How Much Amp Draw To Run A Smittybilt 8k Winch?

Singleton Bectinced · Monday, March 28, 2022

Topic: Wire gauge for 12V winch (Read 63712 times)

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I picked up a Ramsey Patriot eight,000 lb winch today and I want to wire it with a long cable, 25'-30'. The current draw at maximum line pull is listed at 420 amps. I've been shopping around for quick disconnect cablevision kits, and the prices are SCARY!!!!

I'm looking for advice ane whether 2ga wire if actually needed, or if 4ga would suffice? I've tried some Google searches but couldn't find any info for that much amperage. The truck has an 850 CCA battery, so I should be alright there. I'd similar to set this upwardly then I can mount the winch in the rear receiver hitch and be able to move it to the side of the bed or to a nearby trailer.

Thanks,

Jack.

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I have always used 2 guess on all my truck winches, from 8,000 to 12,500 lbs.

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Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Main"
18-Wheeler Driver for J&R Schugel

Jack we accept a 3000lb winch on our trailer to load logs. I needed a cable to run the winch
from the bombardment on my Jeep. I found one on ebay for $35.00. Information technology had centre connectors on
both ends. It was 25' long and i think it was #6 wire. They where outher i and then cheque
there. It as well had a quick disconnet on one finish likewise.

Sawwood

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Norwood M4 manual mill, Solar Kiln, Woodmaster
18" planer/molder

I gauge what I should have asked, whatsoever advice on putting together a 2 gauge harness myself from parts rather than ownership one? I know copper prices are high, merely $170 for a xx' cablevision and a couple plastic fittings!?!?!? I don't think so!!

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Rather than a defended harness for the winch, I built a 25 foot set of booster cables. Just as much money to make only they have more opportunity to pay for themselves - which they have done almost every winter.
I used number 4 welding cable; durable and flexible.

I take a reciever hitch on front end and rear of the truck, and on the log trailer, and on the tractor, and on the jeep...

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Ditto to what Sprucegum said. I found a set of 20', #4 jumper cables on auction with copper clamps for $100. I use them for every thing electric.
FB

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I never met a tree I didn't like!!

Looking at it from a different angle ...

Drawing 420 amps of current through xxx' of #2 estimate wire drops the voltage by ii volts! If you use a pair of cables the total voltage drib is 4 volts, leaving you just 8 volts at the winch.

Drawing 420 amps of current through thirty' of #4 gauge wire drops the voltage by 3.2 volts! If you use a pair of cables the total voltage driblet is 6.four volts, leaving you just 5.6 volts at the winch.

Electric motors draw any electric current they need to supply the necessary power. If the voltage at the motor goes down, the electric current draw volition go up. That overheats the motor and somewhen it burns out. Information technology also produces less torque so it won't be pulling as hard every bit information technology normally would.

Now the (sort of) good news. The winch manufacturer has already immune for some voltage drib in the wires yous connect it with, so the situation isn't quite so bad.

Some suggestions:

Keep the wire length as short as y'all possibly can. The departure between a 25' cable and a 30' cable is meaning (that means the total length, from the winch to the battery).
Utilize skilful quality connectors -- inexpensive ones tin have a lot of voltage drop across them.
If you need longer wires for only some of the time, make up two sets and use the shorter ones whenever you lot can (Yep, I know, expensive. Compare it to the cost of a new winch).
Try to keep the load on the winch down when you lot're using the cables.

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Bruce LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Circuitous problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Brucer, thank you for the info. It reminds me of my retail lumberyard days. We sold a lot of those niggling portable compressors. People would try running them off of fifty' or 100' 16ga extension cords and ended up burning up the motor or frying the cords.

I've pretty much resigned myself to ownership a wiring kit, probably the Warn quick disconnect kit. It comes with a solenoid to shut off ability when non in use, just there is no fuse or breaker.

At that place is no mention of a fuse or billow in the literature that I've seen from Ramsey or Warn. Practice you guys run without them?

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Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, two Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a agglomeration of stuff I built myself

Hey, in that location's zilch that says the winch has to run off the vehicle battery. Use a second battery mounted every bit close equally possible to the winch, then parts store starter cables to the winch. And then you can get away with #viii or ten wire with a fuse inline, up to the vehicle battery. That's enough to recharge the aux battery while y'all bulldoze...Lots less likely you will run the vehicle bombardment down and can't become it started. Been there and done that..

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1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln. Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl 028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft society.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Proficient point Piney. My trailer winch runs off of a separate battery. I accept it out of the trailer and hook it up when needed. It stays hot for several month on a recharging at the shop.

