c4cruiser

Just picked up a SuperWinch for loading my autocross car in my enclosed trailer. I'm looking for some ideas/suggestions for mounting it.

I currently have a wheeled tool chest centered at the front wall of the trailer that I really need to keep in that position as there is no space available along the side walls or the front corners. It sits above the part of the frame where a center rail for the tongue is welded to the frame crossmember (the trailer has an extended 5' tongue) so I can't attach the winch at that location.

The deck is 3/4" plywood so I was wondering if the winch can be installed on the deck using 2 pieces of steel plate (say 1/4" ??) that would sandwich the deck and use 4-6 bolts to secure everything. The bolts would be something like 1/2" diameter and SAE Grade 8. The mounting location would be off the trailer centerline by about 14-16" because of the tool chest. The battery box would be on the other side of the chest. I have a ******-block that can be used to reduce the pull load.

Ideas??

Charley Hoyt

I purchased some steel angle from Home Depot and bolted it under the floor to one of the horizontal frames. I then thrubolted the winch to the angle

AzMotorhead

I just did a google search

eogel

My winch is mounted at the front of the trailer off to one side. I just pull the car straight in. The angle is not much. Not a problem at all.

Supercharged111

Do you guys drag cable at the back of the trailer? I did a 1/4" steel plate sandwich myself but have yet to buy a battery to power it. The stock clutch is pretty easy to deal with in my car.

eogel

"Do you guys drag cable at the back of the trailer?"

No. Both of my race cars have tow hooks mounted high enough that does not happen. One tow hook is at leading edge of hood and the other sticks out the top of car and is welded to the roll cage. Both cars are C4.

c4cruiser

I got to thinking about that too. My trailer has an inside beavertail so I would expect that the cable will drag on the deck at that change in floor angle. I'm thinking of using a V-strap that would attach at the front tie-down points and the connect to the winch cable. Unfortunately, I don't have an easy way of attaching a front tow eye or a tow strap to the front of the car. On the early C4's there are no real strong points behind the front facia, just the radiator core support.

I wonder if there would be a way to install some sort of roller that would let the cable run over it without the risk of damaging the cable? Maybe even something that could be removed so I don't trip over it when the trailer is empty?? I initially though about just bolting down a metal plate, but that would probably be worse for friction and wearing of the cable compared to the wood deck.

I figured I could drive my '87 up on the rear door to where the nose is high enough for the cable to clear the deck, set the parking brake, attach the cable and take up slack, then release the brake and pull it in.

Supercharged111

If you're pulling in a healthy car, you don't need that strong of a mounting point on the car itself. I wonder if bolting a plastic cutting board to the floor wouldn't be an easy consumable fix.

c4cruiser

Plastic sounds like a good solution especially that plastic cutting boards can withstand sharp knives. I wonder if you could use a heat gun to soften the plastic to bend it to conform to the deck?