Powering a winch

Joe Appelget · Dec 31, 2011

Hello All!

I just bought a 12,000lb 12v winch. I plan to make a bracket that uses a 2" square shank to mount it on my trailer, just in case we need to put it in the hitch of the truck sometime. . . BUT how do you all get power to your winch? I"d prefer not to have a battery and battery box arrangement since, unfortunately it will only be used a few times per year and maintaining a charged battery at all times is a hassle, plus you have to lug it around. I realize I could power through the trailer plug, but I am afraid the wires aren"t stout enough to support the draw of the winch. I"d like to run directly from the truck battery to the rear bumper, and I need suggestions on how to do that safely.

Happy New Year!

Joe

LJD · Dec 31, 2011

You have to know the amp rating. A typical 12 volt winch rated at 12,000 lbs draws 350 amps. Voltage drop should not be more then 1.2 volts. If you ran 20 feet of cable - from your winch to battery - you'd get . .

#2 cable gives you a 2.2 volt voltage-drop at full load.

#1 cable gives you a 1.8 volt voltage-drop at full load.

#1/0 cable gives you a 1.3 volt voltage-drop at full load.

Now if just 10 feet of cable, #2 is only a 1.2 volt drop.

If only 5 feet of cable, #4 has a drop of only 8/10s of one volt.

Jim in Ma. · Dec 31, 2011

You could do that 2 ways - the easy way would be to find an old extention cord (heavy duty). Cut one end and add clips to hook to your battery and the other end to the winch.
Another way is to use a 6 pin trailer plug to get the power you need.
With the extention cord - you can use it with anything with a 12 volt battery.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 31, 2011

I have tried many ways, No. 1 is a battery at the winch with a 12 ga. wire to charge the battery (Iuse this daly) NO. 2 at LEAST a 4 ga. wire directly to the battery and ground the same to the frame of the truck. I use this to winch something onto the trailer or truck. I have tiied other ways but they either did'nt work or melted the wires.

buickanddeere · Dec 31, 2011

So how long is a 14 or 12 gauge extension cord going to last with 50 to 500amps flowing through it?

Grampy · Dec 31, 2011

Have a winch set up to slide in reciever hitchs (front and rear) on my "sandbox toy", a vintage Willys pickup. I used 1/0 welding cable direct from the batterys, with Miller welder plug in's mounted just above the bumpers. You could make up some "jumper" cables to go from the bumper to the winch on the trailer. Voltage drop could be a problem.

Jim in Ma. · Dec 31, 2011

I did say heave duty - me setup has worked well for 5 or 6 years. They are about 20' long and I think 8 ga. wire. Wires never get warm.

rustyfarmall · Dec 31, 2011

(quoted from post at 11:44:26 12/31/11) Hello All!

I just bought a 12,000lb 12v winch. I plan to make a bracket that uses a 2" square shank to mount it on my trailer, just in case we need to put it in the hitch of the truck sometime. . . BUT how do you all get power to your winch? I"d prefer not to have a battery and battery box arrangement since, unfortunately it will only be used a few times per year and maintaining a charged battery at all times is a hassle, plus you have to lug it around. I realize I could power through the trailer plug, but I am afraid the wires aren"t stout enough to support the draw of the winch. I"d like to run directly from the truck battery to the rear bumper, and I need suggestions on how to do that safely.

Happy New Year!

Joe

I think you'll find the winch will perform a lot better IF it DOES have its own 12 volt battery, which gets recharged from the trailer wiring harness with a 10 or 12 gauge wire. Maybe you have another vehicle that you can "borrow" the battery from if needed on a temporary basis.

Fawteen · Dec 31, 2011

Welding cable for the hot side with properly attached, waterproofed and insulated lugs from the battery to a quick disconnect on the back bumper. Shorter welding cable to a ground on the truck frame.

My other truck that had a snowplow on it also had a receiver and a pigtail on the front.

