winch question

[mga]

some one gave me a 2000lb winch. brand new, never used, in the box. it's a chicago electric brand, so not a big deal, but free is free.

i mounted it to the front of my trailer. i figure i can pull those big rounds or heavy logs onto it without breaking my back. but, i need to power it.

i was thinking of running a cable from the battery to the back of the truck with some kind of connector there.

any suggestions from those who've done that?

 

[fordss]

before you go to the trouble of wiring it, i would run it with a junp box a couple time to make sure it does what you need it to.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

I can help

Was Lead Project Engineer & Engineering Manager for a winch company for 15 years.

First you'll lose a lot of voltage over that run if you don't use at least 6 AWG wire. Be sure to install either a circuit breaker or a cut off switch at the battery. You don't want that line under the truck live all the time. A short will drain your battery or generate an arc according to Murphy's Law.

Set up a plug under the bumper, one the hot the other the ground. The ground just needs to go to the frame, not all the way back to battery. Use the jumper cable quick connects, they're designed for that current and wire size.

The other end of the quick connect set runs to the solenoid controls to the winch. Be sure the solenoid pack has a decent ground or they won't pull in.

I always recommended mounting a receiver on the trailer and bolting the winch to a 2 inch square tube. Now you can install and remove it as needed. This also helps it to keep it from growing legs.

Hope this helps, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Take Care

 

[coyotencuttin]

+1 for swamp donkey!! but before you make it permanent use a good battery and see if it works like you want it to.if it does go get the connectors and wire and your camera so we can see it and let us know the cost too.

 

[DieselTech]

I can help with your connector. Look up a local forklift dealer or repair company. Call their parts department and ask for two 175 amp forklift battery connector kits. They come in multiple colors (gray and red are most common, yellow is also out there) and are about 2 inches wide. Make sure you ask for a kit, because they have special tips to crimp onto your cable that you won't get if you only ask for the housing.

They also make a great jumper cable plug.

*Edit* You can get them online here:

http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/powerpole-sets/sb175-sb-series-175-amp.html

 

[Wood Doctor]

Another Winch Question

Question to Swamp Yankee:

My friend just bought a 7000-lb electric winch and wants to bolt it to his big front loader and claw tractor combo. He needs to pull several 2-ton logs out of a ditch and each log is about 15' long.

Assuming he can bolt it to the tractor's frame, how should he supply the winch with enough DC power?

 

[Circle B MN]

On my car trailer I run a seperate battery mounted on the trailer to run the winch. The bigger the better. Mine is actually for a Cummins genset. Charge it off the truck when your running down the road. Has plenty of juice to load logs and rounds. the down side of an eletric winch, more so with a small one, is the cycle time. You'll burn it up.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Question to Swamp Yankee:

My friend just bought a 7000-lb electric winch and wants to bolt it to his big front loader and claw tractor combo. He needs to pull several 2-ton logs out of a ditch and each log is about 15' long.

Assuming he can bolt it to the tractor's frame, how should he supply the winch with enough DC power?

12 or 24 volts?

Some of that equipment runs on 24 volts so the first thing is to do is make sure the winch and electrical system are on the same page so to speak.

That winch should have plenty of power to do the job. He may want to use a double line technique to get more pulling power, especially if the load is close and he's not into the lower wraps on the drum.

If the system is 12 VDC I would recommend 2 AWG on the hot lead to avoid resistance. The ground could be 6 AWG. Be sure to install either a breaker or master disconnect on the hot lead at the battery.

If possible mount the winch in a "foot forward" position as opposed to "foot down". (Note, this doesn't apply to worm drives as the wheel and worm will lose lubrication) By mounting foot forward the castings are now in compression, not tension, a much stronger situation.

Other than that it should be a pretty straight forward installation. If there are any questions, you know what to do.

Take Care

 

[mga]

On my car trailer I run a seperate battery mounted on the trailer to run the winch. The bigger the better. Mine is actually for a Cummins genset. Charge it off the truck when your running down the road. Has plenty of juice to load logs and rounds. the down side of an eletric winch, more so with a small one, is the cycle time. You'll burn it up.

so....you're saying it's not worth the effort?

i just wanted it for that rare occassion when i need to get a large piece on the trailer. i usually am alone when i get wood and i thought the winch would be helpful. but, if they burn out fast, i won't bother.

like i said....free is free...lol...and i just wanted to make some use of it. i know it's not the best of winches.

