CHRAVIS_ Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 YO! I'm going to be mounting a small winch on the interior of my TC to do the legwork of pulling my carts up some ramps- I'm just wondering where the most secure mounting point would be. The winch is a 2500lb harbor freight winch and would be pulling ~500lb on the absolute high end. Any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks y'all! -TRAVIS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 You'll need three anchor points anyway. A beam across the partition fixed to the B-pillars and partition in the middle. CHRAVIS_ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRAVIS_ Posted June 12, 2020 Author Share Posted June 12, 2020 Thanks @mrtn! I'm messing with it next week- I'll keep everyone updated! mrtn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackGrimshaw Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Assuming you have a cargo van. In my 2016 LWB, I removed the mat covering the cargo area,exposing the area where the foot well would be for 2nd row seating.(search this site for descriptions) After removing the filler pieces,you will see numerous threaded holes (aprox 5/16 or 3/8 but metric) that would be seat,seatbelt or tie down mounting points for 2nd row seats. There are threaded holes on the B pillars(partition mounting points??) but I would be extremely hesitant to put any stress on an area that could affect door operation Depending on the anticipated load,your bracket would have to incorporate multiple mounting points . The cargo mat provides a lot of noise suppression so I installed a plywood floor over the mat. CHRAVIS_ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRAVIS_ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 @JackGrimshaw Nice! Thanks for the info- I'll take a peek when we mess about with it this evening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonBowerbank Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 I’m thinking of putting a winch inside my ‘12 TC as well. I have a partition with L-Track along the middle that I’m thinking of mounting it to. Or possibly mounting it to the cieling, and installing a pulley at the L-track level. Curious what you’ve done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 2/2/2021 at 6:44 PM, JonBowerbank said: I’m thinking of putting a winch inside my ‘12 TC as well. I have a partition with L-Track along the middle that I’m thinking of mounting it to. Or possibly mounting it to the cieling, and installing a pulley at the L-track level. Curious what you’ve done! Your Gen 1 cargo van has the same hidden 'footwell' that the Gen 2 TC has, with the main difference being that your false floor is welded in place, whereas about 2014.5+ is all bolted in (early '14's were still welded). Could still be a good spot to mount your winch and then put a roller fairlead on the floor to guide & protect the cable - or a Hawse fairlead if you go with synthetic rope. Just another option to consider since the ceiling would be a lot more of a PITA for mounting & wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Just out of curiousity, anybody ever cut those welds and lift the panel to peek inside? I've found any boxed in area like that is a magnet for rust and rot. Also, seems to me, if it doesn't provide any structural strength, be a great place to store tools or whatever (gun locker maybe?) if you add some clips or hinges to make it removable. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonBowerbank Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 On 2/3/2021 at 4:54 PM, jrm223 said: Your Gen 1 cargo van has the same hidden 'footwell' that the Gen 2 TC has, with the main difference being that your false floor is welded in place, whereas about 2014.5+ is all bolted in (early '14's were still welded). Could still be a good spot to mount your winch and then put a roller fairlead on the floor to guide & protect the cable - or a Hawse fairlead if you go with synthetic rope. Just another option to consider since the ceiling would be a lot more of a PITA for mounting & wiring. Mine is bolted in as well, was never welded. I’ve removed it and put the flooring back in twice since I’ve owned it. It’s the same bolt points that would hold in bench seats. I’d converted my cargo van to a passenger van, but now it’s 100% dedicated to work, so I’ve put the flooring back in, sold the seats and got it set up as a cargo model from now on. With the false floor only being bolted in how it is, I don’t think over time it would be the best option to support the pull on a winch if it were installed there. Feels like the subfloor could start to flex & bend. I also prefer to keep the floor clear of any permanent installations, so I still have that space for cargo. Just spitballing the idea of using a solid cross beam bolt point in the ceiling for mouting the winch, run the winch cable to a pulley at the L-track. That way I’d maximize my cargo space. And when not in use for a long period of time, I could stow the pulley & cable up high where the winch in mounted. A couple pics of my bulkhead and where the L-track is located (this is before I installed the actual track itself). With the pulley at the L-Track level, it’d be just the right height for pulling my work carts up the ramp and into the van. It’s likely WAY easier to just mount my winch on the L-track (removable as well for when I don’t need it.). But I’d have to find the right winch with the right mounting configuration so it’s nice and hard mounted on a single rail, without too much play or rattling while driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 23 hours ago, JonBowerbank said: With the false floor only being bolted in how it is, I don’t think over time it would be the best option to support the pull on a winch if it were installed there. Feels like the subfloor could start to flex & bend. I also prefer to keep the floor clear