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Knothole Sawmill, LLC '98 Forest-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic WM One thousand thousand BF Club Member WM Pro Sawyer Network

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

There's some other choice that I utilise. I mounted the winch permanently on the front end bumper of the pickup. Electrical cables are overnice and curt and there'south a remote switch in the cab. Hither's the overnice part. Welded a reciever for a standard hitch underneath the winch. When I get to the chore site, I un-hitch the trailer, motility the hitch to the front of the truck and hook upward the trailer to information technology. Maneuvering a trailer in tight places is a bunch easier. I don't have eyes in the back of my head and the old cervix is getting erstwhile and stiff. Endeavor it, you'll beloved it...

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1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln. Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with bootleg forks and winch, stihl 028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft society.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Brain power is an awesome force. You lot are astonishing Piney.

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Knothole Sawmill, LLC '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic WM Million BF Club Member WM Pro Sawyer Network

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

... Use a second battery mounted as shut equally possible to the winch, then parts store starter cables to the winch. Then you tin can get away with #viii or 10 wire with a fuse inline, up to the vehicle battery....

For certain. You simply need to describe 420 amps for a short time. The second battery smooths out the current demand on the charging wires.

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Bruce LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems take simple, easy to empathise wrong answers."

Thank you for all the info. Well, I loosened the stranglehold on my wallet and went with the Warn kit. It just arrived today. You'd think for $172 they'd include a plug to install on your existing cables. Nope. Off to Grainger and some other $15 spent.

After pricing the components locally I plant that there was very fiddling to be saved by fabbing it myself.

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Afterwards pricing the components locally I found that there was very fiddling to be saved by fabbing information technology myself.

Yea simply its just ameliorate when you build it your self specially if you exercise a build like I practice.

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Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, ii Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a agglomeration of stuff I built myself

Looking at information technology from a unlike angle ...
Drawing 420 amps of electric current through 30' of #two judge wire drops the voltage by 2 volts! If you use a pair of cables the total voltage drop is four volts, leaving y'all just 8 volts at the winch.

Cartoon 420 amps of current through 30' of #iv gauge wire drops the voltage by 3.2 volts! If y'all use a pair of cables the total voltage driblet is vi.four volts, leaving you simply 5.half-dozen volts at the winch.

Electric motors describe whatever current they need to supply the necessary power. If the voltage at the motor goes down, the electric current draw will get up. That overheats the motor and eventually it burns out. Information technology also produces less torque then information technology won't be pulling equally hard as it normally would.

At present the (sort of) skilful news. The winch manufacturer has already allowed for some voltage drop in the wires yous connect it with, so the situation isn't quite and then bad.

Some suggestions:

Keep the wire length as short every bit y'all maybe can. The departure betwixt a 25' cable and a xxx' cable is pregnant (that means the total length, from the winch to the battery).

Employ proficient quality connectors -- inexpensive ones can have a lot of voltage drop beyond them.

If you need longer wires for only some of the time, make up ii sets and utilize the shorter ones whenever you can (Yeah, I know, expensive. Compare information technology to the cost of a new winch).

Try to keep the load on the winch down when yous're using the cables.

For the electric winch I have mounted on my flatbed trailer I have a pair of 30' #2 welding cables made up with quick disconnect that I plug into my truck battery and I drape them over the cab dorsum to the trailer when I need to apply them. To overcome the voltage drop Brucer identified as a trouble I installed a loftier capacity deep-cycle 12 volt bombardment at the winch on the trailer. This has server me well for over eight years. I've had to replce the battery one time and so far. If the deep-cycle is fully charged sometimes I can use the winch without hooking up the cable run. With the cables hooked upwards the trailer mounted battery is under constant charge whenever the truck is running. I think this also protects my truck batteries and alternator as well.

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Been there, washed that. Never got caught [/b]
Wood-Mizer LT40 Super- Wide HDG38
Lucas Dedicated 60" Slabber

on mounting a battery next to the winch rather than stringing long, expensive, cables from the forepart of the truck. I use a deep-wheel battery and it has always had plenty of power to go my trailer loaded. I have the MileMarker 9000 lb winch. Just utilise the cables provided with the winch. I have the auxiliary 12v wire to my trailer socket simply have never used it to accuse the winch battery. Just first with a fully charged battery (I practice have a spare but haven't needed information technology). If I had to pull several trailer loads a day information technology might exist a skillful idea to hook upward the charge wire.

Pineywoods, I as well mounted a receiver hitch on the front of my F350 and information technology has saved the mean solar day several times. Not so much for maneuvering the trailer but more so for threading my factory into places I might not take been able to reach otherwise. Really helpful when milling close to someone's domicile, outbuildings or continuing trees. I also have an iBall magnetic trailer camera which saves a lot of in-and-out while hooking upwardly.

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07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, xx' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump. Piggy-dorsum forklift. LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/thirty" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you phone call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.