Hey everyone, my name is Randy. This month I want to talk to you about winch wiring. Sometimes our wenches go haywire and start yelling at us for no real reason. Sometimes it is that time of the month. Sometimes it is because I, er um, someone broke all the ceramic dolls. Sometimes it is just cause they like yelling, I figure.
Well, I can't help with the wench's wiring, but I do know a thing or two about wiring up a recovery winch and that is what I want to talk about today. If you read last month's column with the terminals (for the battery, not for the buses) you already know what terminal to get so I am just going to talk about the wires.
First off, unlike everything everyone has ever told you about all other Jeep wiring: Don't use a fuse on the winch wires. The winch draws way too much amperage for any fuse to handle, and if you did find a 400-amp fuse, it would cost a bundle. Not a bundle of yarn, but a bundle of money.
Second off, with no fuse, it is more important than ever to run the wires good and keep them protected from chafing. No one likes chafing. It is uncomfortable and leads to rashes. But with unfused wires, it can lead to worse things, like vehicle fires. So keep the wires away from things that move, like the body and frame.
Winch wiring is not that hard. Follow the directions that came with the winch and take extra special care to keep the wires safe. Here are a few helpful hints of things to look at and keep in mind when you are putting that winch on your Jeep for the first time.
If you use zip ties, it is...
If you use zip ties, it is best to first put a rubber hose (heater hose works good) over the wire and then zip-tie it. No matter what you do, make sure the wire can't get caught in anything or come in unprotected contact with ground. Ever short a wrench on the battery? Now picture that without you there to yank it off immediately.
Most of the time you can run...
Most of the time you can run the winch cables without drilling holes in metal and instead just pass them between body panels. If you do have to drill holes, make sure to deburr the hole and then use rubber grommets. Leave some slack in the wire so it is not tight against the edge of the hole. Even with grommets, a tight wire can wear through the rubber grommet and then through the insulation, creating a short and a fireworks show (which is bad).
Always run the ground wire...
Always run the ground wire back to the battery. If you ground the winch to the frame, often the wire that connects the frame to the battery isn't up to taking all that current. And the extra connections only mean more resistance and less winching power. Run the ground back to the battery.
If you have an aftermarket...
If you have an aftermarket battery with side posts or other extra mounts for hooking up wires, don't use them. Always run the winch off of the main posts on the battery. Most batteries with extra terminals use a thin strip of metal to feed the second connection and it will melt if you try to winch from it.