I was just wondering if any has ever installed (or thought of trying) on of the worm gear winches from Dutton-Lainson? I like the idea of easily and quickly being able to use a cordless drill to load/unload the boat, but what concerns me is that there is no locking pawl. I know the worm gear shouldn't backdrive, but with the vibration going down the road I think I'd want to put some kind of lock on it? Figured I'd ask here first though :)
I really think you should have a secondary connection from bow eye to trailer regardless of the winch type. A locking strap or turnbuckle is most common.
The problem with the worm gear winches I've seen is that the handle is going to hit the bow of the boat when it's near the stand and you have to crank the line out which would make launching a little tedious.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
I do currently have a 2nd strap that ties to the bow eye, but a turnbuckle would be more secure.
The way the winch is orientated on my trailer the handle would be an issue, and I agree that having no free-wheel would making launching more a of pain, but with the ability to use a drill with a 5/8" socket that may not be that bad? I'm really just looking for an easier (and quieter) way to crank the boat back in, but also want to do it safely. I've looked at just doing an electric winch but I don't really trust the gear or motor design on those not to fail after only a couple years.
Worm drives are mostly one way. What if your cordless drill battery died? Also, there should be at least one backup bow contaiment device.
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