LJD · Dec 31, 2011

With a 12 volt, 12,000 lb winch? Not a chance. It will draw as much current as a starter motor on a diesel truck. A 12 or 14 gauge wire would barely even make a 350 amp motor humm, much less pull anything.

Just a 10 foot piece of 12 gauge wire with 350 amps at 12 volts has a drop of 11 volts. I.e. all is does is heat the wire until the insulation melts.

Even if you cut the amps in half (which you can't) there is a 6 volt drop.

If you somehow raised the DC voltage to 120 volts - a 10 foot piece of 12 gauge wire could power thew winch. How'd you do that, I don't know? A 12-120 step-up transformer at one end and then a 120-12 step-down transformer at the other?

Anonymous-0 · Dec 31, 2011

I mounted my winch on the truck bed just behind the cab. I wired it to the truck battery eventually but I used a jump-box on it for the first year or so. Get the HF heavy duty one and keep it charged when not using it.

504 · Dec 31, 2011

Build a set of jumper cables from welding leads with clamps on both ends, they will run your winch and reach a dead battery on a tractor in the shed!

Cliff Nelson · Jan 1, 2012

I put a battery on the trailer and charge it through tho trailer plug. Don't have to worry about voltage drop or burning up the winch due to low voltage. Also, with electric brakes you need a battery on the trailer for the breakaway system. I wired the breakaway to the winch battery so I still only have one battery on the trailer.

JOHNNYfromMI · Jan 1, 2012

With this setup you need to unplug the trailor light cord before using the winch. Without a heavy ground you could burn out the ground in you light cord if the ground throu the trailor ball were to lose it's connection.

mkirsch · Jan 1, 2012

Just because a motor is RATED for 350 Amps doesn't mean it will draw 350 Amps.

The motor will only draw 350 Amps if you're running the winch at full load. Odds are you'll rarely, if ever, be pulling that hard. If you really need that much pull, you're better off getting out the snatch block and doubling up your line.

Janicholson · Jan 1, 2012

I think you forgot, With respect. Transformers do not work on DC. This person needs a group 24 marine battery in a plastic box that can be quick connected to the winch at time of use, and maintained for all other needs in the shed. Jim

Nebraska Kirk · Jan 1, 2012

(quoted from post at 15:07:25 12/31/11)

(quoted from post at 11:44:26 12/31/11) Hello All!

I just bought a 12,000lb 12v winch. I plan to make a bracket that uses a 2" square shank to mount it on my trailer, just in case we need to put it in the hitch of the truck sometime. . . BUT how do you all get power to your winch? I"d prefer not to have a battery and battery box arrangement since, unfortunately it will only be used a few times per year and maintaining a charged battery at all times is a hassle, plus you have to lug it around. I realize I could power through the trailer plug, but I am afraid the wires aren"t stout enough to support the draw of the winch. I"d like to run directly from the truck battery to the rear bumper, and I need suggestions on how to do that safely.

Happy New Year!

Joe

Click to expand...

I think you'll find the winch will perform a lot better IF it DOES have its own 12 volt battery, which gets recharged from the trailer wiring harness with a 10 or 12 gauge wire. Maybe you have another vehicle that you can "borrow" the battery from if needed on a temporary basis.

I agree with Rusty. I have a 9K winch on my gooseneck trailer, I have a dedicated battery that mounts on the trailer right next to the winch. Since I do not use the winch very often, I just put the battery on the charger the night before I need to use the winch. I can only haul 2 tractors comfortably on my trailer and the battery has always had more than enough juice to winch on two dead tractors.

Powering a winch

Joe Appelget

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LJD

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Jim in Ma.

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Anonymous-0

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buickanddeere

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Grampy

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Jim in Ma.

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rustyfarmall

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Fawteen

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LJD

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Anonymous-0

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504

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Cliff Nelson

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JOHNNYfromMI

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mkirsch

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Janicholson

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Nebraska Kirk

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