So if im reading the chart correctly I need a 00000 guage wire to my winch to get 460 amps to it.

The warn cable kit is 4 guage (120 amp). Why would they give you wire that only allows you to pull 120 amps-2000LBS? What guage wire do you guys use?

AWG gauge Diameter Inches Diameter mm Maximum amps for chassis wiring power transmission
OOOO 302 amps
OOO 239 amps
OO 190 amps
0 150 amps
1 119 amps
2 94 amps
3 75 amps
.....................................
bs.(Kgs.) Line Speed
FT./min(M/min.) Motor
Current Pull by layer

2000(910) 14.4(4.39) 180 amps 2/8190(3715)
4000(1810) 11(3.35) 255 amps 3/7500(3402)
6000(2720) 8.67(2.64) 330 amps 4/7010(3180)
8000(3630) 6.88(2.10) 415 amps 5/6570(2980)
9000(4080) 6.38(1.94) 460 amps

Your chart is probably for continous duty. Winches don't run that long. If you do rewire welding cable is more flexible and easier to fish around.

I hope you don't need to run 4/0Awg that stuff is massive! But yeah, what jeli said. Those numbers are for continuous duty. I bet some 1/0awg welding cable should be more than enough. Your cable gauge requirement also changes depending on how far you're running the power cable.

bingo , what he said. theres no such thing as 00000 in wire size (american wire gauge) 250 kcmil would be the next size larger. 000, or oooo welding cable would be ideal.

Do I get that cable at a welding shop?

Where do you get the batter/winch ends?

Do I solder and crimp or?

Can I run booster cables from one batter to the other to give me more power?

careful with wiring the batteries together, I don't know if our trucks have isolaters but if they do then you'd deafeat their purpose to keep the batteries from fighting with each other.

am i missing something here? dosenet your winch come with cables from the factory?

4 guage
Can I pull 460 amps 20 feet to the back hitch with 4 guage?

0/0 AWG will be sufficient.

My old Audio setup had 3 Caps in it

3- ASR 2.5 @ 32VDc

Huh...
Warns "KIT" wire for the movable winch is 4 guage. That wire will allow me to pull 175 amps 20 feet momentarily.

The winch can pull 460 amps at 9,000LBS.

So I guess warn has it head up its azz.

I know nothing about winch cable sizes and amps, but I know I have run my 15,000 Warn with stock battery cables furnished by Warn for too damn continuous duty for over 2 hours while pulling my 02 CC 4X4 through knee deep mud in Guatemala. While I did pull my dual Optimas down a bit, cables had no trouble handling the load. It was winch, drag cable 100+ feet to another tree, winch, drag cable to another tree, winch, drag cable to another tree for what seemed like all day long. I was sooooo muddy afterwards I took my clothes off before getting in the truck. Winch worked great. No cable damage.

You must have been only pulling 2000LBS with that 15k winch.

Any more and the cables would get hot, then lose transfer rate, then hotter, then melt.

15000= 460 amps


But that gives me hope for this trip 5 days from now. I will use the stock cables because Im out of time for a fancy big cable install.

heres something for all you trechlicians to ponder. you could run that 15k winch with a #12 awg house wire, it woudnt be wise. amperage (current) requires, needs a low resistance path through the circuit (wire/cable), the larger the wire (diameter) the more current can flow effeciently without melting insulation off wire and burning truck up. theres nothing wrong with oversizing wire, electricity loves it. to bad you coudnt afford gold wire it has more electrons than copper and would really conduct better. if warn advetises to use #4 awg 20 ft to to his 15k winch im sure his engineers have thouroghly tested that (from 1 or 2 batteries) heres something to think about. go buy a cheap set of jumper cables from pigly wigly and try to jump start a d-8 cat, make yourself a good set of jumper cables out of quality welding cable and actually jumpstart the cat.

and PC definitely never rely on solder for high amperage connections, commpresion or mechanical lugs only.

I just ordered my Warn M12000 winch. It comes complete with wiring harness. Why should I think that they would send me something that would ultimatley melt or fail? I have not got the Winch yet, Maybe next week.

So here is a question, There is a Red plastic box under the hood that says 12V. Is this where everybody is hooking up their winch for power? Seems a logical location and does connect directly to Battery. Just trying to do my leg work up front.

Thanks

Duramax dually
it should be fine with what they give you. electric vehicle winches are not intended for continous duty, if you want continous duty get hydraulic. i bought a acouple warn winches over the years IIRC the info said to let cool down if it gets hot. (golden rule: if its too hot to touch somethings wrong). i also think it would be better to connect dirrectly to a battery, see what the instructions say when you get your winch. i dont know offhand what size cable runs between the battery and that point you refference but if the cable they furnish is larger i would not do it. it would be a weak point. BTW why woudnt you want to connect dirrectly to your battery? Its a permanent connection and would provide the path of least resistance for current to flow.

Peekok,
Well on the battery you have those little posts with the intergrated bolt where as the power source hanging out there has a large stud offering alot of surface area. How would you attach the wiring directly to the battery? Do you have to cut off the end and crimp all of the wires into the connector for the battery.

Your continous duty comment is what I believed to be true also. I am not going to be using this all the time, in fact I have no idea how much I will use it. I purchased the Reunel front end bumper replacement and I need to install the winch before the bumper is in, if not I would have to yank the bumper later and install it. Bumper weighs couple hundred pounds.

yeah i know what your saying about battery not having a post. im gonna do some searching on that. i would not cut my factory cable to the battery.

ok go to www.custombatterycables.com open accessories scroll down to the side post add i cable. i bet that would work. it looks like you need a good crimper though.

