Hot Winch

Morning everybody!

Is it normal for a winch to get pretty hot after using for a bit? I just reeled it in and it got pretty hot.

 

Yes

 

Yes, especially when under load.

 

Thank you, It didn't have much load, I didnt quite reel it in with the weight of the truck. It got hot and didn't want to try it under load until I knew if that was ok.

 

Lear about the winch duty cycle. Most imports are 20%+/-, that means for every 20 seconds of using it you must let it rest for 80 seconds.

 

That ONE time that an OP spells the word "winch" correctly could have been such a good clickbait title

Yeah, they get hot. Toyota says this is normal.

 

Why does Toyota have anything to say about winches?



@Wixo, your winch should have a thermal cut off, so it should shutoff automatically to protect itself. That said, the cooler you keep it, the longer it will last. The rule of thumb is 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. If you think about it, a 30 second pull is a pretty long pull anyway, but letting it cool for another 30 is pretty easy as you're typically making adjustments, stacking rocks or whatever in between your pulls.

Iirc, my Warn instructions were pretty cagey about showing an actual rated duty cycle, even googling doesn't get you very far... But I think 30 seconds on/off is pretty standard, no matter how hard you're pulling.

 

That was more of the TW tag line for "no big deal" they def dont have anything to say on winches.

 

Your truck didnt come with a factory winch?

 

No, but mine came with that last half liter they forgot in yours

 

Thats a new one lol

 

$50k for a Pro and you'd think they would...

 

What Winch mfg do you have and have you wired it correctly especially the (-) ground wire . Also are your connections clean of corrosion and dirt ???

Also most winches have a duty cycle rating and thermal switch . Run the winch using short 20-30 second intervals with 30-45 second power off to cool the motor during hard pulls

 

I got it installed by a shop. The guy (yes I was able to hang out in the back for a part of the install) said he wired it exactly like the instructions said. I trust he did install it correctly, I mean the wiring was pretty damn simple. It wasnt blistering hot, but it was hot. Based off of what everyone else said I think its normal.