 plastic box mounted to my trailer tongue. This way, anybody who borrows my trailer can have use of the winch if they need it. I have yet to find a car or truck I can't load as long as the tires have air in them. My winch says it'll handle a 2500lb rolling load. The motor is small and sometimes I have to snatch block the load, but I use a tie down strap to make up for the short cable and just make two pulls. It's not a big problem.
That little winch has saved me a lot of work. Many times I've used a combination of straps and that winch to move my junker rigs in the yard to mow under them.
I also have a ball mount on the back of my trailer if I need a longer reach. Or when I load a rig up on the smaller trailer I sometimes pull behind the big trailer.

Besides. If it gets stolen or broken, your not out so much and it has so many other uses. I've used it moved my motorhome back and forth in the driveway many times as I changed out the engine and tranny.
It goes slow enough I can toss a brick under the tires to stop the MH. and I just strap the winch to either a tree in front of it to pull it forward , or to the bumper of my pickup to pull it backward. My neighbors get a kick out of seeing the things I come up with to get big jobs done while working alone.
The small solar charger mounted on top of the box is a great idea.
If I ever add a battery to my tounge box then that's how I'll keep it topped off.


Besides, if you need more winch to load your rig on your trailer then use it's winch and make it pull it's own ass up on the trailer.

Enough of the diatribe,
Just my .02cents

SSSRodeo

that atv winch should work fine as long as the load aka vechile is rolling.