Hi Amp wire connections

[Boeing]

Guys, I just bought a winch. I plan on mounting it on a "2 inch hitch" platform so I can put it on the rear of my truck AND on the rear of the tractor if needed.
The manual says it has #6 guage wire to battery and draws a fair amount of current. I want to run wire (#6 or #5) to the rear of my vehicles then to ....connections?, plugs? something that can be connected and disconnected with ease and is covered so as not to be a spark target.Anyone know of a product here? I can envision plug in jacks like stereos used to use....but they are small and would not carry current.:confused3::anyone:

 

[k0ua]

maybe one of the larger anderson powerpoles?

Anderson Powerpole & SB Multipole Series Sets: Bags of housings and contacts in different sizes

I have never used any of the larger ones, but sure have used the smaller ones a lot and like them. How many amps does the winch draw when near stall condition? #6 is good for what 55 amps or so? I would get at least the 120 amp connectors.

James K0UA

 

[kennyd]

Yup, you won't find anything better than the Anderson's.

 

[grsthegreat]

i have a winch on my truck, and i use a standard winch quick disconnect. heres a set from ebay
ELECTRIC WINCH QUICK CONNECT / DISCONNECT PLUG | eBay

but you can get them from NAPA, JC Whitneys, any offroad shop, etc.

for long runs to a strong winch, youll need more than #6 wire...more like #2 copper wire. very high amp draw on a winch, especially under load.

What i did with mine, i ran the winch wires to a continuous duty contactor (relay) that is controlled by a lighted switch in the cab of the truck. that way the winch cables are dead unless the switch is thrown. No spark that way :laughing:.

the contactor only runs about $20, and protects the cables.

 

[k0ua]

i have a winch on my truck, and i use a standard winch quick disconnect. heres a set from ebay
ELECTRIC WINCH QUICK CONNECT / DISCONNECT PLUG | eBay

but you can get them from NAPA, JC Whitneys, any offroad shop, etc.

for long runs to a strong winch, youll need more than #6 wire...more like #2 copper wire. very high amp draw on a winch, especially under load.

What i did with mine, i ran the winch wires to a continuous duty contactor (relay) that is controlled by a lighted switch in the cab of the truck. that way the winch cables are dead unless the switch is thrown. No spark that way :laughing:.

the contactor only runs about $20, and protects the cables.

I would have to agree, after seen those connectors, by the way they look like anderson powerpoles with dust covers, and the relay is a good idea also.

James K0UA

 

[B7510HSD]

Find a forklift company and buy the SB175 connector for the vehicle and the winch they will plug together and are rated at 175amps...You could possibbly
get away with the SB50 wich is 50 amps but I used SB175 on my jeep so I could use the wich front or rear on a 2" reciever!! And I did use 2ga. welding wire which is way more flexible than a normal 2ga wire such as just battery cable!! :thumbsup:

 

[Boeing]

:ashamed:I feel like a "doof" even asking this but....I looked at the SB175 connectors and see wire holes going in and...they don't show the other end. How do it connect to the other connector? Is one end slightly smaller to give the "male-female"connector? For that matter how do the wires attach into the connector? duh...
And...I also found the "welding wire" (GREAT IDEA) and it shows #1 wire good to 190 Amps....if the connector is only good to 175 Amps do I really need #2 wire (good to 220 amps)??? Or maybe because from front end battery to rear end winch will lose alot of capacity? Sorry to be so dense...

 

[B7510HSD]

:ashamed:I feel like a "doof" even asking this but....I looked at the SB175 connectors and see wire holes going in and...they don't show the other end. How do it connect to the other connector? Is one end slightly smaller to give the "male-female"connector? For that matter how do the wires attach into the connector? duh...
And...I also found the "welding wire" (GREAT IDEA) and it shows #1 wire good to 190 Amps....if the connector is only good to 175 Amps do I really need #2 wire (good to 220 amps)??? Or maybe because from front end battery to rear end winch will lose alot of capacity? Sorry to be so dense...

kinda hard to decribe but they are flat and when you plug them together they
lock over each other you can crimp the cable in or I prefer to fill the end with solder and push the cable into it!! the lower the number the bigger the cable diameter wise I am not fimiliar with #1 ga. but use #2ga all the time?? Oh and make sure when you buy the connectors they are all the same color they are made to not interchange so when you have different voltages you use a different color to keep from frying things!!

 

[B7510HSD]

Here's a picture that shows the tips !!

 

[grsthegreat]

the problem with 12 volt systems is the need for high amperage. a 1000 watt load on 120 volt system only requires a 8.33 amp load

a 1000 watt load on a 12 volt system will require wire that can handle 83.8 amp load.

same load but 10 times the amperage. almost all winch wiring (Wern winches, etc) will have #2 or larger wires due to this reason.

the plug ends have a male and female ends, and can only be plugged together one way. the wires solder in, very easy to assemble.

if the wire isnt large enough to handle the load (amperage) you will have alot of voltage drop from front to rear, and possibly melt down the wires themselves. My wires are 25' long and run from under hood to rear strapped onto frame of truck. not cheap to buy these wires either. Wern sells a set that about 250.00 or so.

heres a set on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WARN...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

its that darn copper wire thats the killer.

 

[NH Mike]

Take a look at the plate on your winch. It should list the maximum amperage the winch will draw, let's say 150 amps. Decide where you are going to locate the unit and measure the round trip length ( if it's 5' from the battery then you will have a 10' circuit, power out and back. Take those numbers and plug them into this chart,
(http://www.crcorp.com/DCT_HardwareEssentials/E/pdf/E11.pdf)
This will give you the proper wire size for your application. Then you match the connectors to the wire size.

Hope this helps
Mike.

