Woodmaxx Snowblower Wiring question

[Sierraau]

Thank you Carl and LD1 as you can guess I pretty much have no clue. I don't understand why they don't continue the same colors from one side of the harness to the other- perhaps because the plugs cannot be reversed, but once the plugs are cut, confusion ensues. So to be sure, the Green wire from the switch goes to the brown wire from the blower, and the Brown wire from the switch goes to the Blue wire from the Blower?

And for the chute motor, Red from the switch goes to red from the blower and Yellow from the switch goes to Green from the blower?

This whole 3 way switch has my head spinning. In my mind, since the switch in neutral position does nothing, if I switch it one way it appears say the Red wire is energized and if switch it another way the yellow wire is energized- there is no option for a ground because there aren't 3 wires? So how can I ground a wire from the motor, if there are only 2 wires coming from the motor and both of them are hot depending upon how the switch is moved? Does not compute.

 

[Sierraau]

No.

The two wires coming off the motor......one goes to positive, one to negative. Motor spins.

Swap the wires and put the other one on positive and the on that was on positive now goes to negative.....motor spins the other direction.

Look at the wiring diagrams you were given

First of all I don't know how to read wiring diagrams other than which wire goes where. Throw in a 3 way switch and I have no clue.

So I pulled a battery out and attached the positive side of the battery to one of the wires going directly to the chute motor, and the other wire I attached to the ground on the battery to the other wire going to the motor, and all I got was sparks- like direct short kind of sparks- which I was hoping not to do. Hopefully I didn't fry anything- as soon as it started sparking I pulled them apart. Now what? Maybe call a tractor mechanic for something that should be too simple to figure out......But I just don't get it.

 

[LD1]

Thank you Carl and LD1 as you can guess I pretty much have no clue. I don't understand why they don't continue the same colors from one side of the harness to the other- perhaps because the plugs cannot be reversed, but once the plugs are cut, confusion ensues. So to be sure, the Green wire from the switch goes to the brown wire from the blower, and the Brown wire from the switch goes to the Blue wire from the Blower?

And for the chute motor, Red from the switch goes to red from the blower and Yellow from the switch goes to Green from the blower?

This whole 3 way switch has my head spinning. In my mind, since the switch in neutral position does nothing, if I switch it one way it appears say the Red wire is energized and if switch it another way the yellow wire is energized- there is no option for a ground because there aren't 3 wires? So how can I ground a wire from the motor, if there are only 2 wires coming from the motor and both of them are hot depending upon how the switch is moved? Does not compute.

ITs DC system. Like a battery. You ONLY need two wires.

one is ground, one is hot. When you switch them motor reverses. Thats what REVERSING THE POLARITY means.

Stop looking at two wires as both "hot" wires and no where to put a ground. The ground is simply which every wire you DIDNT hook to the hot.

All the switches are doing is reversing this polarity for you.

 

[Carl_NH]

Sorry I was wrong! My blower isn't on the tractor see pics below

I just went out and hooked up the chute rotation motor and brown from the chute goes to green on the tractor, and green on the chute goes to red on the tractor side. The chute works/rotates.

On the deflector Blue from the deflector goes to yellow on the tractor, and brown from the deflector goes to red on the tractor.

 

[Sierraau]

ITs DC system. Like a battery. You ONLY need two wires.

one is ground, one is hot. When you switch them motor reverses. Thats what REVERSING THE POLARITY means.

Stop looking at two wires as both "hot" wires and no where to put a ground. The ground is simply which every wire you DIDNT hook to the hot.

All the switches are doing is reversing this polarity for you.

Ok, help me understand this. So if I move the switch one way, and say I have a red and a black wire coming off the switch and so if I move the switch to the left, then the red wire is the positive and the black wire is the ground and conversely, if I move the switch to the right, the black wire is the positive and the red wire is the negative? That being the case, I should be able to just hook up the associated wires in any order and the only difference it will make is the differing direction of the chute or the deflector? If that is the case, it looks like I have other problems, because either way I move both of my switches, nothing happens- and that would leave me to believe I blew up two motors somehow? I just don't get it. What else could it be? I've got power out past the connectors on the blower side of the connection.

 

[Sierraau]

Sorry I was wrong! My blower isn't on the tractor see pics below

I just went out and hooked up the chute rotation motor and brown from the chute goes to green on the tractor, and green on the chute goes to red on the tractor side. The chute works/rotates.

On the deflector Blue from the deflector goes to yellow on the tractor, and brown from the deflector goes to red on the tractor.

It doesn't matter, the wires coming off my blower motor are red and back for both. Sure would be nice if they kept the wires the same color.

 

[LouNY]

Each switch goes to ONE motor only!!!!

Each motor and switch is it's own separate entity.

The only common thing is that they both get power fed to them from the tractor.

If you have 4 wires your messing with and you have two red and two black,
one pair of wires should go to one motor.
One Red and one Black to a motor, you need to figure out which ones go to winch motor.

Do you have a volt meter or a test light?

