Hey guys, I'm in the process of improving my ski trailer and was considering going to a winch instead of the bow stop with a pin. So far, I've lengthened the tongue to make enough room for a bin on the front. While I'm doing this, I have the option to switch to a winch since I'll have a new welded bow stop. The reason I'm considering this is because I switched from PVC bunks to 2x4's with plastic sliders, which are very slippery. I had difficulty holding the ski that far up on the trailer as I tried to slide the pin in. Ended up having to back very far into the water in order to float the ski over where it needed to sit. Anyway, in order to make this happen I would need to drill through the hull to mount a U-bolt on the ski for the winch to hook to, and would need to rig something up for stopping the ski from sliding forward. Can anybody give some opinions, or send some pictures? You can see my before and in-progress pictures attached. Thanks in advance
Trailer winch suggestions?
- Thread starter FX1 696
- Start date
I had the same problem!
Bought the slicks, then realized how great they work lol.
Bought two of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006MIX7U4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Awesome, and incredibly simple to mount.. Hand crank orientation can be switched as well.
I have mine apart or I would take some pics.. You can use a winch with your bow eye, go to Harbor freight , plop down a whopping $3.99 and get this.. http://www.harborfreight.com/easy-grip-hitch-pin-91306.html It is rubber coated top to bottom (and it matches your ski!) I plasti-dipped mine to make it blue and offer more cushion.. I left it as is for well over a month while using my winch though, and it leaves no marks.
What I would do with your set-up is:
Cut about 1/3 or so off your front mount... Weld about a foot or so to the top (making a "T" or even a upside "L" then mount a bow stop similar to this... https://www.blowsion.com/trailer-bow-stop.
The winch hook with the hitch pin through it works like a champ... I'll shoot some pics tomorrow if I finish it up.
Bought the slicks, then realized how great they work lol.
Bought two of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006MIX7U4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Awesome, and incredibly simple to mount.. Hand crank orientation can be switched as well.
I have mine apart or I would take some pics.. You can use a winch with your bow eye, go to Harbor freight , plop down a whopping $3.99 and get this.. http://www.harborfreight.com/easy-grip-hitch-pin-91306.html It is rubber coated top to bottom (and it matches your ski!) I plasti-dipped mine to make it blue and offer more cushion.. I left it as is for well over a month while using my winch though, and it leaves no marks.
What I would do with your set-up is:
Cut about 1/3 or so off your front mount... Weld about a foot or so to the top (making a "T" or even a upside "L" then mount a bow stop similar to this... https://www.blowsion.com/trailer-bow-stop.
The winch hook with the hitch pin through it works like a champ... I'll shoot some pics tomorrow if I finish it up.
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So how do you hook the winch to the ski? Did you have to drill into the hull and use a U-bolt? Not sure about mounting the winch any closer to the vehicle, because that interferes with the room for my storage bin, which is very limited. Thinking about mounting the winch on the ski side of the bow stop, below the trim/bumper. But then would the handle hit the ski when I'm cranking it up? If you could get me some pictures of the finished product that would be awesome
