Leaving Winch in Neutral?

[alexrex20]

I've heard of people wiring in breakers or switches to their winch supply so that there is no chance of it winding and stalling out if something unforseen should happen, such as an frontal accident or... whatever.

I was talking to some local people about it, and they said, just leave it in neutral. If anything happens, it'll just run in neutral until you switch it off.

Seems simple enough. Any reason NOT to leave a winch in neutral as a matter of course?

the winch winding itself would be the least of my concerns in this scenario.

 

[michaelgroves]

That looks interesting. I like the 500a continuous rating. What sort of pricing is on them? The Cole Hersee unit is about $40.00US

I'm not sure about that particular one. The one I picked up with a similar rating, was on Ebay, new, for about £25 + P&P. I'd guess they'd sell through a store at twice that - say $80 all in? That is a guess though. (And there is a huge variation in amperage ratings - most are only 175A continuous, and some even less).

 

[michaelgroves]

the winch winding itself would be the least of my concerns in this scenario.

There's no accident so bad that a fire when it stalls out won't make it worse...

 

[alexrex20]

There's no accident so bad that a fire when it stalls out won't make it worse...

i disagree.

 

[ntsqd]

There's no accident so bad that a fire when it stalls out won't make it worse...

i disagree.

Why?

 

[ntsqd]

Years ago I recall reading one poster's posts to a yota Mini email list about the winch cable over the cab trick being a little common in Australia. The guy later proved to be pretty much a fraud (6.5l td in a Mini and it doesn't overheat? C'mon...) so I've never known if that sort of thing really happened or not. Certainly would ruin your day.

In researching my post in bjowett's thread on the deep fording Warn winch I noted that few winches exceed the 500 amp draw level. Since self recovery winches are not designed for constant duty use a battery switch rated for something less than 500 amps may be a reasonable choice. Each will have a unique set of circumstances, so I don't think that a blanket statement will be an exact fit for everyone. Certainly would want to err on the high side of the switch's ampacity. My own decision would be based on 10% greater current draw than the winch's rating, and chose the nearest higher rated switch.

Frenchie's dangling cable is not a prospect that I'd ever considered. :Wow1: I can see how someone might think that was funny. A means to secure the selector lever is now on my list of requirements should I ever get around to installing my M8.

 

[Antichrist]

Yeah, even my 2000amp switch is only rated at 350a continuous, which caused my interest in the one Michael references, which is 500 continious. But for my winch, and the length of time I normally operate it without a break, I judged that to be enough.
The other thing some people forget is the lower the rating, the more volt drop it introduces in to the circuit further reducing the winch capacity and motor life.

 

[michaelgroves]

Why?

I'm curious too. I suppose one might say that the more serious the accident, the less difference a fire would make, and take that to its logical conclusion!

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Given the cost/complexity/confusion of which swtich to use, doesn't a dead nuts simple copper bus bar to be installed before one enters the trail, make more sense? It would take... 1 minute at most? Heck, I wonder how hard it would be to rig something up using a 500amp industrial fuse holder.

 

[ntsqd]

Not really. If you want a point and shoot solution look for a battery switch rated for 500 amps continuous. The odds are great that if you overload the switch that there are other problems with the system that contributed to that overloading.

Can buy mounting blocks for MegaFuses. I'm only finding 175A and 250A versions at Del City Wire, but I'm fairly sure that other sizes are made if a true fuse is desired. Otherwise one could use the MegaFuse holder for a removable buss bar. P/N 87900 at http://www.delcity.net/store/search/p_795652.h_795653.a_1.t_1.n_y, currently $7.98 USD

Or could use something like this (400A continuous duty):
http://www.delcity.net/store/Heavy-Duty-Disconnect-Switch/p_4873.a_1

but it is ~$130 USD

Or this (but no current rating) for $27 USD:
http://order.waytekwire.com/productdetail2/M37/44093/REMOTE MOUNT IN-LINE/

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Definitely liking the Mega fuse holder.

 

[Antichrist]

To me paying more for a switch is worth it not having to fool with removing or installing a fuse. The added benefit of a switch is being able to quickly disconnect the power in an emergency.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

To me paying more for a switch is worth it not having to fool with removing or installing a fuse. The added benefit of a switch is being able to quickly disconnect the power in an emergency.

Ok. Sold. I guess if something shorts out during a winching operation, you'll want to disconnect it fast.

Now to choose which one... Cole Hersee, or the one Michael Groves posted... It does seem to me some of the more common ones are a little bit light duty.

What about voltage drop across the contacts?

 

[Antichrist]

In theory, the higher the amp rating, the lower volt drop you'll have. That's why you want something in the 500amp range.
If you're mounting it inside, I guess it's personal preference, and whether you want surface mount or behind a panel or under floor mount.
If you're mounting it outside, I'd definitely go with the Cole Hersee so you can use the optional lockout.

If you mount it inside you're going to need larger gauge cables as you'll have a longer run.

 

[michaelgroves]

Now to choose which one... Cole Hersee, or the one Michael Groves posted... It does seem to me some of the more common ones are a little bit light duty.

The big rotary type probably only makes sense if you want to use it to manually control two batteries (which I did). The other types are physically much smaller, and cheaper too, other things being equal.