Rural Heritage June/July 2026

This winch can be hooked to the Reese receiver on the forecart.

cheap, but rather that we understand the value of money and how to stretch it. I stumbled across an idea last fall that is working quite well for me, and I wanted to share. We needed to load a wagon on our flat trailer. So, we mounted a winch on a bracket that slides into a “Reese” hitch type receiver. We then mounted the female portion of the hitch to the front rail of the trailer. A marine battery supplied power, and it worked well. This got me to thinking about other ways to use the winch. One idea was to use it to bring firewood logs up a steep drop-off in the woods. So, we welded a 2-inch female section of “Reese” hitch on to the center of our forecart drawbar area. That opened the door for all sorts of ideas. I already had a carrier that slid into the hitch on the back of a truck. Some guys use these for hauling their harvested deer or coolers when hunting. I guess you could use it to haul anything with any vehicle equipped with the receiver-type hitch. They are handy for several situations. I will say that they are

light duty, but still handy. Just don’t overload it. I thought I would slap that thing behind my forecart to haul my chainsaw on it. I quickly found out that the carrier wouldn’t work on my forecart because it was too wide. It wouldn’t fit between the tires. I fixed that problem by having my fabricator buddy cut it down to size. It just needed a few inches off each side to fit between the tires. Once we narrowed it down, the receiver parts slid right together. This also moved the actual load closer to the axle, making for better balance, an unexpected bonus. The carrier works well for all sorts of small jobs. It allows for taking tools to the field or forest. I like it best for taking the chainsaw, loppers, a shovel, etc., for clearing sap roads and trail maintenance. It works well for small tools, too. However, be proactive and put the tools in a small toolbox. It is easily secured with a bungee or ratchet strap. The carrier has 3- to 4-inch sides, but things will fall off in rough terrain. Another thing I like about having the receiver welded to my forecart is the ability to put a trailer

June/July 2026

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