Colorado B.S. Thread

@Star-Lord , @thefatkid , @Gramps winch wiring question So I've been looking at how I'm going to set up my new wiring for the truck. Since I'm running the batteries in the rear it's recommend to either have a breaker or fuse from the + side close to the batteries then running those wires to the front of the truck. If I was to install a winch do I connect straight to the battery with no fuse or breaker or do I tie into the main power source in front of the truck that will have the breaker or fuse?

 

There are two schools of thought on this each with their own pros and cons.

1.) Running a circuit breaker. This will ensure that the conductors are protected in the case of a short circuit or overcurrent situation which would prevent a fire. The potential downside is that if a breaker trips during a critical winch pull it could create a dangerous situation.

2.) No circuit breaker. There will be no chance of a breaker tripping during a pull but the conductors will be unprotected.

If it were me I would install a circuit breaker, especially with a long run of wire like in your situation from the batteries in the bed to the winch in the front.

Full disclosure: I don’t yet have a winch so I have no skin in the game. I’m sure others will chime in and tell me why I’m wrong.

 

No circuit breaker, wire winch direct to battery.

 

I knew someone would tell me I’m wrong haha!

 

If he's already running 0 gauge to the front of the truck from the battery, couldn't he just tie in to that point at the front of the truck rather than run another heavy gauge wire all the way back to the battery?

 

Winch direct to battery like star Lord said. Most people run a circuit breaker cause they believe that the winch has constant power and kills their battery but have yet to meet a person that got their vehicle drained from a winch both on TW and Jeep forums. But I know alot of people run a circuit breaker for piece of mind

 

Happy Zombie Jesus day

What do vegetarian zombies like to eat?....







































GRAINESSSSSS.

 

They didn't have circuit breakers back in 1823... So he's never run one.




But I'll leave my 2 cents out about electrical.

 

Got this for Easter while my parents are in town.... mom was all “it’s too small to be useful”.......

 

How many of you guys been to Pikes Peak? I plan on doing a road trip from Florida to Colorado in May and staying for a week and half. What do you recommend to go sightseeing and some good spots to ride up a mountain nothing too difficult? Sorry for all of the questions.

 

As a general rule winches should be run in the same manner as a starter wire, no breakers/protection. That long of a run of wire could have potential for overloading due to possible current draw so the standard winch power cable should be upgraded. There are charts for maximum current for distance of wire. My guess would be the winch would need its own run of 0/1 or bigger. I ran a 2g for an M8000 in my rock crawler and never had any issues but that was a 3500lb truck.

I need to check my winch cables for chaffing again. I usually try and check for any at every oil change as an unprotected wire that shorts equals bad times.

 

What winch do you have? Most winches produced in the last 10yrs have overload protection in the solenoid already so a breaker is redundant and not necessary. IMO if it's critical pull situation.... I don't want a stupid breaker screwing up that situation.

^^this.

I am not expert here but not sure over that length of run you want to share duties between the alternator and the winch during a pull. But someone with more knowledge on this would need to chime in. If you are running the wire once, might as well run it twice at the same time.

I am just gonna leave this one alone.

 

The circuit breaker at the battery is not meant for winch protection, more the run of wire from the battery to the winch.

 

I have 2 guage right now but I was going to switch the long runs to 0. then use the 2 for all the little tie ins. I have no problem running another 0 just for the winch directly to the battery. I just want to do it right. I use heavy duty garden hose to protect my wires. Yes it's heavy but it works great and last a very long time.

 

I added a Blue Sea high current switch to mine just so I can have a quick disconnect in an emergency and I can leave it disconnected when I'm not on the trial. Definitely no fuses or breakers as others mentioned since they could cause you to not be able to use the winch at all if they kick.

Here's the switch wired into mine right next to the battery:

$36 Blue Sea Systems 9003E e-Series Battery Switch, On/Off, Red

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MMC914/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

But wouldn't the winch draw trip first before the wire overloads from the battery side?

 

No winch yet. Still undecided because I haven't done enough research for myself on what would work with my needs. Just looking into how I'm going to wire everything in.

 

Not in the event of a wire short to ground, instant seat heater fire.

Edit: think about where the protection is in relationship to the source voltage

 

I'm not claiming expert status either .
My thought was... "two runs= twice the chance for problems"
Power from the alternator should go straight to the winch. It's not like it has to go to the battery and then back from the battery down the same wire to the winch.

I would think if he brought one, 0 gauge wire from the bed to where the battery would normally be, he could hook things to that point that one would normally connect to the battery. Electrically, you could think of it as a long battery post extension