Customer
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2024
within 3 months the hook started to bend out from cranking up a bass boat a few times. Half the rated weight capacity of this thing. Now 13 months after purchasing the internals have started to fail and the handle is loose and it doesn't lock down al the way. I have tried to contact Fulton over 20 times via email, website form and calling and leaving a message since they do not ever answer the phone. I have received 0 response. THIS IS YOUR FAIR WARNING. FULTON IS A VERY VERY VERY BAD COMPANY WITH ABSOLUTELY 0 CUSTOMER SERVICE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD A WINCH FAIL AND THE 3RD TIME I'VE HAD A FULTON PRODUCT FAIL ALL TOGETHER. ALL ON NEW BOATS. EACH ONE I HAVE HAD HAS LASTED LESS THAN A YEAR.
Steve
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
This is the best boat wench I've used. The product quality is great. The mounting hardware is top quality. The 2 speed operation is really good, especially the low speed gear. It cranks my 21 ft bass boat onto my trailer with ease. Definitely worth the expense.
John
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
This winch is excellent very smooth operation as two speeds creates a lot of torque much happier with this than the original winch that was on the trailer. It’s definitely not cheap but it does the job.
Make your own repairs
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2024
Nice quality and works very good
Bobby
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
I had originally purchased a heavy duty winch ($150) at our local hardware store, and quickly returned it after discovering the sloppy welds and sharp flux inside the barrel. This started my search which led to this winch. None of the previous issues are found with this winch. The action is smooth and the quality is evident. Fitment on my trailer required two holes to be drilled. The adjustability of the handle as well as the ability to select two gears are nice additions. I see no reason this winch is any less reliable than others but I can’t speak to its reliability yet. Bottom line, I am happy with this purchase.
Nick P
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2023
American made and definitely well engineered with quality materials. It works a charm on my boat, Grady White, which is quite heavy. I bought a cheaper one and it failed on the first time being used, so I bought this one which is a lot more money, but compared to the cost of my boat is nothing. I highly recommend this winch.
Sean Fraser
Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2022
This winch is as advertised. I went through 2 other winches in 2 months. They were supposed to be rated for 3200lbs, but the teeth stripped off them when trying to winch my boat onto the trailer while still in the water. This winch has a wide drive gear that spans both sides. My boat weighs 5400lbs. I tried winching it the final 4" while on dry land and this winch required both arms but very little effort. I you are looking for a lifetime of service from a winch this is your choice. Well worth the money.
Marc
Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2022
Great winch, solid construction. I had purchased cheaper 2 winches earlier this summer that I needed to return after they had broken on their first time used, but this one is realy built to last, and the 3200 lbs rating truly represents its capacity. Very smooth to operate as well. I really recommend it.
Jack
Reviewed in Canada on September 15, 2022
This winch is well designed, and easy to install. It pulls like a tractor even without using low gear. However should you need low gear choosing it is easy, simple and smooth. The fact that it looks nice is a bonus. The winch line goes onto the drum smoothly and without bunching up on one side.I'm using it to retrieve an old 18ft Lund Alaskan with a 60hp Etec Evinrude. I never allow my hubs to be submerged in the saltchuck and I don't like to unload heavier items from the boat before putting it back on the trailer so it can be a bit of a hard pull at first but this winch makes it easy. Wish I had bought it sooner. Just buy it because you won't be disappointed.
James C
Reviewed in Australia on February 25, 2020
Excellent product and Service, highly recommended. 10 out of 10
Jimmy
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2013
I bought this winch to replace the one on my boat trailer because it was slipping one or two teeth as I would trailer it home. I was unsure how much winch I needed and after searching around on Google, it seemed the general consensus was to buy one that was at least half the weight of your boat out of the water. My boat weighs 3200 lbs, so I decided to just go with the heavy winch.When I got the package in hand, I was pleasantly surprised with the packaging as it was clean, well organized in the box and appealing to the eye. Only a few parts to put together, just the crank arm and the strap really. both of those were a snap with a few household tools and once on the trailer, the strap was simple enough with their "metal cylinder" install which does not require you to unscrew a retaining bolt like the other winches I have used in the past.Now the install.... Fulton claims it is a simple install where you just slide the bolts into place and then invert the winch onto the trailer and tighten down.... It seemed easy enough, but the problem I ran into is when I would start to tighten down a bolt, it was not always "locked" in the frame that gives you the tension so you can bolt it on. If it is not perfectly in that square peg space, then the bolt spins and you cannot lock it down. Though that does not seem that bad, you can't reach into the top to correct the bolt very easy as there is no space, so I found myself constantly unscrewing and screwing all three bolts as I slowly bolted them on so one of them would not pop up and I would have to unscrew them all and start again. I get why it has to be that way as the metal housing is one piece which adds to the durability, I just wish there was a way to make those bolts "stick" as you were trying to lock them down.Now that the winch is on my trailer, I noticed a huge difference. The primary setting is the "speed" setting, and I have not switched the winch from that as there has been no need. I immediately noticed a difference in locking down my boat, and it was a great investment. Highly recommend
Anthony W.
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
I had an older standard style stamped metal hand winch like you see on many trailers and I hated it. It was difficult to use, visibly grimy from grease on the gears, and had a bad habit of wind ratcheting some slack when I drove, requiring me to check it often.This winch is a big improvement over that old stock winch.First, there's no visible gears, all that is hidden, so not only is the grease grime hidden, but it is also safer - no worry about getting fingers pinched in the gears or catching clothing in the gears. I looks slick and sleek.Second, the larger handle is easier to crank, not just because low gear is better ratioed, but also because the handle is longer, giving more torque, and because the handle grip is better.Third, The options for setup to be left or right handed is easy and practical.Fourth, switching gears is dirt simple, and you don't have to worry about the boat strap slipping when you do - lock is maintained.Fifth, the last time I launched my boat, a 24' Bayliner, I didn't quite get it all the way forward. This winch snugged it in place when I ran it in low gear. I couldn't even budge the boat with my old winch.The only downside I can say is that the neutral gearing is a bit stiff to pull the included strap free, but that will likely change with a bit of use. You can also turn the knob to the opposite side and the winch will ratchet into reverse when you crank it...handy if you are on a steep ramp.Also, This has three mounting bolts in a triangular pattern rather than the two my old winch had, which required me to drill two extra 3/8" holes nearest the front of the jackstand mount. I actually like this arrangement better, since it gives far more stability to the mounting. The instructions were simple enough, but don't mention the thin retaining washers pre-installed on the bolts. Leave those in place as they help keep the bolts in place when you put the winch on the stand. You have to position all three bolts in the winch and then guide them through the holes on the jackstand mount, then attach the nuts and tighten them down. Easy peasy.