Peekok,
Thanks for the link. I have an e-mail into them asking recommendations. I would have to believe the 12V source GM installed by the battery was to do the very thing I am planning on doing knowing that you can not attach directly to the battery like the old days. Of course I have no idea what wire gauge I am receiving from Warn so I cannot compare that to the cable from the battery to the remote location source. Hopefully they are the same and then I am Good to go and the installation will be a cake walk without special stuff.

Go to a stereo place. They sell a stud with a male(goes into your battery) end, with a hex portion and a female thread that your stock battery cable goes into. Its how i have my amp wired and also how i have my plow electronics wired.

[QUOTE=Duramax Dually]Peekok,
Thanks for the link. I have an e-mail into them asking recommendations. I would have to believe the 12V source GM installed by the battery was to do the very thing I am planning on doing knowing that you can not attach directly to the battery like the old days. /QUOTE]

well now you did it:eek: . i went out and took a peek at this cable. looks to be about 18 inches long from the battery (drivers side) and about #4 awg. personally i would not hook up a 12k winch to that location. it does look like a good place to wire in less load drawing equipment such as aux. lights/ stereo.):h ):h

I stock a adapter for this very hook up, you just remove the factory bolt and install this stud which has a 5/16 threaded post for you to install aftermarket electrical equipment. Cost about 7.00 each.
If you can't find local pm me and I'll set you up.

Sorry PC, but the weight was 11,000 lbs plus mud. Again, no burned cables and they are still on the truck for this months trip for 3 months. I do a lot of winching every year in Central America and have never fried a cable. Same 15,000 winch and battery cables for 3 or 4 years. On its 3rd or 4th winch cable. I agree that PTO hydraulic winches are better for continuous duty, but then again, your motor has to be running - and that isn't always the case.

Gardner....I believe you. Your truck may weigh 12k but you werent pulling 12k weight. If you took the tires off and dragged it on the frame maybe you would get a 12k pull.

The wires are rated for X amps. Thats it no more then that can go through without heat build up. Then loss of power, then more heat, etc until melt down.

The "KIT" warn wires are 2 guage at 20 feet. They are rated for 175 amps.

A 15k winch on the 1st spool of wire pulls 465 amps at 15k pounds, cold wires cold winch. With heat that goes up.

Now yours may pull a rolling truck and be ok.

But if you tried to pull yourself up a mountain with a 45 degree hill your wires would pull more then 175 amps and melt.


.................................................. ............................................
To the other guy who had the battery mounting question....

Go to napa or autozone and get the longer batter (side) bolt. It allows to to put the solenoid cables and ground between the battery cable and bolt. Pick up a few washers to be safe.

PC, listen to the man.... it's what he does. If you have ever gotten stuck and used a winch, you would understand. BTW his 'Truck' probably weighed well over 8k in the mud. Heck, it may have weighed 10k with all his gear and mud.

Do a search on welding. Find out how much draw/current welding cables endure every day. You'll be amazed how HOT they get day-in and day-out without failing.

Don't get to indeapth. Just get it and put it on. :cool: ..... try to break the thing, try to overheat it. I bet you never do. :D It just might break your er... misfortune streak?:ro)

Burner------------------> ):h
BTW, did you get the ti series?

Don't forget to fuse it. I would hate to see what two batteries and an alternator (or 2) worth of juice could do to someone at the wrong end of a 4/0 gauge cable.

I am listening to him. I believe him too.


Here what I know about wire from NON winching uses. My inverter is 1200-2400. It will easily run 2000 watts for several minutes. I have 4 guage wire running to it. That wire got hot (real hot) and the fuse block (80 amp) got hot. It toasted the fuse. That was pulling 1900 watts. Thats 218 amps if I did it right.

And.......

I did buy the kit based on his word.
I will give it a try...


Ooops....
Found a 500 amp fuse at west marine
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=16046

Would it be good to use this or should I put a cutoff switch before the solenoid?

Guys - let's don't argue. I'm not smart enough to be a nerd in the modern world of electronics and gadgets. I'm from the old world - I buy the best equipment I can find, price is not an issue, use the hell out of it, many times far beyond what was intended by the manufacturer or designer, use a hell of a lot of common sense and caution, and make it through 90% of the time or better. If it breaks, I either rebuild it heavier than before, or toss it and look for something better. I have been winching since mid 60's (actually long before than, but that was a old D-8 cable Cat) and have repeatedly broken every winch I have gotten my hands on (Warn, Ramsey, Hickey Sidewinder, etc) until I bought the Warn 15000. I have not managed to break it yet (there is always this winter - ha ha), but I've tried. I have melted cables (old Warn's) broken gearing and drums (Hickey's drums broke all the time), and fried batteries. But using the 15000, running double lines with pulleys, Optima Batteries, and maybe a little maturity, I haven't broken anything in the past few years. Age has taught me one thing everybody ought to try: Patience, Jackass, Patience. And I am referring to me as the Jackass. A little more care and a little more patience will extend the life of equipment every time.

Gardner....

I bought the warn cable set to the rear. I will try her out. It will probably be just fine for my occasional off road in the snow getting stuck situation.

Thanks for all the good advice...

Which battery are you hooking up the winches to?

Which battery are you hooking up the winches to?Same thing, only different...<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I hooked my plow's main power cable to the RED junction box which I believe is feed by both batteries. I also am under the assumption there is no isolator between them. So with this set up I am pulling from both batteries and they can share the load. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Pete