Winch noobie question...

[ryoken]

Alright what is the typical or optimum winch wiring setup?

How many solenoids are in the system? How many are external from the winch assembly?

Trying to figure out everything electrical in the engine compartment that I can fit/or plan to fit in the watertight box I'm building...

Anybody got some good diagrams?

 

[badmix]

My harbor freight aka Mile marker winch jus had 2 wires that went to the battery, jus POS and NEG. The solenoid stayed attached to the winch itself and 2 wires go from solenoid to winch. As far as what is inside the solenoid I have no idea, I have no reason to pop my open, but some others have posted their pics.

 

[ryoken]

Thanks... Yeah, I know how solenoids work, see eleventy billion of em at work..

here's the diagram I looked at...

 

[ryoken]

Btt

 

[dremu]

Not sure what the question is ... but how many solenoids there are and their arrangement will likely depend on your winch.

My Ramsey, IIRC, has precisely two, which are inside a not-watertight plastic box on the head, and they go out to the aforementioned switch control unit. No external anything.

Your winch would preusmably be different. Perhaps you might tell us what it is?

-- A

 

[ryoken]

Not sure what the question is ... but how many solenoids there are and their arrangement will likely depend on your winch.

My Ramsey, IIRC, has precisely two, which are inside a not-watertight plastic box on the head, and they go out to the aforementioned switch control unit. No external anything.

Your winch would preusmably be different. Perhaps you might tell us what it is?

-- A

I don't know sh*t about winches, and don't own one.. Just planning ahead and trying to allocate room in my electronics box in the engine compartment for winch stuff down the road if need be...

According to the diagram I looked at and posted (which looks to me to be a optimum setup), they're running 4 solenoids... Just wondering if the solenoids, whether 1 or 4 are usually contained in the winch or if they could be moved to a waterproof location...

I can't believe with 81 views only 2 people run winches or have info on this...

 

[dremu]

I don't know sh*t about winches, and don't own one.. Just planning ahead and trying to allocate room in my electronics box in the engine compartment for winch stuff down the road if need be...

According to the diagram I looked at and posted (which looks to me to be a optimum setup), they're running 4 solenoids... Just wondering if the solenoids, whether 1 or 4 are usually contained in the winch or if they could be moved to a waterproof location...

I can't believe with 81 views only 2 people run winches or have info on this...

Oh. Got it. Umm, your question was worded oddly so lots of people were prolly going "Duh... what?"

Anyway, most every winch you get will have the solenoids snuck into a control box somewhere ON the winch, i.e. not external, and there's no particular standard. For instance, I swear my Ramsey has but two, versus some have four, etc. The winch mfr's don't trust people to wire the solenoids up and not blow something.

That diagram you posted is off a 24V winch, btw -- maybe a military, Milemarker thing?

Unfortunately you won't therefore be able to plan ahead. Shold you want to do remote solenoids, you can, but you'll need to have your winch, or at least a specific model picked out, to plan for it.

Make sense?

-- A

 

[ryoken]

Oh. Got it. Umm, your question was worded oddly so lots of people were prolly going "Duh... what?"

Anyway, most every winch you get will have the solenoids snuck into a control box somewhere ON the winch, i.e. not external, and there's no particular standard. For instance, I swear my Ramsey has but two, versus some have four, etc. The winch mfr's don't trust people to wire the solenoids up and not blow something.

That diagram you posted is off a 24V winch, btw -- maybe a military, Milemarker thing?

Unfortunately you won't therefore be able to plan ahead. Shold you want to do remote solenoids, you can, but you'll need to have your winch, or at least a specific model picked out, to plan for it.

Make sense?

-- A

Perfectly... Thanks, good post...

I really had no idea on if anything was "remote", other than the in & out control..

I'll just plan on running that 1/0 or whatever I run for it into my box and to the battery switch when the time comes.. I'll have some room in there anyway if I wanted to run another solenoid.. Already gonna have a remote start one in there...

Been pouring over diagrams from all the headlight mods, electric fan wiring and dual battery setups I can find, to plan all those together and do it as one rewire, all in that box... Should work well, short runs of big battery cable all on that side of the engine compartment.....

As of now, iirc correctly, I'm looking at having a battery switch, solenoid, ACR, 10 breakers, 7 or so relays and a couple bulkhead connectors in the box as of now...

Writing up the wiring diagram last night gave me a migraine.....

 

[Muddytazz]

Paul, when I was working for warn, I worked in the military department winch area. They use a rubberized coating of some sort (can't remember what its called) to DIP the complete motor/solenoid pack end of the winch into for waterproofing. Might give them a call and see what they use. I know I've bought and sprayed on that undercoating stuff in a spray can to a few buddies winches and they have never had any issues.