I have a Steelcraft bumper on order and I will be mounting a 12k winch on it. Instead of using the battery disconnect that it came with, I would rather use an aux switch to "power up" the winch. I have not wired anything up to the aux switches yet and I know the winch will still need to be connected directly to the battery. I'm thinking trying to find like an 500amp relay/isolator and using the aux switch to control that. I bought an Apex 12k winch from HF, the manual states it requires a 650 cca battery and uses 448 amps at full load. I've never installed a big winch on a truck before, only on atv's and side by sides. Any suggestions from those that have done it before? Would a Stinger 500a relay work well?

 

I use these - made to handle high amperage like a winch.

TYCO Electronics 500 Amp Contactor / Relay

 

If you're going to use it for what it's intended for, you want a direct connection to the battery...

Why do you want a switch to it?

 

I just don't want it powered all the time. It would go through the relay to the battery and an aux switch would control the relay. It came with a manual disconnect to mount under the hood but I don't want to have to pop my hood when I need to use it.

 

A 12k winch at or near or at stall is going to pull more than 500 amps.

If you're worried about a fire or something sticking, use the manual disconnect and leave it on all the time.. Every time I've seen a rig on the trail with a circuit breaker, itll always trip on a good pull.

Mine is wired to a switch in the cab, but it kills the low amperage side of the solenoid. It also Gives power to my in cab controls.

 

For my truck, having a huge cable connected directly to the battery on the front and rear of the vehicle without a way to interrupt the current flowing through them is a bad idea in my mind. I have Anderson plugs at both ends of the truck - the winch is in a cradle so it can be used fore and aft. I also have a pair of heavy duty jumper cables that are terminated with an Anderson connector so I don't have to open the hood or even get the front of the truck to the vehicle needing jump started. When I'm not using the connections the upfitter switch is off and there is no power at the plugs. Granted I haven't used the winch to a stall point so I haven't had an issue with the contactor failing. I guess I will have to wait to see if that ever comes into play.

FWIW a Warn ZEON 12K winch is rated by Warn to draw 469 amps at max pull.

 

I think that rating is for while it is pulling a full load, stall is different and will likely pull more current.

 

I can't find much info on max amperage draw just what the draw would be at full load on the first rope layer. Same as previously stated.

 

Here is the Stinger 500a relay I want to use. It has a peak of 900a. I think I'm going to try it.

 

The ratings are usually with no length of cable. Which means in real life with feet of cable you have voltage drop... in real life the actual amperage pulled is higher.

If you're really worried about it, mount two in parallel. But again, why? I've bypassed more breakers on the trail because they keep tripping than ones that have caught fire. It came with a disconnect, just wire it in so it's hot all the time. If something happens, pull the disconnect... When you need a hard pull the most, the last think you want to be doing is messing with a breaker...

But then again, you came on here asking for opinions but dont like the answer, so do whatever.

 

It's all a matter of what you're comfortable with, but there is really no practical need for a disconnect other than it's fun to have the switch to power it up. With a big winch, IMO you're just introducing one more thing to get burned out and fail; more contacts in a winch power lead has proven to be bad news in my years of experience with hauling hundreds of cars with many trucks/trailers/winches along the way. As long as you do a tidy job running the cables (so nothing will chaff etc) there is zero harm in having power to the winch full time; it goes right to a relay box where it's completely shut off when it's not working. If someone's uncomfortable with a powered up wire running the length of their truck, I'd hate to imagine how they feel sitting in their house.

On my 7.3 I've had permanently installed cables going to both the front and rear since 2000 (as did my other shop trucks). A Warn 12k lives on the front (except when briefly gets swapped to the back or trailer) and is plugged in 100% of the time. Standard Andersen-type connectors. I've had to replace connectors over the years from getting broken or corroded when left uncapped, but never had to touch the wiring. Have about a 10' extension cable that can reach to the front of a trailer, and a pigtail with two large booster clamps that I can plug on the end of that for jump starting (which is really handy especially from either end of the truck). Going on 22 years now...

Now you know what I'd LOVE to see is someone manufacture a replacement aux switch that's an SPDT momentary so that you could hardwire it for winch control and have it be totally integrated.

 

You keep refering to it as a circuit breaker, but the OP is writing about a relay or contactor. While a circuit breaker will trip out if the current rating is exceeded, a contactor will not. When closed, the contactor works like the mechanical disconnect you prefer. The contactor can leave you stranded if the pull in solenoid fails so that is something to consider.

 

You keep referring to bypassing breakers - the OP is not installing a breaker. It is a contactor designed for heavy current loads. That is a completely different application.


For me it is a safety issue. My front and rear cables are made to access - which means they are more vulnerable in an accident. If you get into an accident and the cable is crushed / compromised and contacts ground you could have a fire, a battery explosion or both. Not everyone has a giant bumper that their winch is buried within.

When I tow my travel trailer I plug a DC-DC charger into the rear Anderson connector to charge the LiFePO4 battery bank onboard the RV. If I want to cut power from the charger when I'm stopped, at a restaurant, or if the bank is already charged, etc. there is no need to unplug cables, open the hood to throw a disconnect, etc. I just flip Upfitter # 6 and all is good.

As far as the house wiring analogy - that's plain silly. If your house is wired to code every circuit is protected by a breaker. If you accidently cause a short or a serious overload a breaker trips, preventing a fire. There is a main breaker on the panel too. The wires from the utility to your house have a breaker in the circuit. And from the high voltage transformer to the distribution transformer that feeds your house. And so on.