Wiring a winch for a trailer... HF open box special without manual, controller, etc.

newbury · Oct 16, 2016

Dadnatron said:
So...
1. Battery or wired to truck through 7pin?
2. Thoughts on best way to wire it to power and options for controllers. Remote attached or wireless would be fine.(I see wireless for $15, but I suspect I have to wire them into an existing controller which doesn't exist in my garage at this point.
3. Given this thing weighs about 60lbs as is and by the time I get it wired up etc, it will weigh more, I suspect I'll mount this permanently to my Gooseneck. If there are any issues, advice, etc. I'd appreciate it. I read another thread showing different connections and it seems as though most people are hooking it to the trailer with 2" receivers. I don't know how this would work for this winch, but, I'm certainly open to it. I just think that between the battery (if one is needed) and the winch, it is going to be running close to 100lbs. And while it wouldn't be an issue now, I know that in a few years, I would be leaving it at home, because it was too hard to install.
4. Any advice on placement would be helpful. Certainly bed level would be preferred, however, being a GN, the space at bed level is reserved for 'not knocking off the fenders of my truck in tight turns'. I was thinking about mounting it on the top of the GN and either running the cable through a pully at bed level or simply pulling from the GN top location.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this subject.

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I bought one the first time they came out, 6 or so years ago, and bought their receiver plate that can go in my 2" trailer receiver on my 3 point trailer hitch.

Since you are mounting it on a trailer and can only run it briefly I'd suggest a separate big battery next to it with the battery being charged from the 7 pin, or you are going to need some big wires running from the front of your truck back.

I also have bought 2 of the HF 2500lb winches. On sale BF for $49 by the way. So far what I've done is patch together a cable and mount system so I can move them around between tractors and trucks.

I use U bolts to fasten the hitch to my trailer railing or a couple of 2x4's at the front of my truck bed.

For wiring I cobbled together a section of jumper cable and #6 cable. I bought a bunch of #6 on ebay, some with what I'll term as anderson style quick disconnect connectors

and copper eylets.

My truck has some funky connectors at the batteries so I figured going with the alligator clips on the battery cables, to battery cables, to anderson connectors would then let me plug in cables with anderson connectors easily. Then I run anderson connectors with #6 cable and eyelets on the other end to the lugs of my winch. And this is for the 2500 winch.

For the 12K winch I'm doing similar but with 2 gauge wire with anderson connectors.

Now my prime problem is "fastening" the two cables together (two 6AWG or two 2AWG) that run 20 feet. I've resorted to electrical tape every foot.

Dadnatron · Oct 19, 2016

Given that, in reality, I doubt that I will be using the winch very often. I have given more thought, again, to powering it through the truck batteries. My thinking is, that it is more likely that I would need it, but not have planned for it, and having not planned on it, I'd have a dead battery. But if I wired a connection from the truck batteries through a separate connection, similar to what you show with the red male/female connectors, I'd never be without power. Also, other than the long wiring from battery to trailer, I'd save the cost of a battery as well as trailer recharger setup. All for only a few pulls a year, max, I'd suspect.

Do you think the above connectors would handle the load of a 12,000lb winch pulling a dead 9.5Klb tractor onto a deckover gooseneck? That is what I'm trying to prepare for, as a maximal possibility. I figure the best way to prevent it from happening, is to prepare for its occurrence.

Deere Dude · Oct 19, 2016

Dadnatron said:
Given that, in reality, I doubt that I will be using the winch very often. I have given more thought, again, to powering it through the truck batteries. My thinking is, that it is more likely that I would need it, but not have planned for it, and having not planned on it, I'd have a dead battery. But if I wired a connection from the truck batteries through a separate connection, similar to what you show with the red male/female connectors, I'd never be without power. Also, other than the long wiring from battery to trailer, I'd save the cost of a battery as well as trailer recharger setup. All for only a few pulls a year, max, I'd suspect.

Do you think the above connectors would handle the load of a 12,000lb winch pulling a dead 9.5Klb tractor onto a deckover gooseneck? That is what I'm trying to prepare for, as a maximal possibility. I figure the best way to prevent it from happening, is to prepare for its occurrence.

I have a winch sort of like this one that I want to mount on my GN also. I have only used it a couple times hooked to my truck but has been taking space for 5 years under a workbench. I better get to mounting it because sooner or later my tractor will give out. Take pictures and keep us all in mind.