N80
Super Member
I've decided to get a winch for my 19' flatbed trailer. Getting the tractor on it is easy. Getting a low riding track car on it is a little more tricky. A winch would make it safer and capable of getting a non-running car back on the trailer too.
I've got an extra battery to run the winch off of but would like to wire it into my truck battery.
I'm hopeless when it comes to electrical matters.
eTrailer has a harness with 25' of red and black 3 ga. wire cable with quick connects. In their video they connect the cables directly to the battery terminals of the tow vehicle and run them directly to the positive and negative winch cables. This kit costs $119.00. (Almost as much as the winch I'm planning on buying).
I have several questions:
Do I really need 3 ga. wire for a 3400# ATV winch?
Shouldn't the negative wire be mounted to the frame of the tow vehicle and not directly to the battery?
The install video at eTrailer shows a circuit breaker/fuse coming off the positive battery terminal. It is not included with the kit. Do I need a fuse? If so, how do I know what size (amps?) fuse to get?
I'm thinking 8 ga. wire would be fine (total wild guess) and that I could buy the quick connectors and 50' of 8 ga. wire separately and spend a lot less than $119 but that is just a guess too.
Thanks for any help with this but remember I do not understand wiring. Any descriptions need to be at the 5th grade level or lower.
I've got an extra battery to run the winch off of but would like to wire it into my truck battery.
I'm hopeless when it comes to electrical matters.
eTrailer has a harness with 25' of red and black 3 ga. wire cable with quick connects. In their video they connect the cables directly to the battery terminals of the tow vehicle and run them directly to the positive and negative winch cables. This kit costs $119.00. (Almost as much as the winch I'm planning on buying).
I have several questions:
Do I really need 3 ga. wire for a 3400# ATV winch?
Shouldn't the negative wire be mounted to the frame of the tow vehicle and not directly to the battery?
The install video at eTrailer shows a circuit breaker/fuse coming off the positive battery terminal. It is not included with the kit. Do I need a fuse? If so, how do I know what size (amps?) fuse to get?
I'm thinking 8 ga. wire would be fine (total wild guess) and that I could buy the quick connectors and 50' of 8 ga. wire separately and spend a lot less than $119 but that is just a guess too.
Thanks for any help with this but remember I do not understand wiring. Any descriptions need to be at the 5th grade level or lower.