Hey Guys and Gals! Yesterday, I bought a brand new (literally 2021) 22' hydraulic tilt, deck over equipment trailer and will be using it to tow customers vehicle and campers. My plan is you mount a 12,000 pound winch on the front and was considering some fabrication and welding to make this happen. But, I talked to the dealership and they said any frame modifications may void my warrantee. So, I asked them what they do to mount a winch on these flat wood decks. They use a bigger plate on the top of the deck and a smaller plate on the underside of the deck and sandwich the wood with the winch mounting bolts. So, if I go that route....Materials I have: 3/8" thick plate approximately 12" x 20" for the top plate 3/8" thick plate approximately 12" x 12" for underside plate 7/16" x 3" grade 8 mounting bolts for mounting Since the working strength of 7/16" grade 8 is 140,000 pounds with a shear strength 80% of that, I'm not worried about the materials I have. Question is, will using the wood alone as an anchor material be sufficient for the long term use in a commercial use setting? Or, should I at least put a bead along the top edge of the plate to the frame of the trailer? No cable guide needs to be used as it is always a straight pull. Thanks for any advice!
When i mount electric winches, i always tie them into the front cross sill, usually a common 2" hitch receiver above the front of the deck as low as possible so i can use the same 12000# winch on 2 trailers. I make a plate to mount the winch on with a 2" stub that inserts into the receiver. I would not recommend using the wood as an anchor point.
Put a hitch adapter on your tow rig with a receiver tube up above the normal trailer ball, mount your winch on a plug in base. Clamp a fairlead on the front of your trailer somewhere with some U-bolts or whatever and run the winch line through that for loading and unloading. Allows you to demount and store the winch away from greedy eyes and inclement weather, and you can install receiver tubes on the back of your trailer and the front of your truck, just make sure you have long power leads or whatever to make sure the winch gets good current. Wireless remote is the cherry on top for this type of winch, and be sure to add a snatch block or two.
I have a 2017 PJ 22' 14k tilt that I put 8k springs and tires on. I've always dreamed of a deck mount winch, but the front frame of mine seems kind of flimsy for pulling from. If I had to commit to mounting one, the wood would probably be just as strong. The trailer sure seems to get it's strength from the lower I beam frame. I've always had working equipment, so no need for the winch.... yet.
I've got one of the PJ tilt deckovers. The loading angle is very steep. I put a winch with a wireless control on mine to assist with loading. If the deck is wet and the tires spin it can get pretty sporty. I welded the winch plate to the tubing at the top of the deck. I need put conveyor belting on the deck so I can load my skidder with tire over steel tracks. It has to be winched on once the tracks get to the tire covers.