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School me on this type of winch...

colbystephens

colbystephens

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my brother is giving me a military issue 12k lb warn winch. :D :bow: says its the 24 volt variety. i guess he comes across these for free occasionally! anyway, what do i need to convert it to 12 volt? it doesn't have a winch cable - just the bare bones machine. Where's the cheapest winch cable? i'm thinking synthetic since i've read lots about it being better, but i'm low on funds, so i might get the cable instead if cheaper. i'll pick it up probably later this week, and snap some photos. :D
 
12V works...

I had a 24 volt winch once,it ran on 12 volts too,but didn't have as much speed or power as it did with 24 volts (duh!)--so I just used 2 batteries wired in series to power it..I felt it was cheaper than buying another 12V motor for it,and two batteries give more reserve capacity too..:crazy:
 
Sure they can. You put in a second battery with a series/parallel solenoid switch btwn them. Parallel for starting, running, charging, series for winching.

Or you buy a 12V motor for it. There isn't another option.
 
ok, i've got 2 batteries in my truck (both at about 1100 cca! :D), can you go into more detail regarding the solenoid switch? i'm not familiar w/ electrical at all.
 
i have a military winch off of a HMMWV on my truck...i tried just using the 24v soleniod and it worked ok for about 40 ft until the soleniod overheated. if you let it cool down you can continue winching for about 40 more ft. orrrr....you could buy a 12v soleniod and be done...i bought a 12v solenoid from this website (http://winchesplus.com/index.html) and installed it (one bolt and too wires). works like a champ. lemme know if you need some help with the hydraulic lines (if its hydraulic). ps, your going to have to call them and tell them you need a 12v soleniod for your military 24v winch because it is not listed on their webpage....
 
Yes, you can have the motor rewired for 12v. Or should be able to:crazy: The motor will have to be taken apart any place that works on electrical motors should be able to do it. Might be easier to go with the suggested solenoid but I would check out both options.;)
 
The synth rope probably won't be much more expensive then a new steel cable. You might be able to find a steel cable from someone who switched to rope for cheap though. If you don't come across a sweet deal on cable then save your nickels & dimes till you can afford a rope.

www.winchline.com seems to have some of the best prices on rope.

Synth rope is MUCH safer then cable, & as soon as I can afford it I am going to do synth rope on my 12K warn. Remember that you need 3/8" cable or rope not 5/16". You may find a 5/16" cable from someone for cheap but it is NOT a good idea to put it on a 12K winch. It is only ment for winches 9500lbs & lighter. A 12K needs 3/8".

Harley
 
thanks for the help, dudes. what do you look for in selecting a winch cable? how much of an issue is heat resistance?

how much winch line is sufficient? 50'? sounds far, but maybe it isn't when needed...
 
Considering that if you have a hydro. winch overheating shouldnt be of any worry to you. If you have an electric style the heat resitant style such as Firewire (500+F rated) is recomenndced for use on the first wrap of line on the drum, due to the extreme heat that can be generated from the motor. The rest can be a regular style syn. rope. I belive viking sells a rope with this design. As for syn. rope nop mater what kind I would do a minum of 75ft x 3/8". 100ft x 3/8'' is the what comes on most 12k's from the factory in steel line.


The syn. line runs about $220 plus a hook and thimble.
I can get the steel cable in 100' x 3/8'' for $60 w/ a hook.
And yes a syn. line is much eaiser to use and 100x safer to use than a steel cable.

I run vikings syn. Fire Line on all on my rigs. It was worth every penny.
 
i'll find out if it's hydraulic probably tomorrow or tuesday when i pick it up. :)
 
what is more desireable about certain types of fairleads? rollers or no?
 
You can use non-roller for both types of cable/rope. Non-roller is recommended for synth rope. They do make replaceable roller ends for synth rope if you want to pay more $$$ and change them yourself.
 
Make sure it's a 12,000 lb winch before you load it. Most of the warn electrics were 8,000's. The hydraulics are MileMarker 10,500's. But hey if it's free it's for me..... Good deal.
 
Not exactly. You still have solenoids on a hydraulic that is either 12, 24 or both.

Although if it's a Warn it's electric.
 
JEBSR said:
Not exactly. You still have solenoids on a hydraulic that is either 12, 24 or both.

Although if it's a Warn it's electric.
Click to expand...

Eh. Didn't know the hydraulics were electrically controlled ... figgered they were like cable-operated or something. :dunno:

I learn something every day!

-- A
 
Warn 12k's come with 125' of 3/8" steel cable. Make sure you get at least 100' of cable. If you can get 150'. Then load the drum up with as much as it can safely hold then cut the rest off & make it a line extension. They come in really handy sometimes.

Harley
 
dremu said:
Eh. Didn't know the hydraulics were electrically controlled ... figgered they were like cable-operated or something. :dunno:

I learn something every day!

-- A
Click to expand...
The bigger ones are usually manual. The MileMarker 10,500 and 12's are electrically activated though. So you weren't wrong completely.:wink1:
 
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