jkg2101

I am new to trailering - just bought a used 8045 trailex open trailer. i would like to get their manual winch - i hear it is not bad to load the car this way. i plan to get a 'bridle' that mounts to the front frame slots, and perhaps use a block of wood under the front to keep this bridle from hitting the front air dam/lip of my C6 Z06, as I have read others have done on this forum.

I think the winch will work better if it is mounted down very low on the trailer, but their manual winch has to mount on this "perch" so it is above the floor of the trailer

has anyone used a manual winch on a trailex with a C6 or C7 corvette? is it going to work without destroying the front air dam?

On a separate note, it looks like the trailer I bought has the axles slid a bit toward the back of the trailer, to accommodate a rear engined car (original owner must have been a porsche guy - having the axles further back helps them get better tongue weight). For me to have a good tongue weight, i need the Z06 to be pretty far back on the trailer. it is not hanging off the back but the back of the car is pretty much at the back of the trailer. the rear tires are not too close to the edge fortunately. i dont want to put the work in now to move the axles a foot forward, and I dont think I need to put the car backwards on the trailer. i do have a good tongue weight now (450 lbs roughly). Anyone have any thoughts?

justin

jkg2101

Here are some pics

jkg2101

it's hard to tell from my horrible camera shots, but i would like to have the car sit about a foot farther forward, but maybe it is not that big of a deal. the more i think about it, i can't think of any problem with having the car where it is, given that the tongue weight is fine.

by the way, dont back your car off the trailer if your wife has disconnected the tow vehicle up front and driven away with it. ask me how I know. i'll give you a hint - it is something about the trailer going front end up in the air

tw78911sc

Is that the cheap version of a Texas rollback trailer?

Bill Dearborn

I used a Harbor Freight Badlands 5000 lb hitch (plenty to winch a car on a trailer) powered by a lawn tractor battery that I purchased at Auto Zone. Some cable and a plastic battery box and it was on the trailer. Worked like a champ. No turning a winch handle unless the battery dies.

Bill

Dan H.

I also have a trailex 8045 which I bought new about 5 years ago. I ordered it with the winch platform, but with no winch. TRailex wanted like 800 dollars more for a 3700# winch. I purchased a superwinch off amazon for 200 ish and installed it myself. Not a bad way to go looking back on it, I can't imagine hand winching a car on, you'd probably drive it on unless you have a mechanical issue. With a winch, I winch the car on every time and hope that I'm preserving some clutch life by doing it. I have a C5 so I'm not sure how the C6 guys put a tow loop on, sorry cant help there.

450# on the tongue sounds light to me. My tongue scale recommends 10%-15% if i remember right. Trailer is a 1000# and guessing your car is 3300-3500. You may consider moving the tire stops forward some to get more weight on the tongue.

jkg2101

If the weight of the trailer plus car is about 4300 lbs then isn’t 450 lbs tongue weight perfect?

for those with winches, Do u mount winch down low or elevated on a platform?

Mick14

Lower the better. Less chance of front spoiler damage.

fatbillybob

I use an electric winch with wireless remote. Wirless remote makes your life easier. If the trailer and winch are car specific then mount the winch to pull in line and at the level from where you are pulling the car from. This helps the winch cable from getting uglier for longer so the line winds onto the winch better. Roller fairleads help but look around at any paddock with winches and the ropes are always jacked up looking. I power the winch from car batteries no longer good enough to be used in my car. You don't need much cranking amps for a winch. 12V to 12.3V is like on 50% battery capacity while your car needs the 12.5V full charge for all the new electronics. In 4 years when my car battery is no good it goes to the winch position and I buy a new battery for the truck.

RX7 KLR

Shouldn't be that hard to move the axle, they are typically setup for that.