Winch Recommendation for Car Hauler for Moving up to 5,000 lb Cars

Published 09/22/2016

Question:

I am interested in a winch for my open car hauler trailer. It is a 20foot Big Tex car hauler trailer with a diamond plate metal floor. When installing a winch on a trailer like this, is it better to center the winch plate with the center line of the trailer floor or is it better to offset the winch plate some so that the drum of the winch is centered with the center line of the trailer floor? I am considering the Bulldog Winch 10031 which is the 7800 lb rated line pull winch. I would prefer to install the winch flush with the trailer floor but in the tongue area so as not to take up the floor space of the trailer. Do you see any issue with this other than having to weld a bracket so that the winch/winch plate can be mounted properly in that location? Is there another winch that you feel may work better for me. I will typically be using it to load cars or trucks that would usually weigh less than 4000 lbs, but could weigh as much as 5000 lbs. I want a winch that is powerful enough for this but that is also compact, fits well and easy to install on my car hauler trailer. Thank you

asked by: John S

Helpful Expert Reply:

The Bulldog Winch part # BDW10031 would be a great winch for your application. You would want to center the drum with the center of your trailer so that when pulling the vehicle onto the trailer it would be pulling it straight and not to the side.

Having the winch in the very front of the trailer would not be a problem either. That's generally where most people mount winches. The cable is 47-1/2 feet long so that wouldn't be an issue at all.

expert reply by: Jameson C