TORX
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Posts: 294
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Post by TORX on Jan 18, 2010 14:46:44 GMT -8
Well I decided it was finally time to buy a winch. I went with a Warn 9.5xp, which has a remote solenoid pack. My plan is to mount the solenoid box under the hood somewhere, to keep the front end clean, and solenoid box protected. It looks like I would need around 7ft of wire for each lead to reach the winch.
My question is, will 2 gauge wire (factory) be able to handle the full amp load from this distance? Warn has the winch motor using 480 amps at 9500lbs.
Any opinions from any of the electrical gurus, or those that have done this before?
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Post by trdoffrd on Jan 18, 2010 16:12:05 GMT -8
i dont remember what i ran but i know i stayed the same size an not only did i crimp ends on them i also filled them with lead an heated it up. i was winchin an a 60,000lb man lift when i work at the rental yard that was stuck an the guy hit the brakes on me an it pulled my whole bumper off, but the wires i had to the winch was holding it all up. i think im running something like 7 strand wire on it, its some tough stuff
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TORX
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Posts: 294
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Post by TORX on Jan 18, 2010 18:19:30 GMT -8
Where did you get your wire from?
In the past I've gotten wire from Liberty Welding Supply in Vancouver. Really good pricing on wire by the foot, and they'll crimp on connectors too.
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Post by iceman on Jan 18, 2010 19:53:59 GMT -8
It never hurts to up size but 7ft shouldn't make a difference. The cable is going to be the same lengh wether you mount the solenoid under the hood or at the winch because the cable still has to come from the battery. On my winch (mile marker 8,000lb)I swaped the cables from before the solenoid to the winch side of the solenoid. and vise versa then mounted the solenoid pack close to the battery. I hope this helps.
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Post by iceman on Jan 18, 2010 19:59:22 GMT -8
Also if you’re going to run new wires run the most strands possible. This will make it have less resistance. The electrons don't run through the center of the wire they run on the out side so the more strands of wire you have the more surface area they will have to travel on. I didn't know this until we build and raced electric cars in high school. We chance strands of wires and upped our run time by quite a while. We were running 00 gage wire with something like 3600 strands it was stereo cable that we bought special from Audio Source in Hazel Dell.
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Post by fivendime on Jan 18, 2010 20:13:58 GMT -8
Also if you’re going to run new wires run the most strands possible. This will make it have less resistance. The electrons don't run through the center of the wire they run on the out side so the more strands of wire you have the more surface area they will have to travel on. I didn't know this until we build and raced electric cars in high school. We chance strands of wires and upped our run time by quite a while. We were running 00 gage wire with something like 3600 strands it was stereo cable that we bought special from Audio Source in Hazel Dell. No doubt, and I hated putting ends on them since those wires were like wild hairs....all over the place. They did work much better though. Iceman is also an electrician so he knows his wiring ;D
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Post by trdoffrd on Jan 18, 2010 21:14:54 GMT -8
just go get some welding leads an you will be good..
If you have an Optima battery or any battery with side terminals (flush on the side and used with a small bolt or connection), it's recommended that a winch is NOT connected to these smaller terminals. In most cases they can not handle the full amperage draw of a winch. Use of these small terminals can damage your battery and potentially cause a fire.
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TORX
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Posts: 294
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Post by TORX on Jan 18, 2010 21:45:28 GMT -8
Iceman is also an electrician so he knows his wiring ;D Ahh, an electrical guru. ;D Thanks for tips and advice guys. I think I was over thinking this a little too much. Most winches come from the factory with #2 or even smaller wire, so adding a few feet and upping the wire size should be fine. I'll update you on what I end up going with. I'm thinking #1 wire for the leads, and mounting the solenoid next to the factory air box.
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