I'm a certified marine electronics tech.

 

[Boeing]

This is what messed me up in the guage size....
[/FO
Welding Cable #6 wire guage /30 amps 75
Welding Cable #4 " " /30 amps 100
Welding Cable #2 " " /30 amps 140
Welding Cable #1 " " /30 amps 160

But here comes 1/0 ?????

Welding Cable 1/0 wire size /30 amps 190
Welding Cable 2/0 " " /30 amps 223
(this is where I got that...http://wesbellwireandcable.com/Welding.html)

Don't know what the "ought" did but it reversed the size vs. amp capacity....more to confuse me:laughing:
One more question about the connectors....You said that you like to put solder into the connector and push the wires in......how do he do that?
IS the connector metal inside and the housing in the photos plastic? Can the metal part come out to solder....cause it would melt a plastic housing...
Lots of questions, I know...sorry....I am, really...

 

[grsthegreat]

This is what messed me up in the guage size....
[/FO
Welding Cable #6 wire guage /30 amps 75
Welding Cable #4 " " /30 amps 100
Welding Cable #2 " " /30 amps 140
Welding Cable #1 " " /30 amps 160

But here comes 1/0 ?????

Welding Cable 1/0 wire size /30 amps 190
Welding Cable 2/0 " " /30 amps 223

Don't know what the "ought" did but it reversed the size vs. amp capacity....more to confuse me:laughing:
One more question about the connectors....You said that you like to put solder into the connector and push the wires in......how do he do that?
IS the connector metal inside and the houseing in the photos plastic? Can the metal part come out to solder....cause it would melt a plastic housing...
Lots of questions, I know...sorry....I am, really...

the metal legs pop out of the plastic housings. then you solder them . after they cool, you pop them back in and they lock under a tab.
1/0 is smaller then 2/0, which is smaller then 3/0 etc

 

[NH Mike]

1/0 is 0 Awg
2/0 Is 00 Awg
3/0 is 000 Awg

 

[B7510HSD]

This is what messed me up in the guage size....
[/FO
Welding Cable #6 wire guage /30 amps 75
Welding Cable #4 " " /30 amps 100
Welding Cable #2 " " /30 amps 140
Welding Cable #1 " " /30 amps 160

But here comes 1/0 ?????

Welding Cable 1/0 wire size /30 amps 190
Welding Cable 2/0 " " /30 amps 223
(this is where I got that...Welding Cable, Flexible Copper Cable, Rubber power cable, Copper wire Suppliers)

Don't know what the "ought" did but it reversed the size vs. amp capacity....more to confuse me:laughing:
One more question about the connectors....You said that you like to put solder into the connector and push the wires in......how do he do that?
IS the connector metal inside and the housing in the photos plastic? Can the metal part come out to solder....cause it would melt a plastic housing...
Lots of questions, I know...sorry....I am, really...

All the #1,#2,#4,#6 and so forth are smaller than the 1/0,2/0,3/0.4/0 cables
all the ?/0 IMHO would be way to big for what you are doing we use these on
36,48,72 volt forklifts and are way to big for 12v!! Oh and if you are going to run cable any length along the chassis make sure it is either fused with a fuse or circuit breake at the "START" of the run so if you get a short in the line it will not burn along the frame!!

 

[Boeing]

Thanks guys....The tractor is in Va. but I think if I order 20' it should get from the battery, down the frame and up to....somewhere where I can secure it.
BTW, since the tractor frame is steel and the battery grounds to the frame.....can I just run a red POS cable the whole way and ground at the REAR of the tractor saving alot of wire (and cost)?:confused2:

 

[NH Mike]

Yes you can.
Make sure you add a fuse close to the battery on the pos side.

Make sure you don't undersize the wire, it will act like a resistor and the winch will underperform.

 

[NH Mike]

All the #1,#2,#4,#6 and so forth are smaller than the 1/0,2/0,3/0.4/0 cables
all the ?/0 IMHO would be way to big for what you are doing we use these on
36,48,72 volt forklifts and are way to big for 12v!! Oh and if you are going to run cable any length along the chassis make sure it is either fused with a fuse or circuit breake at the "START" of the run so if you get a short in the line it will not burn along the frame!!

The higher the voltage the less demand on wire size. A 12 volt circuit will always require much larger wire than 24, 48, 72 etc.......

 

[B7510HSD]

The higher the voltage the less demand on wire size. A 12 volt circuit will always require much larger wire than 24, 48, 72 etc.......

hmmmm so I can start useing 12ga wire from my 48v batteries to power our forklifts??

 

[k0ua]

hmmmm so I can start useing 12ga wire from my 48v batteries to power our forklifts??

What he meant was for a given amount of power delivered, the higher the voltage the smaller guage of wire needed to deliver that power.
Ohms Law E=IR P=EI

So for instance if you had a power load of say 100 watts, lets use an incandescent light bulb for simplicity. Now lets run that bulb on 1 Volts (obviously the bulb must be designed to run on 1 Volts) . So the load is 100 watts the voltage is 1 volts and the current (I) is 100 amps and the suitable wire size for a short run (lets say 10 feet) of wire could be something like #4 or maybe even need #2. and longer runs would need much larger wire. But at 100 volts the current would 1 amp, to power the 100 watt load (again the lamp would need to be designed to run on 100 volts) and the wire size could be as small as #24 gauge for a short run. and maybe 16 gauge for even 100 foot run. These are extreme examples, and your fork truck with 48 volt batteries uses pretty good sized wire because the loads are very large. but if you battery was 12 volt then the current would be 4 times larger for a given load, and the wire would have to be bigger to safely carry that extra current without overheating. Ok enough of the EE 101 class. now back to your regular programming.

James K0UA