Wiring a trailer battery for a winch.

[2broke2smoke]

Purchased a 14k deckover trailer to haul whatever needs hauled.



Welded tabs to mount a third ramp in the middle so i can load rhinos, atv's ... etc. FWIW i mounted one of the ramps off my 12' trailer and it fit perfectly between the two larger ramps. :-laf



Anyways ...



I welded up a winch mount and want to mount a marine battery on the trailer.



I ran a 10g wire from the 7 pin connector.



My question is;



How do i prevent overcharging the battery?



The breakaway kit had a small 12 volt battery with a "charger".



The charger has three wires;



Blue to breakaway switch



Red to trailer battery



Black to vehicle +



this is apparently a voltage regulator to the trailer battery



can i just switch the small battery out for a marine battery and use it for the winch?



thanks

 

[HBarlow]

I would do exactly as you suggested. The breakaway switch battery is nearly useless when new and soon becomes useless.

 

[Hoefler]

that is what I have done, works perfect.

 

[MMeier]

I would do exactly as you suggested. The breakaway switch battery is nearly useless when new and soon becomes useless.

Until it becomes a source of revenue for the DOT man !

 

[2broke2smoke]

thanks guys

 

[Bob4x4]

One thing to keep in mind is if the trailer battery gets weak the winch will draw amperage from the truck. If it draws too much for the vehicle harness it will create a melt down.

 

[MMeier]

One thing to keep in mind is if the trailer battery gets weak the winch will draw amperage from the truck. If it draws too much for the vehicle harness it will create a melt down.

Hopefully it will pop the fuse for the system... or you could run a seprate 10 or 8 gage lead to the back with a 30 or 50 amp breaker wired in up front.

 

[Bob4x4]

Had one a few months back with that exact scenario. Of course the owner swore that he had the stock 40a fuse in place. It took out wiring in both the front and back,naturally with the age of the truck neither harness is available new anymore

 

[RVTRKN]

Had one a few months back with that exact scenario. Of course the owner swore that he had the stock 40a fuse in place. It took out wiring in both the front and back,naturally with the age of the truck neither harness is available new anymore

Just because it is fused does not mean the fuse will blow if there is a restriction on the wire conducting the current. That is how homes catch fire in the winter using electric heaters. Where the restriction of current is, let say a plug, is where the restriction causes it to act like a resister which in turn acts like a heater element. Even if its fused, the resistance causes it to heat up and might only draw 25A with a 40A fuse which will melt down your wires. One way to prevent this is to install only devices/plugs that are rated for the potential amp draw So you would have a fuse block, at the proper rating, from the battery with a higher gage wire to the battery, and then install the gage wire from that point at what you should have. Its best not to have any plugs, but we all know you will at some point, so install an independent plug that at least double your fuse size rating. Example in series. battery/6 gage wire/ 75amp fuse block with a 40A fuse/8gage wire(make sure the length is within the gage rating) 75A rated quick disconnect plug/8Gage wire to the device. This configuration should be trouble free.

 

[GAmes]

I follow the KISS rule. When it is time to use the winch I unplug the trailer from the truck.

 

[CDonaldson]

When I decided to install a winch on my trailer I gave it a lot of thought. First and foremost I did not want to compromise my truck's wiring whatsoever, it is rather inadequate as far a gauge goes with respect to the draw from the winch. I decided to install a tool box on my trailer to keep tie down straps, etc in, so I built a dual battery rack into the tool box, installed 2 batteries, and also installed a small solar panel to always keep the batteries fresh. I did wire up a 12v supply from the truck to charge the battery when I was towing it, but I switched that power source so I could switch off the draw from the winch on the truck's electrical system when running the winch. I have run my winch many times and never drawn those batteries down, it has been a win-win going the independent power route. Plus, that additional power source at the trailer has come in very handy. While the initial build was/is a little expensive up front, it has paid for itself over and over. Now I have a 12v air compressor in the tool box, have an air source for airing up tires, etc.







