I am in the process of wiring a 3000# winch on a buggy rack to pull the buggy up on the truck. It is a harbor freight wireless remote winch and the wire that it came with looks like 10 AWG wire maybe 8 AWG. The wire will be probably 20' long. I am wanting to know what type of wire to use? I am thinking of using amp power wire either 4 or 6 AWG. Will this type of wire be good to use or should I use a battery type cable? The sand rail weighs around 1000# and when I was testing the winch, just hooked it up with jumper cables to test, it was struggling a little to get it up the rack. I might end up having to use a pulley and double up the winch cable to get it up there but not sure right now. Thanks in advance for the info.

Buggy on rack



Ramps

 

4 gauge... maybe 6... i think that 10 awg is robbing you of some power... try 4...

 

first off.... thats just badazz! i love that setup!!!

second of all if we are talking about the power feed cable straight off the battery i would use at least 1 gauge, maybe 2. one rule of thumb when wiring a large draw system (lights, winch, sound system, etc) you cant get too big! i just relocated my batterys to the frame of my PSD (red one in my sig) to the frame and used 2/0 cable opposed to the 2 gauge cable from the factory and wow what a difference. if you are gonna be buying 20' might i suggest ordering from Del City (i am NOT advertising for this company!) i was treated well, my order was placed without issues, and my order arrived in less than a week!

this is what i would get if i were you
http://www.delcity.net/delcity/servl...=179649&page=1
dont forget the cable ends and shrink tube for long lasting reliability!

-cutts-

 

Yes i fully agree with fishy on this one!
Cant go to big! But the bigger the wire the more money you will have to spend. See how many amps the winch pulls and report back, with that info i could give you a really close estimate on wire size, only other factory being on the length of the run.

 

20' is a long run for a winch power feed!

here is a basic chart to give you an idea of what we are suggesting...



EDIT... is this your winch? http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals...5999/95912.pdf

-cutts-

 

I couldn't find the amp draw but here is some info on it

<TABLE dir=ltr cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=7 width=441 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=37>
Electrical Requirements
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=37>12 VDC Power Input
1.1 HP / Permanent Magnet
6’Length Battery Wires (Qty. 2)
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Maximum Line Pull Capacity
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>3,000 Pounds
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Remote Control
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Hand Held Wireless (A = "Power In" / B = "Power Out")
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Gear Ratio
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>153.1
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Cable Assembly
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>32 Ft. x 3/16" Diameter / High Carbon Steel, Zinc Plated
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=37>Hook Assembly
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=37>Spring Loaded Safety Latch
1" Jaw Opening
3-1/2" Long x 2-1/2" Wide x 1/2" Thick
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Mounting Plate Dimensions
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>7.48" Long x 5.04" Wide x 2.17" High
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Overall Dimensions
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>13-3/8" Long x 9-1/16" Wide x 6-19/64" High
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>Weight
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="50%" height=12>18.9 Pounds
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

And like I said the wire that is on it is 8 AWG max. I know the bigger the wire the better but I don't want to spent $5 a foot for wire. I think if I go with the 4 AWG I would be fine. So what do you think of the amp power wire? Something like Monster cable.

 

I am just guessing the length for now. It will be going from the battery under the truck in the bed and up and forward to the winch at the front of the rack. I am not getting the chart, what are the numbers in the chart signifying?

Also this is a link to the winch if that helps. Click

 

From my calculations that winch pulls about 90 amps.
This is where i found the formula that i used

How to calculate dc motor power? - Forums.MrPLC.com

4awg should be good for intermittent use. The more load, the more amp draw. So, a ****** block should about cut the amps in half.. I think i read somewhere that the winches get there rating for a rolling load being pulled up a 10 % grade. But could be wrong. Your ramp looks much more than a 10% grade.

 

I think I am going with 4AWG and yes the ramp is definitly more than 10% so the winch is probably working it's butt off.

 

that chart shows voltage drop per 100ft run of paired wire!

heres a silly question... have you thought about putting a secondary battery in the bed? or maybe mounted on the frame? then you could run 8gauge from the alt to the battery for charging and then something like 4 gauge from the battery to the winch.

just a thought.

-cutts-

 

I have thought of that also but I think it would be cheaper just to run cable from the existing batteries than buy a battery and cable/ends.

I am going to look into just buying a pair of jumper cables and taking the clamps off and putting on terminals also.

Would it be better to run the ground cable back to the battery or would a chassis ground be sufficient? Just another thought.

Thanks everyone for the input/info.

 

well its always best to run a ground to the battery directly but for your uses a ground right to the frame should be sufficient. the area around the contacts on the frame need to be solid and clean. i would also add a ground cable straight from the battery to the frame for a direct route.

-cutts-

 

4awg should be ok... I would go with 2.... As for the amp wiring kit, that will be fine... As for grounding, back to battery is always best, but if you ground to frame, make sure the frame is sanded down to bare metal where the ground connects, then make sure you have good contact points on the other grounds... battery to body, body to frame, and battery to frame if you got it...

 

I bought welding cable in 2ga.from an outfit called weldingsupply.com. I googled discount welding supplies,checked several companies,this co. had excellent prices.I use welding cable to make batt. cables for most of my vehicles,for several reasons. its got more strands of finer diameter wire than typical batt. cable(been told that more strands/finer wire carries power better)and its more flexible,and its got better insulation,since its intended use requires it to withstand being dragged across the ground. i got my cable for less than a $1.50/ft,i also got terminal lugs from them at a good price. i bought a generic version of the polarized connectors that Warn and Ramsey use for there winch power leads,voila a power lead on the back of my Dodge.Both Warn and Ramsey use either 2 or 4 G wire on there leads,which are avail up to 20 or 24 ft lengths,and are suitable for several of there 5-9 thousand lb. winches,all of which draw more power than the Harbor freight Permanent Magnet winch motor............