Berger + Schröter GmbH 31717 Review

Owning a motorhome, caravan, or boat trailer opens up a world of adventure, but it also comes with practical challenges — not least of which is manoeuvring a heavy vehicle or trailer into position without damaging it or straining yourself. Whether you are backing a caravan onto a tight pitch, pulling a boat trailer up a slipway, or simply need to reposition a heavy load on your driveway, a portable winch can turn a physically demanding task into something one person can manage alone. Unlike permanently mounted electric winches that require professional installation and a dedicated power supply, a drill-powered winch offers a flexible and affordable alternative — it uses a cordless screwdriver or drill you may already own as the motor, making it light enough to store in a locker and deploy only when you need it.

Berger + Schröter is a German manufacturer known for producing practical workshop and vehicle accessories, and their drill-powered winch is designed specifically for motorhome and trailer users who need occasional pulling power without the expense and complexity of a permanently installed electric winch. The concept is simple but effective: the winch uses a cordless screwdriver or drill — with a minimum of 4 Nm of torque — as its power source, translating the drill's rotation into a pulling force of up to 225 kilograms through a gear reduction system.

This review examines the Berger + Schröter 31717 drill winch in detail, looking at its pulling capacity, build quality, ease of use, and what kind of jobs it handles best. We also discuss what you need in terms of a compatible drill and what you should realistically expect from a portable, drill-powered winching system.

The Berger + Schröter 31717 is a portable winch that uses a standard cordless screwdriver or drill as its power source — the drill is not included, so you will need a model delivering at least 4 Newton metres of torque. Through an internal gear train, the winch multiplies the drill's rotational force into a straight-line pulling capacity of up to 225 kilograms. It comes with a 12-metre steel rope measuring 4 millimetres in diameter, giving you plenty of reach for most manoeuvring situations. Under load, the rope travels at approximately 1 metre per minute, though this speed varies depending on the power and RPM of the drill you attach.

The winch body is made from robust plastic with a metal internal mechanism, weighing approximately 5.7 kilograms — heavy enough to feel substantial and durable, but still portable enough to lift in and out of a motorhome storage locker. The overall dimensions are 39 by 20 by 23 centimetres, giving it a compact footprint that will not dominate your garage or storage area. The red housing is easy to spot, and the design includes sturdy mounting hooks that allow you to attach the winch to a fixed anchor point.

Using the winch is straightforward: you secure it to a solid anchor point using the built-in hooks, attach the rope to the load you need to pull, and chuck your cordless drill into the winch's drive socket. Squeeze the drill trigger and the winch takes over, pulling steadily with its gear-reduced mechanical advantage. Because the drill provides both the power and the speed control, you get smooth, progressive pulling without the sudden jerks that can occur with clutch-based systems. One important note: the winch does not include a free-spool mechanism, so unspooling the rope manually takes a moment — this is not a high-speed recovery tool but rather a steady, controlled pulling device.

The winch arrives ready to use with the steel rope pre-spooled and mounting hooks attached. There are no batteries to charge or electrical connections to make — all the power comes from your drill. Berger + Schröter backs the product with a 24-month manufacturer warranty, and because the winch itself has no motor or electronics of its own, there is very little that can go wrong mechanically under normal use. It is rated for the kind of intermittent, occasional use that is typical for motorhome and trailer owners — a few pulls per trip rather than continuous industrial duty.

With dimensions of 39 by 20 by 23 centimetres and a weight of 5.7 kilograms, it is comparable in size to a small toolbox. On Amazon France, the Berger + Schröter drill winch holds a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from 162 customer reviews, and it ranks as the 18th best-selling motorhome winch on the platform — a niche category, but one where satisfied users have clearly found value in this simple, no-nonsense design.

A practical, no-frills drill-powered winch for motorhome and trailer owners who need occasional, controlled pulling power — compact enough to store in a locker, powerful enough to move a caravan, and refreshingly simple with no built-in electronics to fail.