CD

 

[2broke2smoke]

Thanks guys.



I'm gonna mount 1 deep cycle battery on the trailer and disconnect the plug when using the winch.



To this point i've only needed to winch something on a trailer 4x in my life.



With any luck i'll never have to again. :-laf



Made the winch mount on a trailer hitch receiver and will store it on a shelf in the shop.



Hopefully it will never have to see the light of day.



Here is another question;



How strong a winch would i need to pull a dead Cummins powered dodge up onto a deckover trailer?



I purchased a 4500lb winch with the impression that it would be overkill.



Only heavier load i could imagine would be my father in laws rubber tired backhoe.

 

[EricBu12]

You need 1. 5 times the weight of something rated winch. so a truck is 8,000#. . you need a 12,000# winch. it will be pulling uphill so the extra strength is needed

 

[BSeyler]

Using a 4500# winch on a straight pull would tax it with a CTD. However, you can use a snatch block to increase your pulling power X2. Just remember that your mounts will need to be strong enough to handle the weight since you won't be pulling at 4500 pounds, but the full weight of the pickup. Placement of the trailer can also help. I loaded my son's CTD with a 1500# cable come along and one snatch block. I also faced my trailer somewhat downhill. While the front end was going up the ramps, the back end was still going down the hill. By the time the rear end was going up the ramps, the front end had broken over and was headed downhill. Definitely a two person operation for safety! I had him inside to apply the brakes and I was on the ground in front of the trailer with the gooseneck between the pickup and me. I also had a 8' 4x4 across the deck in front of the tires to catch it if things went bad.

 

[2broke2smoke]

we pulled a dead first gen up on a similar trailer in the past using 2 1500lb come alongs ...



have the winch mounted, need to get the marine battery and test it with the wifes third gen ...



will try a straight pull first and then a snatchblock ...



Eric i believe the 1. 5x rule is for extracting vehicles that are stuck offroad ...



i'll get a battery and report back

 

[Schumacher]

The 1. 5x rule is for stuck vehicles. To get the most power from the winch, cut the cable so that its length extends a couple feet past the ramps and still has one full rap across the drum. That is if you can normally get that close to the towed vehicle with the trailer.

 

[Powder Extreme]

You need 1. 5 times the weight of something rated winch. so a truck is 8,000#. . you need a 12,000# winch. it will be pulling uphill so the extra strength is needed

You don't really need a winch that big. I have personally loaded a 14,000lb deuce and a half up onto my gooseneck trailer using a 9,500lb winch and a snatch block. The winch didn't sound like it was straining at all.



Save the money, buy a smaller winch and use a snatch block.



You could actually load a car up onto a trailer with a 2,500lb winch from a four wheeler using two snatch blocks. Every time you use a snatch it doubles the pulling the power of the winch.



As for the wiring, no need to unplug the truck from the trailer, just install a 30 or 40amp circuit breaker right at the battery on the trailer where the charge lead comes from the truck. That will protect all of the wiring in the truck as well as the trailer. My dump trailer came with that setup from the factory, in the winter when the battery on the trailer is weak and the temp is below zero, the circuit breaker will trip a few times while raising the box, so I know it is protecting the wiring to the truck.

 

[2broke2smoke]

good idea ...



does the circuit breaker go between the charger (i mentioned in the first post) and the truck ...



or the charger and the battery ... i. e. right at the battery ...

 

[Powder Extreme]

Put it right at the battery that way all of the wiring is protected.

 

[Loren]

Here is another question;



How strong a winch would i need to pull a dead Cummins powered dodge up onto a deckover trailer?



I purchased a 4500lb winch with the impression that it would be overkill.

2broke,



I pulled my dead 1995 Dodge onto a flatbed trailer with a 3500 pound winch. It handled the ramps up to the bed just fine. I agree that your 4500 pound winch is overkill.



Keep in mind that you can always add a snatch block and double your pulling force. You will just need a place to anchor the hook to the trailer.



– Loren