Instructions for my winch say both positive and negative should be hooked directly to the battery. My batteries are under the seat, so running that much cable TWICE = lots of cable. Would you

A) Run only the 2/0 positive cable to the battery and rely on a solid 2/0 battery to frame and winch to frame connection?

or

B) Spring for more 2/0 cable for full winch ground to battery ground connection, following the instructions.

Opinions??

How long of a runis it from your battery to your winch???
I would spring for the extra cable. You need to think of your power cable like a motor. You can push tons of air in, (the power cable) but if you run a constrictive exhaust it can choke your motor ( the ground ).
A winch pulls MEGA amperage from your batteries, and you need to feed it as well as you can so it works tp its optimun performance.

Nash

Would running both a (-) cable and grounding the (-) side hurt?

Dave

[b]No it wont hurt anything. Just remeber, the more power you feed the winch the better it will perform.

P picked up some #2 welding wire (same as 2 gauge battery cable, just VERY flexy) from the local welder shop for $.70/ft. At that price, why not run them straight to the battery? And yeah, a ground to the frame can't hurt.

u get a new winch??

Originally posted by Mr McGee
u get a new winch??

Hehehe....

Got a buddy who is getting me about 15' of 2/0 weld cable - helps to know the folks at Miller Welding. I'm already running 2/0 for the positive side, and will squeeze it into the frame for the negative side as well.

Don't forget that for the extra length of the run you might want to go up 1 size in wire.

If Brian is talking 2/0 as in size going from (smaller to bigger)

4
2
1
1/0
2/0

2/0 is freakin HUGE, and there's no need to go up in size methinks.

yeah, 2/0 gauge fine strand weld cable is about the diameter of my thumb....THICK stuff. I got a place locally that will sell it at ~$1 per foot, so why not. Planning to sleeve it inside some 5/8 or 3/4 heater hose for abrasion protection. Add in some HD crimp connectors and heat-shrink from Batteries Plus and I'm all set.

Warn provided 2 gauge in 4' lengths for the install....going up 3 sizes should be sufficient...heh heh

Originally posted by woody
Add in some HD crimp connectors and heat-shrink from Batteries Plus and I'm all set.



I would solder those bad boys in addiiton to crimping them. That is what the manual for my 300A welder recommends to ensure that you will have a dependable connection that can sink all that current.

Originally posted by woody
Instructions for my winch say both positive and negative should be hooked directly to the battery. My batteries are under the seat, so running that much cable TWICE = lots of cable. Would you

A) Run only the 2/0 positive cable to the battery and rely on a solid 2/0 battery to frame and winch to frame connection?

or

B) Spring for more 2/0 cable for full winch ground to battery ground connection, following the instructions.

Opinions??

well, you lick your finger, then grab your buddy's hand, then he licks his finger.....:nuke: :smokin: :D

2/0 is the shit, use it and be happy! My 8274 and I'm sure all of them is grounded to it's case, which then results in it being grounded at the mounting point. So if you are working on your electrical system and typically disconnect the grond cables from the batteries, be sure to remove the winch ground cable also!

I agree with Jack on the soldering if possible. I use a mapp or propane torch to heat the lug first and tin it, then while it is still hot slide the cable in and solder away. Besure to use electrical solder, not silver or plumbing type, and the heat will melt some of the insulation on the cable, or it's not hot enough. Just a tip on soldering, heat the parts to be joined first then let the solder flow into the joint. Just melting solder onto the joint is NOT soldering!