How to install a winch?

[Lachie1]

G'day all, On the front of the cruiser we've got a Thomas EP 8000 Planetary gear winch. It is not wired up at the moment and after having a few go's at it and only getting it to work once for a few mins i was wondering what I'm doing wrong?

There are two power leads that connect the battery to a box which contains the relays or whatever it is that make the winch go back and forth. Two leads then come out of here and connect to the winch. A controller plugs into the box also. Any ideas as how to hook it up as it is allready in the bullbar its as hard as shit to hook the wires up - VERY fiddley.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Cheers and merry Christmas, Lachie [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[Needmorerum]

Lachie, from the winch your going to have a negative, and two positives. One for forward and one for reverse. Without actually seeing it, it is hard to say which one is which.
The easiest way I have found to work on the winch without removing it from the bar, is to remove the bar from the car. Most of the time you only need to be able to just pull it away from the car, do this by parking it under a beam, or something that will support the weight, and take the weight up with a rope. The bar can then be unbolted and swung out.
Sorry I can't help you with the wiring side of it, maybe someone with a Thomas can look at their's and help you out.

Corry

[Lachie1]

Yer I was gonna pull it off the other day but i couldn't be bothered but it seems as though it may be the way to go hey. Do you have to have a negative coming from the winch? Or would the contact between the winch, the bar and the vehicle suffice for an earth? I think there is only 2 conection points on the winch but i'll pull her off and see what happens.

Thanks heaps mate, Lachie

[Needmorerum]

There should definately be a negative that comes from the winch. As an example, a Warn 9500lb draws 425 amps at full draw. A bit to much to be relying on the contact between winch and bar. Also, no good if you have an alloy bar without the mounting kit.
By the sounds of it, it wouldn't hurt to pull it off (the winch) and have a look for any cracks in the housing, and maybe give her a service and a lube. Sounds like it hasn't been used for a while. For something that can be relied upon when it really counts, they are probably the most neglected and abused item on alot of 4WD's.

Corry