of any permanent installations, so I still have that space for cargo. You seem to have misread what I wrote. I was talking about the winch being completely below the false floor where it's out of the way & mounted strong to the unibody, with only the cable/line going up through the floor & fairlead. The only thing on top of the false floor would be the roller or Hawse fairlead (generally depending on steel wire or synthetic rope). I would want the winch low - watch some oilfield skid-loading videos on YouTube, they are ALL mounted at & pulling from floor height on the truck or trailer. Even race car trailers have the winch mounted low at/near floor height and the hook-up point is also kept low on the chassis. What you're wanting is just a micro-size recreation of winch trucks that have been in use for many decades, so the precedent and concept is already well-designed and proven. You're trying to pull the cart up into the van, not flip it over from having the winch points way too high; if the cart wheels bind on something and you're pulling high, it could flip before you realize what's going on. Don Ridley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Here's a thought is there enough room on the other side of the bulkhead between the seats to mount the winch? If so it would pull the whole way and be completely out of the way. In my van the space between the seat is used to hold all the stuff that falls there any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecir51 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 On 2/8/2021 at 4:04 PM, jrm223 said: You seem to have misread what I wrote. I was talking about the winch being completely below the false floor where it's out of the way & mounted strong to the unibody, with only the cable/line going up through the floor & fairlead. The only thing on top of the false floor would be the roller or Hawse fairlead (generally depending on steel wire or synthetic rope). I would want the winch low - watch some oilfield skid-loading videos on YouTube, they are ALL mounted at & pulling from floor height on the truck or trailer. Even race car trailers have the winch mounted low at/near floor height and the hook-up point is also kept low on the chassis. What you're wanting is just a micro-size recreation of winch trucks that have been in use for many decades, so the precedent and concept is already well-designed and proven. You're trying to pull the cart up into the van, not flip it over from having the winch points way too high; if the cart wheels bind on something and you're pulling high, it could flip before you realize what's going on. This and add doors to access the winch with additional storage. Will investigate same since am thinking something similar but haven't pulled my mat up yet since just purchasing van last week. If anything some glove boxes there would be great. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackGrimshaw Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Footwell space has a hump in the middle as if there were a driveshaft for rear wheel drive. Not much height to mount a winch. No clue why.I'll look in the spring when the snow melts. First thing to do is figure how much pull you need. Then see what is available in that range. If you have the false floor,pull it up and you will find various threaded holes(8mm I think) Most likely you will need to build a subframe to support your pull and mount the winch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 As I recall, the exhaust pipe & it's first resonator goes through that center hump. These vans are limited to roughly 1200lbs total weight, including people. So, a small ATV winch is all that any of us would need inside one of these vans for cargo/cart loading. As an example, the Badland ZXR2500 winch (with wireless remote, since I suspect some here would be interested in that) from Harbor Freight lists dimensions of roughly 11-1/8x4x4.5" overall. A quick measurement of my van shows that the winch should fit in the space above the hump & below the false floor - dependent on the mounting subframe that people come up with, anyway. Keep that subframe short but strong, and the winch should have no problem fitting. I actually have a 48x75" Bedslide in my van, so I'm not too worried about putting in a winch at this point - although I have thought of it before I got the bedslide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecir51 Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 (edited) Looked the other day too. Had this in the garage that i bought awhile back don't even remember what for. Looks like it will fit just going to have to cut out the face of the false floor. Haven't looked underneath the truck yet but thinking a 1/4 to 3/8 plate on the bottom side would suffice. Just sold my bed slide today that came with my van, that thing was 300lbs. https://harborfreight.com/2500-lb-atvutility-electric-winch-with-wireless-remote-control-61840.html Edited February 15, 2021 by ecir51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 It should not be too hard just be careful when you drill. (the voice of experience) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 I think the specs for mine call it 180lbs, mostly angle iron frame with 1/2" carpeted plywood floor. That winch will do ya. Might even upgrade it to synthetic line at some point, 20% lighter & easier to handle. But that 20% number is actually based on my portable 12K winch, which is on a removable carrier for the tow hitch, and switching to synthetic rope would drop it's assembled current 100lb weight to 'just' 80lbs, lol. I've used my TC with that portable winch to move around my broke-down F350 7.3L CCLB DRW in the yard and pull out some small, roughly 3-4" diameter, trees out at my fixer-upper property. Handy thing to have around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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