 

[Sierraau]

Each switch goes to ONE motor only!!!!

Each motor and switch is it's own separate entity.

The only common thing is that they both get power fed to them from the tractor.

If you have 4 wires your messing with and you have two red and two black,
one pair of wires should go to one motor.
One Red and one Black to a motor, you need to figure out which ones go to winch motor.

Do you have a volt meter or a test light?

I get it that one pair of wires go to one motor. I understand which wires go to the rotation motor and which wires go to the Chute motor. I do have a volt meter. A friend suggested I test the ohms across the wires of the motor to make sure the motor isn't fried. He said if it reads close to zero then the motor is fried and if it tests to infinity then the motor is good.... does that sound correct?

 

[Sierraau]

Here are photos of the wiring.

 

[Sierraau]

I guess 500kb photos are overkill.... what size do you guys use?

 

[LD1]

Ok, help me understand this. So if I move the switch one way, and say I have a red and a black wire coming off the switch and so if I move the switch to the left, then the red wire is the positive and the black wire is the ground and conversely, if I move the switch to the right, the black wire is the positive and the red wire is the negative?

This is correct.

That being the case, I should be able to just hook up the associated wires in any order and the only difference it will make is the differing direction of the chute or the deflector?

No. Lets say you have wires # 1, 2, 3, 4.

With 1-2 being the rotation and 3-4 being the chute.

IF you hook 1-3 together and 2-4 together.......you are providing power to one motor but no ground. And ground to the other motor but no power. In this case, nothing would work.

If that is the case, it looks like I have other problems, because either way I move both of my switches, nothing happens- and that would leave me to believe I blew up two motors somehow? I just don't get it. What else could it be? I've got power out past the connectors on the blower side of the connection.

See above

 

[LD1]

I get it that one pair of wires go to one motor. I understand which wires go to the rotation motor and which wires go to the Chute motor. I do have a volt meter. A friend suggested I test the ohms across the wires of the motor to make sure the motor isn't fried. He said if it reads close to zero then the motor is fried and if it tests to infinity then the motor is good.... does that sound correct?

Your friend is incorrect

 

[Carl_NH]

The switch next to your thumb is the chute rotation correct? It appears it has a brown and green wire correct to the blower correct? Those should connect Green on tractor to red on blower, and brown on tractor to green on the blower.

Then the other switch for deflector you have yellow and red from the switch correct? These Yellow on tractor goes to Blue on the blower deflector. then red goes to brown on the blower.

You might have blown a fuse by arcing the wires too.

 

[LD1]

Here are photos of the wiring.View attachment 777745View attachment 777747View attachment 777748

Finally.....we at least get half the pictures we need.

IT shows us that the BROWN and GREEN wires coming out of the switch box goes to ONE motor, and RED and YELLOW are for the OTHER motor.

It doesnt matter HOW you wire it.....but brown and green need to go to the SAME motor. And red and yellow need to go to the SAME motor. If those "pairs" dont go to the SAME motor (IE: you have Brown and red on one motor and green and yellow on the other) ...NOTHING will work.

What you fail to show or tell us is the color of the wires coming out of the motors.....and what color they become when hooked up to the trailer 4-wire pigtail.

You do show that from the switch side......brown and green stay brown and green. And red and yellow become yellowand white.

FOLLOW the wires AFTER your splice all the way to the motor. Do the BROWN and GREEN wires go to the SAME motor.....or is one of those going to the deflector and the other going to the rotate?

 

[Sierraau]

I tested the ohms across the motor wires for the chute rotation and it was 5.1 - for whatever that means. Any ideas?

 

[Sierraau]

The wires coming from BOTH motors are Red and Black. The switch to the left is the chute rotation and the one on the right is the deflector. So, I've got the red & yellow together thinking it is the chute, rotation and the brown and green for the deflector, am I correct? Would the drastic reduction in size of the wire (trailer light wiring) cause problems? Should I get thicker wire? The trailer wiring harness was the only "connector" I could find locally. if there were a larger diameter connector locally I would have bought it.

 

[Carl_NH]

For a test just connect the two rotation motor wires Brown and Green to the Red and Brown to the Black on the blower - any 2 wire cord or romex or SJO cord will work.

 

[Sierraau]

What would I ask for at the auto parts store for a connector for bigger wire than trailer connectors? I have no idea what a suitable option would be called? I have a NAPA store here locally.

 

[leonz]

About the wiring;

You need alligator test clips with wire to check each circuit.
You also need heavier wire as most all the lights on trailers
are LED sets with low power demand.

For now you can simply use wire nuts and electrical tape to
make the wire run longer wrapping the wire nuts in electrical
tape to seal them and use duct tape to keep the wire away
from a wear point.

Buy 10 feet of wire for each color taking a piece of it to an
electrical supply store to get the right size of wire and wire nuts.

 

[Carl_NH]

Do you have an orange/yellow/green round 2 wire extension cord say 25'? Usually they are 14-2 or 16-2 - just cut these to length one for each motor and connect and tie wrap them together.