Dutton-Lainson 1,000 lb., 6414 Marine Jack, 15 in. Travel, RigidDutton-Lainson$149.99In Stock
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Dutton-Lainson has manufactured in Hastings, Nebraska since 1886, and by 1965 was the largest maker of manual hand winches in the world. The Golden Rod line covers boat trailer winches, brake winches, hand and worm gear winches, tongue jacks, couplers and hoists, still made in the United States when most competitors have moved offshore.
Dutton-Lainson has been manufacturing for close to 140 years, founded in 1886 out of the pioneering spirit of the late nineteenth century. It grew into one of the largest collar and harness manufacturers in the United States, supplying goods to settlers during westward expansion, then survived repeated economic upheavals. In the early twentieth century it was called on to produce military goods and hardware for both world wars, earning the military's highest honour for manufacturing excellence twice, and it still produces specialty product for the US military today.
The company took its present shape in the post-war 1950s. It entered the marine industry building the Golden Rod boat trailer for Montgomery Ward, and every trailer needed a winch and a coupler, since tongue jacks were not yet common. Rather than buy those parts in, the company concluded it could build better ones than the market offered, and launched the Golden Rod winch line. The engineering work paid off: by 1965 Dutton-Lainson was the largest manufacturer of manual hand winches in the world.
That remains the heart of the catalog. Trailer winches cover a wide capacity spread for boat, utility and equipment trailers, in single and two-speed gearing so operators can trade line speed for cranking effort under load. Brake winches add an automatic load-holding brake, which matters whenever a load must be lowered under control rather than simply pulled up.
Alongside winches, the company produces tongue jacks and marine and utility jacks, trailer couplers, hubs, hoists and related hardware. Manufacturing has stayed in the central United States while much of the market shifted to imports, and for several major product lines Dutton-Lainson is now the last remaining domestic manufacturer.
