[desertfox]

Every few months disengage the clutch of your winch and pull out the entire lenght of the cable.

Start your vehicle, wear a pair of industrial gloves, have a friend operate the wich toggle switch for you while you gently wipe the winch cable with a cotton wiper and sway it end to end of the fairway to ensure a uniform coiling back on the drum. Engage the winch clutch after this and let your vehicle run idle for a further five minutes.

[ex670c]

Hi Guys,

The winch motor is activated by solenoids.

What does the solenoid do?

a small current is used to create a magnetic field inside the solenoid, causing the contactor to move i.e make contact and allow a bigger current to flow through the winch motor.

The solenoid is engaged by the remote which is a momentary switch, it will revert to its original position of No Contact.

Just before Aavalakonda 2010, Pat, taught me how to rig the winch, since he did get the remote for the OEM electric winch on the TLC Troop Carrier.

Every solenoid box has a female receptacle with 3 or 4 plugs, the corresponding, winch remote will have a male socket with same number of pins.

When coupled and the switch is engaged to heave in or pay out, a positive connection is made, to activate the solenoid.

This can be switching action can replicated by using 6-8mm automobile electrical wire.

strip the wire in 3-4 lengths, and expose the core on either ends, then plug it into the Solenoid Box Receptacle.

or open the Solenoid Box and connect the wires to the corresponding terminals behind the Solenoid Box/Winch Remote receptacle

Then start the vehicle, chock the wheels, engage the clutch in the winch gear box.

take the 3-4 wires are join then 2-3 at a time, observing if the winch start heaving or paying out.

Then mark the wires accordingly.

DONT USE THE WINCH CONTINUOUSLY for more than 15-30 seconds, you will fry the solenoid or the battery can burst (TPC2013 SARA EXTREME 4x4 -A HARD DAY SS1 winching SS)

Regards,

Arka

PS - Sudarshan JEE, please add or make the necessary corrections.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by ex670c

Hi Guys,


PS - Sudarshan JEE, please add or make the necessary corrections.

Hi Arka ji , well there are some issues with the winch operating , will put them in short.

Disclaimer All this info shared is under suffix : AFAIK

# There are solenoids to handle the switching of large amount of current ( roughly, 12 V 450 amps ) OR in modern winches the solenoid part is not there.. there is some electronic " Gizmo" on which I am yet to complete my research ( Practical one )

# So i Suggest caution with playing with the switching part of the winch UNLESS you know your winch actually , NO google study works here unless you do some home work

# The circuits & No. of solenoid may vary according to the

1) Make of the Motor

2) Type of winding of motor

3) Capacity of motor in HP

4) Manufacturer's choice of material

# There are theories & stories of operating & even misusing the winch , even by using a hairpin ... but I will not recommend or tell any on open forum , for the sake of being misused or causing accident even Injury.

## What I will suggest for a hardcore offroader

# Please get in touch with your winch manufacturer , E mail them & ask for the circuit diagram.

# Study the diagram, believe me it takes 20 minutes to understand for even a " electrically Dumb " guy like me . If you are an engineer you will understand it in a minute, its not rocket science

# Now with full understanding of "your" type of winch circuit , open the control box & try locating the wires.

## Mine has a five wire bunch that connects to a six pole center reverse switch.

Please DO some home work before fiddling with a control panel OR have an experienced guy around .

I have removed the operating remote connection socket from the winch & made one myself using different material inside the bonnet , this was done along with the restoration of the burnt control panel ( solenoids & All ) , some 6-7 years back.

I still have the basic home work notes I made for my " Electrically DUMB " Brain to get the whole thing working again; Thanks to the Warn company engineers.

Here are the pics of my " Notes " & " Home work " ( DUMB ) & the reconstructed panel









Sudarshan

P.S.I know electrical engineer guys will have a good laugh at this " Notes " , but what to do when you are stuck nose deep in to some thing of which you dont know anything, & then need to sort the mess all by yourself

[Jaggu]

Thanks for sharing Tejas, a very well written and informative article. Got to know about many useful tips from this.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

All this info shared is under suffix : AFAIK

Brilliant! Thanks for this. Appreciate it.

