Winches and circuit breakers/fuses/disconnects

[jbaucom]

Just curious - can't you accomplish basically the same overload protection against unexpected shorts by just keeping the winch clutch disengaged when it's not in use? Worst case, there's a short that sends power to the motor, but the motor runs under no load with pretty minimal amp draw.

The OP's issue with the Bluetooth remote is why I don't use my wireless remote. My Smittybilt X2O came with a wired/wireless remote, but I always plug it in and use it wired. I've heard of too many "delays" in response when using wireless remotes. If I release the button, I want the winch to stop NOW.

 

[thezentree]

I have mine mounted on a bracket on top of the battery. The bracket mounts to the "extra" threads left over on top of the battery tie-down bolts, with some spacer bolts in between.

View attachment 648966

I've had a 300A fuse on the positive wire for my winch for several years. The wire is protected anywhere it is near metal, but with the vibrations from driving offroad there's still the possibility of it wearing through at some point. The fuse is cheap protection.

This is a great idea. I've got a 200A 187F disconnect on the way and plans to copy these. Thanks all.

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

As an aside,
Locally back in the day of tall Fords & Chevys, chrome bars and KC Highlighters.
It was great sport for vandals to put a wire jumper across the ’in’ terminals when they encountred a winch and exposed relay box. Sometimes they went so far as to run the hook around those KCs then to the back bumper before switching on the winch & walking away.

This is why it's a good idea to also switch the control circuit. The winch won't run without power to the control circuit.

This is a great idea. I've got a 200A 187F disconnect on the way and plans to copy these. Thanks all.

If you don't have the tools\wire handy and don't have another local option, check out powerwerx, they will make any custom cable. An 8 inch 2/0 with terminals on both ends is less than $18.

 

[Texoma]

After having water get in my winch solenoid box and shorting out and running the motor till it killed my battery. I installed one of these.

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Bulldog-Winch/BDW20248.html

 

[billiebob]

And yeah, the regardless of any circuit protection, that bluetooth remote is sketchy and I'm pretty disappointed that it's started acting like that. It seems to be limited to cold weather, but I don't trust it anymore. I have the option of using a cable, but I'm going to have to hack up my grille to be able to get to it easily. Oh well.

This ^^^ is the only concern I'd have. I had that option too but I prefer a hard wired winch controller, lord knows how unreliable blue tooth speakers are. I'm kinda old school. Mine is under the hood.



And feeding the wires thru the grill, zero body work



I needed custom length cables,
any heavy truck shop can make them but for a good price you need to know exactly what you need.
This was the factory Warn cabling.



In 50 years, including 2 years installing winches in the 1970s, I've never seen a circuit breaker beyond whats in the winch control box.

 

[thezentree]

@billiebob My winch is tucked up so tight between the bumper and radiator that wire chafing is a real concern for me because the routing isn't nearly as straightforward as yours. I put snakeskin on the power cables and used cut up fuel hose to line pinch points but it's still in the back of my mind. ******** happens and I'd never forgive myself if it burned to the ground due to a short. There is so little room that the back of the winch just about rubs the A/C condenser.

@4000lbsOfGoat I actually ended up ordering my C/B from powerwerx, thanks for the suggestion. I bought the tools to make cables when I installed the winch last year but had I known about powerwerx then I may not have. It's probably for the best though, I'm impatient as hell (#millennial) and borderline illiterate, so it's good that I can make a second cable on the spot when the first one I made was the wrong length. ?

 

[axlesandantennas]

This does not answer your question directly, but here is what I have installed between my battery and my winch:

m-Series Mini Dual Circuit Battery Switch - Red | West Marine

Check out our m-Series Mini Dual Circuit Battery Switch - Red and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

I have it 6 inches off the Positive terminal of the battery. The reason for this is that I was not comfortable with having a live positive of 0 gauge wire on the front of the Jeep. In the event of a wreck, there seemed to be too much potential for the wire to suck every last amp out of the battery. So I installed this big honking switch to air gap it when I am not using it. After a few years of use, it shows no sign of any issues and I am very happy with the results.

 

[COMEUP]

I've got a circuit breaker on my ComeUp. Don't be thrown off by the "400A" rating of the winch. It is almost never going to actually draw that amount and if it does it is likely to only be momentary. Look at the rated characteristics of the breaker you may use. Most of them will handle well over their labeled rating *for short periods of time*.

I use one of these: Eaton Bussman 200A

This is a "200 Amp" breaker but if you take a look at the spec sheet here: Spec sheet
You'll see a "Time vs Percent of Rated Current" chart that shows it will allow 200% of rated current (400 amps) for 10-30 seconds. If your winch is actually pulling 400 amps for that amount of time then you're probably going to want it to trip off!

This breaker manages my "400 amp" winch without a problem.

Here is the article from our company blog
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR YOUR WINCH?

How to choose the right circuit breaker for your winch?

A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. The basic function is to detect a fault condition and then interrupt the current flow. To choose the correct circuit breaker amperage rating...

comeupusa.com

 

[dms1]

I use a 300 Amp rated switch which is located right next to the battery. I just leave it off until I need to use the winch.