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I have a 2010 1500 Silverado and a small ATV winch.

I want to use the winch to pull a lightweight aluminum boat up a slight incline.

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I want to temporarily/occasionally attach the winch to the truck bed or rear bumper so that I can pull the boat and trailer up the incline to the truck.

  • I want the winch to pull the trailer hitch so that it's above the truck hitch. Reason: When the trailer is in position, I want to let the trailer hitch down onto the truck hitch.

How can I temporarily attach the winch to the truck bed or bumper?

My priority is quick & easy future installation. It can be a relatively lightweight setup since the boat and trailer don't weigh much. For what it's worth, I have a Back Rack installed on the truck.

User1974
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2 Answers2

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Your truck has stake pockets in the top of the side rails. You'll find a pair close to the tailgate and another pair close to the cab. (There may be others in an intermediate location.)

The stake pockets are sized to fit a standard 2x4, and stake pocket accessories made of steel or aluminum are available in the aftermarket.

Fabricate a cross-piece that can span between the top rails and engage the rearmost stake pockets. Mount the winch to the cross-piece permanently so that when you want to use it, you can simply slip the contraption into the stake pockets. No need to fumble with fasteners. A 2x8 or 2x10 would probably be strong enough, but for lighter weight you could probably cobble together a frame from U-channel fence posts or similar.

The high position should make it easier to lift the trailer onto the hitch.

MTA
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I wonder if I could attach the winch to the Back Rack:

  1. On the bottom cross member, drill two holes in the middle of the square tube.
  2. Install bolts into the holes. The heads of the bolts would be on the window-side of the rack.

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  1. Use the factory holes in the winch to attach the winch to the Back Rack. Thread a couple of wingnuts onto the bolts.

The winch would be positioned vertically, due to the placement of the factory holes in the winch plate.

Edit:

I wonder if winches are only designed to spool the cable when positioned horizontally. Maybe the cable would jam if the winch was mounted vertically.

Alternatively, I could use a U-Bolt on the bottom bar of the Back Rack to attach the winch. That way, the winch would be positioned horizontally, as designed.

This is the U-Bolt I used: Square U Bolt, Carbon Steel, Zinc-Plated, 3 x 2-in

User1974
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