My trailer has a fulton winch 1800 lb on it and had somehow become out of line and the reel is rubbing on the frame. I am looking to get a new one, I ordered a dutton lainson 1800 lb from cabelas and it is considerably wider frame and reel. it pretty much loooks like over kill compared to the fulton. does anyone have any knowledge about these winches as to which one is better etc.?
my boat loaded with gas, kicker motor, bow electric motor, 3 batteries, tackle etc. is around 2700 to 2800 lbs

I wouldn't thing it would be any wider than a flat nylon strap. What did your old one use to attach to the snap? Rope, cable, flalt strap??/

the old one used a strap and was just alittle wider than the strap, this one is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider and the frame is about 3/4 to 1 inch wider

Rebs:

I don't know about the Fulton, but I've used a Dutton-Lainson 1800 single-speed on my roller trailer for the past 17 seasons without a problem. Yes, the spool is wider than the strap. My boat weighs about 2300 pounds.

Depending on your trailer and how you use it, an 1800 pound winch may be undersized for your application and that may be why the Fulton failed. Here's what Dutton-Lainson says about selecting winches for boat trailers:

Boat Weight To Winch Capacity Ratio
A commonly used ratio of boat size to winch capacity is 2 to 1. Example: a 2200 lb boat requires 1100 lb winch. There are, however, many factors to consider in selecting the proper size winch which are beyond the control of the winch manufacturer. For example, the ratio can sometimes be stretched to 3 to 1 when using a trailer equipped with good quality free-turning rollers maintained in excellent condition and most commonly used on ramps where the boat floats most of the way onto the trailer. The ratio should be reduced to as much as 1 to 1 on trailers using wooden bunks with no self-alignment capabilities, most frequently used on boat ramps requiring that the boat be winched a long way onto the trailer. Note that pontoon boat trailers and other special designs require special consideration to winch capacity selection.

Rebs,
I originally had a 1500 lb winch on my trailer. It was getting used up and I had the opportunity to pick up a 2500 low ratio winch.

Great change.

The new winch is also a bit wider than the old winch. i.e. the winch is about 3/4 inch wider than the strap.

Take the time to get the angle of the winch setup perfect. If you get the winch off just a bit, the strap will pile up on one side of the winch or the other.
However, take the time to be sure that the winch is 100% perpendicular to the strap - as the boat is loaded on the trailer and you will minimize your problems.

I expect that you are like most of us, who float off their boats and essentially drive thier boats back on the trailer. If you do this, you will find that you seldom have much more than 3 or 4 fee to strap to ever wind up for loading your boat.

Take care
REW

your right REW I lined it up and all is well. the dutton- lainson winch is a heavier weinch than the fulton. I do drive my boat on and usually only have about a foot or so of strap off the winch