Winch power cable

[ifslux]

Hi all. Just wanting to know what size and sort of power cable to get to run a twin motor 24v comp winch? Do you use battery cable or welding cable? Any info would be really helpfull.

Cheers ifslux.

[gudge]

Bigger Is better. Welding flex, 70mm2 as a minimum, 95mm2 if you can for the main feed from the batteries to your solinoids. 70mm is fine from solinoids to your motors.

Make sure you use proper crimped lugs on all your connections.

[GUtripper]

I run 95 from batteries to Albrights, then 70 from there to motors.

[ifslux]

Cheers for the help. Ive been to the welding shop and found the cable. Now just gota put it in.

Thanks ifslux.

[gudge]

What they sting ya for it?

[ifslux]

23 bucks a meter for the 95 mm and 19 bucks for the 70mm and 3bucks a crimp end.

[ifslux]

Crimping was free haha.

[gudge]

That's pretty good, make sure u crimp those cables properly though. And a isolater is a good idea aswell

[ifslux]

Yeah the welding shop did it. Looks pritty good. With the isolotor do you put it in the neg cable and what sort and size isolator do you use ? I can get hold of 24v ones used on trucks.

[gudge]

Put it on the positive if you can, I've seen isolaters on negative not work because the earth is picked up from somewhere else. Go the biggest switch u can find/fit. Mine is rated @ 2500a for 10 sec, and I got it from the local truck shop. Stuck on solinoids are a scary thing, especially with twin motors and 24v

[ifslux]

Oh ok then. I'll have to go see what I can find. Hey with the isolator for the rest of the car to comply with comp rules is it ment to shut the car down when it is turned off or just prevent it from being started ? I just put mine in and it don't turn it off when it's running, is there something I have missed ?

Cheers ifslux

[gudge]

The rules state that the isolater should shut off all power to the car ( not including the winch). They also have to shut the motor down. Your car will keep running off the power from the alt even with your battery earth disconnected, so you also need to cut power to your ignition circuit in a petrol, or your fuel cutoff solinoid on a diesel.

To do that I need you need to get a 2 pole switch from the truck shop also. Run your earth from your battery throguh the big set of contacts then down to your chassis and body. Then you have to find the feed to ignition/ fuel cut and run that through the small set of contacts.

[ifslux]

Sorry for all the questions. So with the ignition feed ( mines a petrol ) do I put the switch on the power feed or to a earth feed ? And the isolator I got has the two large poles only. Do I use it or do I need another switch.

[gudge]

The only way I have done it is using a 2 pole switch( meaning 2 sets of terminals isolated from each other) your main earth is switched throguh the big set, and run the 12v feed for your ignition coil through the small set.

Get a wiring diagram and find the feed for your ignition coil that comes out of your key barrel. Start the car then cut this wire, if It doesn't stop you cut the wrong one lol. Then join a small cable onto each end of the cut cable and run them back throguh your small terminals.

Sounds confusing but it's not.

[ifslux]

Oh righto I get ya. I found a hella brand isolator on eBay that has the large and small terminals,so I will have to track one of these down. Thanks for all your help. Hopefully I get it sorted for low mead 3 car. Just gotta get crazy to build my winch for me.

[gudge]

No problem mate, lowmead 3 car doesn't require an engine kill switch but I would definalty get a winch kill switch. What truck and motor is this going in ?

[ifslux]

All makes sense now. Thanks heaps mate.

[ifslux]

Yeah I know but I was hoping to do some of the wtc comps and that nav comp at manar park, but the mine has changed my roster and I won't be home for them so low mead is the only one I can do. It will be my first comp so I'm pritty green to it all. I've got a rangie cut into a ute the same as Paul smiths one, it's even blue as well ( I didn't copy haha ) and it's still got the injected rangie motor and auto and beefed up running gear. It used to do the outback challenge in 2008 when it was a wagon, then I got it of a bloke that bought it and cut it up, and I've slowly been putting it back together. So I'm after all the help and advice I can get.

[horndog]

On my diesel i used just a standard isolator but re ran the charge lead for the alternator back to the constant power side of the isolator. Didn't have to worry about ignition wiring or stuff like that.

[crazy eyez]

you dont need any more then a normal isolater . the 2 pole ones are all you need for deisel or petrol .all that you need to do is exactly wat horndog said .you have to kill the charge cable aswell as main battery feed that way the motor cant source the power from anywere ..

[ifslux]

So are you putting the isolator into the positive lead ? I've already got it wired into my earth lead.

[crazy eyez]

for the winch the isolater works best on positive side if it is a 24 volt system i would put it between the two batts and for engine it goes on positive side but you have to kill the charge cable aswell

[XTREME MMM]

Just my 20 cents worth. I have or will never run an isolator on the winch circuit, as I have seen to many fail when needed.

Don't forget that you are drawing a lot of amps for a long time if in some real tricky winching not just the 30 seconds that the isolators are rated at.

As for the motor, remember to cut all power (winch circuit is exempt in the arbxwc) as stated and run your vehicle charge (alternator) direct to the battery side of the isolator, this way you will not have any problems.

Cheers
MMM

[ifslux]

Cheers for all the info guys, that got me on the right track and I have it all sorted now.

[mickyd555]

Just my 20 cents worth. I have or will never run an isolator on the winch circuit, as I have seen to many fail when needed.

Don't forget that you are drawing a lot of amps for a long time if in some real tricky winching not just the 30 seconds that the isolators are rated at.


Cheers
MMM

what failed in the units you have seen?

were they cheap ones or proper rated isolators. 2-3000A isolator is not something out of the ordinary, you just cant use a cheap one and expect it to handle the load. As long as you use an isolator that will handle the load (were talking under 1500A even with a few motors) then there should be no problems.

[hammey]

Mine failed at Manilla a while back using Titan contactor packs (yeah i know.... i bought 2 Allbrights of Dave right then)

I had a Hella HD 4pole master switch bridged with 6mm buss bar to share the load between 2 N120's and that failed when the Titan locked on.

I looked into the technically correct contacter packs for 900amps DC using a magnetic field to reduce arcing temps/welding the contacts together.
Cost about 1600 each and are as big as a 30pack of cans.

My solution is going to be running 95mm2 battery bridging cable into cab/plastic terminal box via glands and using cabac cable cutters.
If someone has a better option thats reliable i'm all ears..

Cheers smitty

[mickyd555]

Battery isolators are not rated for switching current (you can't switch it under load) they are only supposed to be used to isolate the battery. they are really only good to make sure your winch circuit isnt live when not needed.

[hammey]

Yeah, found that out the hard way.

smitty

[UPPY]

My solution is going to be running 95mm2 battery bridging cable into cab/plastic terminal box via glands and using cabac cable cutters.
If someone has a better option thats reliable i'm all ears..

Cheers smitty[/quote]


You must like sparks and moulten copper, because you are going to have a metric sh1t load of them when you are trying to cut 95mm cable with 400+ amps going through it, as the current will be still trying to pass through the cable cutters and what ever else it can as the supply and current draw will be still present, not to mention the size of the cutters you will need for a quick cut, 1m plus long cable cutters as the ratchet type will be far to slow.

[hammey]

And the better option is.......