 

[mga]

I can help

Was Lead Project Engineer & Engineering Manager for a winch company for 15 years.

First you'll lose a lot of voltage over that run if you don't use at least 6 AWG wire. Be sure to install either a circuit breaker or a cut off switch at the battery. You don't want that line under the truck live all the time. A short will drain your battery or generate an arc according to Murphy's Law.

Set up a plug under the bumper, one the hot the other the ground. The ground just needs to go to the frame, not all the way back to battery. Use the jumper cable quick connects, they're designed for that current and wire size.

The other end of the quick connect set runs to the solenoid controls to the winch. Be sure the solenoid pack has a decent ground or they won't pull in.

I always recommended mounting a receiver on the trailer and bolting the winch to a 2 inch square tube. Now you can install and remove it as needed. This also helps it to keep it from growing legs.

Hope this helps, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Take Care

. thanks for the info!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Wood Doctor]

12 or 24 volts?

Some of that equipment runs on 24 volts so the first thing is to do is make sure the winch and electrical system are on the same page so to speak.

That winch should have plenty of power to do the job. He may want to use a double line technique to get more pulling power, especially if the load is close and he's not into the lower wraps on the drum.

If the system is 12 VDC I would recommend 2 AWG on the hot lead to avoid resistance. The ground could be 6 AWG. Be sure to install either a breaker or master disconnect on the hot lead at the battery.

If possible mount the winch in a "foot forward" position as opposed to "foot down". (Note, this doesn't apply to worm drives as the wheel and worm will lose lubrication) By mounting foot forward the castings are now in compression, not tension, a much stronger situation.

Other than that it should be a pretty straight forward installation. If there are any questions, you know what to do.

Take Care

Thanks a bunch. I'll get him started on it. I think the winch came configured that way to run off the big tractor's 12 V power supply. It's got 5/16" cable and a good planetary gear drive. That should do it.

 

[SDiver40]

Swamp Yankee has it right on the money with the wiring set up.
Thats pretty much like i have mine set up, except I run mine thru a battery isolator from the alternator to a battery on the trailer tongue. That way I will not drain my truck battery while working the wench.

I had a 2000lb wench and it would NOT pull anything near what I thought it would. 6ft. log around 18 - 24 in. across is about all it would even consider pulling.
To move logs of any size you will need to move up to around a 6500lb wench. Thats what I use and it does pretty much what I need it to do.

I'll post a few pics and hopefully will give you some ideas.

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss354/sdiver40/MVC-004S.jpg

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss354/sdiver40/0221091138.jpg

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss354/sdiver40/Lifting.jpg

 

[Swamp Yankee]

so....you're saying it's not worth the effort?

i just wanted it for that rare occassion when i need to get a large piece on the trailer. i usually am alone when i get wood and i thought the winch would be helpful. but, if they burn out fast, i won't bother.

like i said....free is free...lol...and i just wanted to make some use of it. i know it's not the best of winches.

Technique makes up for a lack of power

There are some things you can do to get more performance.

The first is using a double line set up. This effectively gives you 2 times the pull on the load. It also causes the motor to use less amps giving a longer run time. Remember these motors though tweaked are still 12VDC starter motors and when they draw high amps everything gets hot and resistance skyrockets.

If you prefer to work single line, shorten the wire rope. This gets you on the lower layers where the winch generates more pounds of line pull. Once again amp draw and heat is reduced.

When pulling a log get the end off the ground. Use a snow saucer or old fender under the end to keep it from digging in the ground. Pull the log, no winch ever made will move Mother Earth.

In short you have a minimal investment and with a little installation effort it will be a lot easier to use than a cheap come-along. Why not use it? If it craps on you the mount and wiring can still be used with a better quality winch if you need to replace the freebie.

Take Care

 

[Wood Doctor]

"When pulling a log get the end off the ground. Use a snow saucer or old fender under the end to keep it from digging in the ground. Pull the log, no winch ever made will move Mother Earth."
------------------
:agree2: If the winch tries to bury the log, you are toast, regardless of power. Set the cable so that the winch lifts the log and clears the ground. Get the log up. After that, it's a piece of cake.