Winch connect to Trailer hitch wiring???

[squarefoot]

I am curious if anyone has powered a small winch (or something of similar power draw) to the 7 pin hitch wiring harness? I was thinking of creating a custom plug using just the power/ground wires and connecting it to a removable hitch mounted 2500lb winch. I have no idea what guage wires are connected to the factory harness and would not want to overload them. Do you think it will work?

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[Gobi Wan K]

I wouldn't expect that the trailer harness would come close to supporting the Amp draw for any winch. When I wired one up on my atv I probably used 6 gauge wire. Maybe 8. But it would have to be upsized due to the length from the battery. The 7 pin harness has 14 gage at best probably. No where near what you would need. You can buy a kit that is designed to be used with multi mount winches and it comes with a high Amp plug.

 

[Mr._Bill]

First thing to check is the size of the fuse feeding the 12v line in the trailer harness plug. Next is the 12v demand of the winch. If the fuse is large enough, it should work. If not, separate wiring will need to be installed to power the winch. Warn sells wiring kits for doing this.

 

[jeepin48]

The amp rating on the winch will likely have 2 numbers, a unloaded free spool and a locked/loaded spool current. It may run the winch with no load and then pop the fuse once loaded.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I wouldn't expect that the trailer harness would come close to supporting the Amp draw for any winch. When I wired one up on my atv I probably used 6 gauge wire. Maybe 8. But it would have to be upsized due to the length from the battery. The 7 pin harness has 14 gage at best probably. No where near what you would need. You can buy a kit that is designed to be used with multi mount winches and it comes with a high Amp plug.

I'd sure hope it's more than 14 gauge since the thing is fused at 30 amps! No way 14 will handle that sort of amperage at that length. Fuses are intended to protect wiring - 30 amp fuse on a long 14 gauge wire?

 

[Gobi Wan K]

I'd sure hope it's more than 14 gauge since the thing is fused at 30 amps! No way 14 will handle that sort of amperage at that length. Fuses are intended to protect wiring - 30 amp fuse on a long 14 gauge wire?

Well, I haven't looked at it. Didn't know it was fused at 30 amps. Even at 10 gauge it wouldn't be enough to support a winch.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well, I haven't looked at it. Didn't know it was fused at 30 amps. Even at 10 gauge it wouldn't be enough to support a winch.

Likely true - depending on the winch and the load and the wrap.
I have a 2,500 pound ATV winch I had thought about putting on my trailer and powering it from the trailer connector - the winch has 10 gauge wires. I figured - heck, with 10 gauge wires on the winch, that can't pull over about 30 amps tops and yet when you look at the charts, it goes well over that full load - huh? And equip it with 10 gauge wires right on the winch? And it has a 50 amp fuse in that 10 gauge wire. There's a puzzle...............
I may run an experiment, get another roll of 10 gauge wire, run the winch right to the battery with a 30 amp fuse in the wires and see if it blows the fuse pulling a car onto my trailer. A 2500 pound winch will put something like 3 times that up a 10% slope (rolling load)
I can always use the wire anyway for my auto work.

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