Electric Winch with Remote Needed to Pull Lightweight Wheelchair Into Toyota Highlander

Question:

I am disabled but would like to buy winch that will pull manual very light weight 29lb wheelchair into the backseat of my Toyota Highlander. It would need to be electric and have a remote control. Do I need electrician or a mechanic to install the electric part of the winch?

asked by: Maureen

Expert Reply:

The electric winch that I recommend going with to pull your 29 lb wheelchair into your Toyota Highlander is the Bulldog Winch Utility Winch # BDW15008. This is one of our most cost-effective electrical winches and it comes with a remote!

The remote has wires that run to the battery and also to the winch. Since both sets of wires have ring terminals you can use whichever length (4' or 6') or wiring for either your battery or your winch. Installation shouldn't be too difficult, but if you are looking to permanently mount the winch in your Highlander it would be beneficial to run the wiring through the firewall on your vehicle to the battery.

If you (or a friend) are not comfortable with running wires through your firewall you could have a mechanic do it, but if either of you have worked on vehicles before you can look at "Method 3" on the attached article about running wiring for a trailer connector which talks about drilling through the firewall. I recommend using some Loctite RTV 598 High-Performance Silicone Gasket Maker # LT37467 in the drilled hole to ensure that there is a proper seal.

I have attached a review video for both the winch and the Loctite for you to reference.

expert reply by: Jon G