[desertfox]

This control box needs to be protected against water. Mostly it is mounted on the bumper for easy attachment of the control cable remote wire, but if it can be inside the vehicle's cabin, nothing like it.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by desertfox

This control box needs to be protected against water. Mostly it is mounted on the bumper for easy attachment of the control cable remote wire, but if it can be inside the vehicle's cabin, nothing like it.

Very interesting Idea , been thinking over it for a while .

1) Pros

# Better water resistance

# Better security

# Ease of operation ( ? )

2) Cons

# At least 5 feet of 50 sq mm cable (each, the No. depending on circuit) added to the circuit , instead of some 9 inches of original setup (from control box to the winch motor)

# Are you sure its technically possible & how. wont this give any drawbacks WRT passing the amount of current & not adding more resistance to it ?

# Frankly never seen a winch control box in driver cabin Can you elaborate with examples? I am sure you must be having some data

Observations.

Best suitable place I Find is some few inches above the winch even preferably at the height of the bonnet on the bull bar

I found something interesting to read & learn from.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fctg001.pdf/$FILE/fctg001.pdf


Sudarshan

P.S. in case if the link cant be found ,

fctg001.pdf

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

# Frankly never seen a winch control box in driver cabin Can you elaborate with examples? I am sure you must be having some data

This Bangalore Gypsy has the Warn Winch installed into the ARB bumper, solenoid under the hood and remote on the dashboard. Sorry, don't have inside photo.

A video from Avalakonda OTR 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d90tICi3raU

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

This Bangalore Gypsy has the Warn Winch installed into the ARB bumper, solenoid under the hood and remote on the dashboard. Sorry, don't have inside photo.

A video from Avalakonda OTR 2011: http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=d90tICi3raU

OOPs , you dont seem to get the original query (that you have quoted)

Lets do it step by step.

# What I meant by " winch control box ", is the solenoid box

# So Remote switch is not control box (at least for me)

# Thought the video will give some idea but it was something else, so irrelevant for the discussion

# Its Quite OK to fit the control box inside bonnet, wont add much length of heavy wiring

# The above also means less problems/complications, compared to what is suggested by D_F. (of negotiating it safely to dash/firewall, some 5 feet away from winch, minimum, through hot engine compartment)

# Many times the Remote IS brought in the cabin, it has some length of wire for that purpose. Its done so because driver could operate the winch & also do necessary adjustments with the vehicle. I have done it many times.

Note; this wire does not contain heavy amps, its very light in gauge, compared to main cables carrying current from battery to winch & also to & fro from winch control box to winch motor.

# Again; bringing the control box/solenoid box IN the cabin... just not fitting in head, let D_F explain it how .

Sudarshan

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

# Again; bringing the control box/solenoid box IN the cabin... just not fitting in head, let D_F explain it how .

Sudarshan

In many Jeeps the Battery is right next to the firewall. The high current (~400A) cables anyway come all the way to the battery. I guess it is little more stretch to the dashboard then.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

In many Jeeps the Battery is right next to the firewall. The high current (~400A) cables anyway come all the way to the battery. I guess it is little more stretch to the dashboard then.

Ohh bawa... you are completely missing the point .

Check the circuit

D_F wants to move the control box inside cabin Means.

# Wire 1 from battery to control box in cabin

# if its my case, then Two heavy wires (50 sq mm, each, minimum) from control box to winch through bulkhead & via engine compartment.

Ok lets do it on your Jeep & see it for ourselves, I have no issues.

Sudarshan

[Sudarshan]

Ok, have found another link along with the previous link (but this is fairly easy to digest & useful)

# 1 http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fctg001.pdf/$FILE/fctg001.pdf

# 2 http://www.avenger4x4.com.au/library...nchComparo.pdf


will be adding more, as soon as I clear them out reading one by one

Sudarshan

[Samurai]

I have no reasons to do it on my Jeep. My 4.5 year old winch is situated properly. I don't like to operate it from inside. I like to see it winding on the drum evenly, can't do that from inside. Also I have removed and re-installed my winch at least 20 times now, used to do it everytime before giving the Jeep for service. Don't do that on the MM550 anymore since bumper design is different, very hard to remove now.

I think you are referring to the point that the wires from the solenoid to the winch are pretty short, less than a foot actually. If somebody wants to keep the solenoid inside the cabin, they have to replace those shorter wires with longer wires. Battery to solenoid would be a short trip, but solenoid to winch would be a longer one.