How to Winch a Boat and Trailer Down a 60 Foot Hill with 35 Degree Slope

Published 04/18/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Bulldog Winch ATV Winch Mounting Plate for 2" Hitches - 2,000 to 6,000 lbs

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$101.99

Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 12V/24V - 40 Amp

(87)

$620.00

Bulldog Winch Utility Winch - Wire Rope - 2,000 lbs

(55)

$129.99

Bulldog Pulley Block for Powersports

(12)

$26.03

Bulldog Winch Heavy-Duty Tree Saver Strap - 3" x 6' - 30,000 lbs

(10)

$34.17

Bulldog Winch Rear Wiring Kit - Quick Connect to Terminal End - 2 Gauge - 20' Long

(8)

$351.99

CTEK MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Universal Battery Charger w/ Pulse Maintenance and Backup Power

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Question:

The only follow up question is about powering winches. The $160 part to connect to the car battery is pricey. Are there attachments to plug into trailer hitch light sockets or a stand alone car battery or 120 volt outlet?

asked by: Ken

Expert Reply:

We certainly have a large selection of electric trailer winches and everything else you would need to launch and retrieve your boat but I am a bit confused on how you are trying to accomplish this. Would it be possible for you to sketch a quick diagram to further explain how you will be launching/retrieving the boat. I am also confused by how you would use a trailer hitch mounted winch plate while the boat is attached. Can you please clarify this for me so I can provide a solid recommendation. I have also attached a electric winch help article for you that you may find of use as well.

expert reply by: Conner L

Ken

4/11/2018

Sorry about that. I wasn’t clear. The mini pontoon is on a trailer. However I would disconnect it and would mount a winch to the trailer receiver, connect the winch cable to the trailer with the boat on it to lower it down a 35 degree decline 60 feet into the water and then winch the trailer back up to level land. Hope that clarifies my mission.

Conner L.

4/11/2018

I have never really heard of someone wanting to winch both the boat and trailer down the incline to the loading ramp but I will certainly try my best to make sure you have everything you need to do so. For starters, I recommend using the Bulldog Winch Winch Mounting Plate part # BDW20061R2. This plate will allow you to attach a winch to the trailer hitch receiver opening on your vehicle. Then for a winch I recommend the Bulldog Winch Utility Winch part # BDW15008 which has a line pull strength of 2,000 lbs but by the time you factor in degree of incline, the pulley block, rolling load, and distance it should do the job for you. This winch also has a 50' long wire rope which will be towards the end of the scale in regards to length unless you are looking for an extremely heavy duty winch which would cost several hundred dollars. In order to power the winch you are going to need to run power wires from the winch to the vehicle's battery and for this I recommend using part # BDW20206. Then to anchor off to a tree you will need a tree strap like part # BDW20033 and pulley block like part # BDW20004.

Kenneth

4/18/2018

Conner L.

4/18/2018

If you have or can install a 12 volt auxiliary battery on the trailer to power the winch then you will not need to use an additional winch wiring kit like the Bulldog Winch Rear Wiring Kit part # BDW20206. However, you would then need a battery charger to charge the auxiliary battery like part # 331-BCDC1240D for DC to DC or part # CTEK56353 for DC to AC. There is not an adapter to connect the winch to an outlet or light socket on the trailer. Your only options to power the winch would be to either use a wiring kit or to add an auxiliary battery and battery charger.