jumper cables with the winch?

[Pathrat]

http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/959326314.html

Do I need to be informed that not all winches are self-powered?

[Brody]

Hey Pathrat

This is actually a good price. The winch is around a grand and the receiver mount is around $300. It seems that the guy is also selling the front receiver mount, too, and this is worth probably another $250-300. And the battery cables...if he got the good heavy duty ones, he probably paid $1-2 foot for them, if not more so stretching from the back to the front battery is worth another $50-60. So you would be getting the winch and all the stuff for roughly 1/3 of what it would cost new...not bad.

To answer your question, an electric winch needs to be hooked up to your battery-directly to your battery. One of the reason that you see people upgrading their alternators is for the heavy amp draw that winches put on the system. I wouldn't worry about that as most of the electric winches that you see are run off of stock alternators. A hand throttle might be a nice addition so that you can get the revs up when using the winch.

The winches that do not need battery power are PTO (power take off) and hydraulic. Both of these require that the rig be running in order to use them. The PTO winch is coupled to a PTO port on your transfer case (providing that the rig has one) and is very popular with military rigs. This is hooked up much the same as your driveshafts are. These are usually very heavy duty winches and very stong. A hydraulic winch is usually plumbed into the steering system and uses an over sized reservoir. It also requires that the rig be running in order to use it.

My winches are hard wired into my batteries so that I don't have to use jumpers, but jumper cables work fine. Only problem I see with the receiver mounts is that you have to have a place for the winch (mounted to the carrier) inside the rig. They tend to stick out a ways and aren't great for leaving in place on the trails. The other thing to consider is the wieght of the whole package. I think that you are looking at a little over 100 lbs for the full set up. Gotta be able to get it into and out of the bumper hitches, too.

Anyway a good deal and it sounds like it hasn't used very much if at all.

Let me know if I can be of any other help...

[Chris]

Go for it Pathrat but remember the downfall of owning a winch - It tends to drop ones IQ a couple points as in "I can do that, I have a winch!" :D

[Brody]

I haven't noticed the IQ drop and I have had winches on all of my 4xs for the last 12 years. It is just a tool to be used when and if you need it. All of mine have been used more on rigs without winches than than on my own rig, not to mention being used a lot on job sites to pull stuck stuff out. I always like seeing rigs with winches on trial runs, especially snowy or muddy ones. No one ever gets completely stuck...

The job in Jefferson required me to pull out at least 6 cars/trucks out of snow on 285, a 30k lb cherry picker and a 20k lb logging truck that were stuck on the site. Nothing like maxing out a 9k winch. Triple snatch blocks and my rig anchored to 2 others did the trick both times ....

So, like I said before, this is a good deal, even though I am not a fan of the receiver mounts. Maybe the thing to do is to buy the whole set up, mount the front receiver, and use it as is until you get a front bumper made or purchased. Then mount the winch to the new bumper, sell the front receiver and winch receiver mounting plate for $300 or so, and either off set the price of the new bumper with this or fill your winch with synthetic cable and pocket the balance.....

As much as you and Hugh go wheeling alone, having a winch is more a safeguard than anything else...providing that your battery stays charged, that is....

[Pathrat]

Hmmm. I wasn't looking at this to purchase until it was suggested. I just had never seen anyone with the jumper cables to the winch and clearly didn't understand how they were powered. Thanks for all the information!

I like the idea of a winch that could be mounted front or rear. I'd like to know just how far something like that would stick out but I can't really picture it since I don't have a picture in my head of exactly where it would go up front. Once that was resolved I would think Hugh and I could mount the thing up before we went out, even if we needed help from the floor jack. Suppose maybe I could call the guy for pictures. Love them visual aids.

[Brody]

Just google warn receiver mount and you will get a picture. Or you can go to 4 wheel parts and find the same thing on their website. It would be a good idea to get prices when you are on either site as my pricing might be off...probably low..

They stick out a little too far to stay on the front or back of the rig when you are off trail in my opinion (of which I seem to have many...), but I have seen rigs run them on the trail...

My back winch started off as a receiver mount, but I didn't like how it fit on the back, so I cut the mount down and hard mounted it to the frame...didn't have enough room to carry it anyway, especially after the bed bob....

[Chris]

I haven't noticed the IQ drop and I have had winches on all of my 4xs for the last 12 years.

That's because you're a wise old man, there are plenty of people who decide to try stuff they wouldn't have before adding a winch.

No, I'm not among them. :lol:

[Brody]

Maybe my IQ dropped the first winch I had and I have been too stupid to notice, too...

I am always looking for winch anchor points when things get hairy as a matter of course, but don't really remember trying anything just cause I had a winch. Having been in situations wheeling by myself and getting in a jam where a winch is an asset to getting out has proved their worth. The last time I was really, really bound up, sans winch, it took two people 6 hours of hard work to get out. And this was using 2 HiLifts, 2 bottle jacks, and a bunch of tow straps. A winch would have had the rig out in about an hour. It is still comforting to know that they guy behind you has one in case you need it, like during snow runs when you are the one breaking trail.

I know that I could probably winch and drive my way up Independence or Carnage BV, but have never done either of them as I felt I would spend a more time winching than driving. It would be like trying to do a "free" rock climb (ie: using ropes and gear, but using only what the rock climb had to offer in the way of holds-not using the gear for upward progress ie:"aid" climbing) and having to yard on every piece of gear to do the climb. Sure, you would have done the climb or trail, but would you have driven or climbed it? I think not....

[Jimmy]

I would offer the comment that the ad isn't talking about literally "jumper cables" but the cables required to power the winch at either end of the vehicle. Or, at least I hope they are not talking about literal jumper cables. You'd have to have a heavy duty set of cables in order to pull off powering a winch for anything longer than a few seconds. A cheap set of cables would get really hot, really quick... running the risk of catching them on fire. I would imagine the amperage draw created by a winch would exceed the rating of cheap jumper cables.

[Brody]

I think that they are Jimmy, and also that Warn or someone else actually makes a set of heavy duty jumper cables for this purpose. I agree with you, though, a set of regular cables would just light up. I ran those heavy 'warn' style connectors front and rear directly from my battery using the biggest cables I could get (#1, I think, and from a welding supply) which allow me to run jumpers, receiver winch, etc from them. These were from Summit Racing and about 1/3 the price of the Warns.

Anyway, the longer this thread goes on, the less chance that this deal is going to be around, so will become a moot point....