Trailer Strap

[c130king]

I noticed yesterday my strap has a tear about 1/2" into the strap maybe 6" up from the hook. I see straps/hooks on WM...Fulton Strap and Hook...

Is this a simple remove and replace operation? How does the strap actually attach to the winch? I have never actually looked.

Thanks,
Jim

[Hardcrab]

Unroll it all the way.
A bolt runs through a sewed in loop across the drum.
Simplicity in it's utmost form.

After looking at the WM site, it does not look like the replacement strap has the same loop sewed at the end.
Perhaps not an issue once you have several wraps around the drum and friction takes charge.
It says it's twenty feet long, so you should never have that much out to hook the boat.

I'd do away with the bolt if you go this route, and just wrap around the drum.
(many, many turns to get all twenty feet on).

[daydreamerbob]

Jim:

Tough Luck: Mine decayed due to UV as well and snapped when I was cranking the boat up the trailer. Luckily I had a dock line on the bow that I tied off on the ladder. Anyway, I have since installed a new winch all together - however, I did try the WM replacement straps. As I recall, the WM 20 foot strap will not fit on the spool when rolled all the way in - and this caused a variety of issues as I tried to "make it work". Most problematic was that the strap would get wrapped around the cranks gears if I did not pay close attention when bringing the bow to the front of the trailer. I am pretty sure 12 feet is the right length for the stock winch.

Bob

[pokerrick1]

I broke a strap once while ascending a mountain with my M. All I want to add here is that when I went to Mike Inmon to replace the strap, I wanted a cable replacement and Mike said "NO, NO, they twist too much and are too dangerous - - - we're going to replace with a better strap" - - - and that's what we did.

Rick

[c130king]

Follow-up questions:

1) Has anyone ever replaced this strap? Did you shorten it somehow and if so how?

2) I have a 2005 factory steel trailer...but it is 65 miles away...is the winch bolted on or welded? How hard to remove? I could just buy a whole new winch with strap for less than $40 and do what Bob did. How hard to install a new winch? I presume just bolted on somehow.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[dennisneal]

Jim,

Any type of degredation of the trailer winch strap should be a major cause of concern. Certainly a tear, even a small one, should result in an immediate replacement. Its not hard to do: Just unwind the old one while the boat is on the trailer, but on level ground. Remove the bolt. Reinsert the bolt through the new strap's loop. Rewind the new strap and re-attach it to the bow eye. It shouln't take more than 15 minutes.

I had a winch strap fail as I was pulling our boat up the launch ramp. I had earlier noticed that the strap looked a bit "hairy". I wish I had replaced it then and there. It would have saved me from a few sweaty minutes.

[yukonbob]

Replaced winch ($49-15 min) replaced strap ($15-2min) chain through eye attached to ladder ($priceless- 2sec) Also throw the spare trailer tire on the bow on a yoga mat ($15 walmart); then ratchet strap the whole thing to the trailer, it won't go anywhere. When we to the boat over the pass snow was hitting the undercarriage of the truck but it don't move

Sorry been dying to post this pic

[Doug W]

I've replaced the strap on a couple other boats. Walmart sells them cheap. It's about a 5 minute job.

...Doug
http://starsloop.blogspot.com/

[c130king]

Thanks for all the info. New strap from Overton's on the way. Going back out on Saturday. If not in by then and the strap fails I am pretty sure I can jury-rig a temp solution to get the boat on the trailer.

Thanks,
Jim

[c130king]

Installed the new strap from Overton's today. Took less than 5 minutes. Just FYI in case any of you are considering doing this to a 26M steel trailer...the 15' strap fits on the winch just fine. Not sure if the 20' strap would have fit. The stock strap was a lot shorter...didn't measure but maybe 8-10'.

The bolt that holds the strap was bent/curved but still useable. Would like to replace. Can anyone tell me the length of that bolt...my boat is 65 miles away. That bolt has to be exact length otherwise it won't fit inside the outer side walls of the winch...no room for excess length.

Thanks,
Jim

[atwhite2]

Replaced winch ($49-15 min) replaced strap ($15-2min) chain through eye attached to ladder ($priceless- 2sec) Also throw the spare trailer tire on the bow on a yoga mat ($15 walmart); then ratchet strap the whole thing to the trailer, it won't go anywhere. When we to the boat over the pass snow was hitting the undercarriage of the truck but it don't move

Sorry been dying to post this pic

Yukonbob...

Can you better describe the " throw the spare trailer tire on the bow on a yoga mat ($15 walmart); then ratchet strap the whole thing to the trailer" rig? Not to take over the post, but I have been trying to configure a place/fastening system for my spare tire on the stock trailer...Traditional places are wobbly, and other places the tire hangs too low and scrapes backing over the ramp hump.

thanks

[Retcoastie]

That bolt has to be exact length otherwise it won't fit inside the outer side walls of the winch...no room for excess length.

That's what they make hacksaws and files for, Jim, close tolerance adjustments.

Ken

[c130king]

Replaced winch ($49-15 min) replaced strap ($15-2min) chain through eye attached to ladder ($priceless- 2sec) Also throw the spare trailer tire on the bow on a yoga mat ($15 walmart); then ratchet strap the whole thing to the trailer, it won't go anywhere. When we to the boat over the pass snow was hitting the undercarriage of the truck but it don't move

Sorry been dying to post this pic

Bob,

First...GREAT photo.

Second...can you tell me more about this chain through the eye attached to ladder? Do you have any pics? Please describe this set-up for me. Thanks.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[Hardcrab]

C130king,
Got your PM but decided to answer here for anyone interested to see.

As a backup to just the nylon strap, I used a 18" or so piece of chain (about the same size links as the safety chains), 1/4" X 1 1/2" bolt, nut and washers, and a SS shackle.
I shackle one end of the chain to the same eyebolt on the boat as the nylon strap, then wrap the chain around and through the ladder/post as low as the piece of chain will allow, and bolt it to itself with a little slack.
Then for any trip usage, I use the shackle rather than the bolt to make the connection, hence the slack.

I don't think it adds all that much to safety, but if the nylon strap somehow were to fail going down the road, then I'm still chained to the trailer at least.

It's not a great backup with the single point failure at the eye bolt on the boat, but it's better than nothing, IMHO.

PS. The strap bolt on the drum measures right at 3"

[c130king]

Thanks.

Jim