Woodmaxx Snowblower Wiring question

[Sierraau]

I have an 84" woodmaxx snow blower and last fall I noticed the wiring from the control box to the motor that runs the swivel and the deflector on the chute was pretty much worn through by my seat rubbing on it. So I cut the wiring and tried to re-install it with new wires. Well, apparently I got something messed up because it doesn't work and the fuse doesn't pot (so no direct short). Can anyone tell me what the 4 wires from the controller are? I am assuming there are two hots and two grounds? I'm not sure how a switch that has 3 positions works in such a thing. So is if fair for me to think that by moving the switch I can put a meter on those 4 wires and when I find the 2 hot leads, I can then mark them as such and then run them out to the appropriate motor? I want to ask someone before I go out there and blow something up. Thanks. No clue about wiring.

 

[leonz]

You have two 3-position momentary contact switches with the middle position always providing 12 volts to the 2 functions that are either on or off.
If the wires to the electric motor and linear actuator are still intact you can use 2 sets of alligator clips and a 12-volt lamp to identify each
low voltage wire by function and not harm anything

 

[oldnslo]

I believe you change polarity to change direction on those actuators.

Two center posts should be the common posts on the switch. Connect these to the two wires going to the actuator.
Connect positive to two pins diagonal across from each other.
Connect negative or ground to other two pins diagonal across from each other.

Maybe do a search on wiring a 12 VDC linear actuator.

 

[Sierraau]

You have two 3-position momentary contact switches with the middle position always providing 12 volts to the 2 functions that are either on or off.
If the wires to the electric motor and linear actuator are still intact you can use 2 sets of alligator clips and a 12-volt lamp to identify each
low voltage wire by function and not harm anything

So explain to me as if you were talking to your Golden Retrevier what I need to do to find which wires end up with which wires. We've got another 4' of snow coming in and my FEL won't be able to handle it without the snowblower.

 

[LD1]

I am assuming TWO switches.

Lets call the 1st switch S for swivel.
Lets call the 2nd switch D for deflector

With Both Switches off.....Verify NO voltage to any of the 4 wires.

Flip switch S one direction. ONE of the wires should have 12v
Flip switch S the other direction. Another one of the wires should have 12v.

Those two wires should go to the swivel.

That would leave the remaining two to go to the Chute. But can follow above to verify.

Attached is a typical schematic of how a switch for an actuation reverses polarity to reverse the direction.

 

[LouNY]

Here's a picture of a DPDT switch, Double Pole Double throw and how it's wired.

 

[Sierraau]

Thanks for the visual, so some of the wire connectors needed repair, so now I have power out to the wires going to both motors (I am assuming the red wire from each motor is the hot and the black is the ground). Hooked both up and although there is power to both sets of wires going to both motors, nothing happens when I hit the switch. It's getting dark, so I guess I will put my plow back on and hope I can keep up with the snow. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

 

[LouNY]

Those motors should be reversible, one lead needs to go the positive +, and the other to the negative-.
If you have a jump pack or other 12 Volt source you can place one lead on the positive and the other on the negative and the motor will activate in one direction, then you can reverse those leads and the motor will turn the other direction.

On your original installation I am assuming that you had 2 separate switches, one for up and down, and another for left or right.

Neither wire should go to frame ground and none of the wires on your switches should go to ground. I would have expected two wires in your original wiring with one to each battery terminal.

The switch will reverse the polarity of the voltage going to the motor.

Again this is assuming that you have 3 position switches, spring centered to the middle "off" position with one direction of activation providing one direction of travel while held in that position, releasing it allows the switch to return to center and off, moving the switch to the other position should drive the operation in the other direction and again releasing it allows it to return to center "off".

 

[LD1]

Thanks for the visual, so some of the wire connectors needed repair, so now I have power out to the wires going to both motors (I am assuming the red wire from each motor is the hot and the black is the ground). Hooked both up and although there is power to both sets of wires going to both motors, nothing happens when I hit the switch. It's getting dark, so I guess I will put my plow back on and hope I can keep up with the snow. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

It seems you are not understanding what reversing polarity means.

If there are two red, and two black.....sounds like you simply have a red from switch one, and black from switch two going to one actuator, and vice versa for the other.

Simply swap ONE color of the wires. Like swap the blacks but leave the reds alone and see what it does.

 

[RustyA]

Think of it like power windows on the car. Motor turns one way to raise glass, the other way to lower glass. Window motor is not grounded, power is reversed by switch depending on switch position. Center is off, down reversed polarity compared to up.

 

[Sierraau]

Sorry to sound so stupid, but I am assuming that it really doesn't matter which wire is attached to which wire for each motor, because one color makes the chute turn one direction and the other makes it turn the opposite direction? Am I understanding you? So when the wires on the wiring loom from the switch was worn through, I didn't have the same wiring harness from Woodmaxx, I just went to the Auto parts store, and cut off the connectors for the old wiring loom and replaced the loom with a 4 terminal trailer light wiring harness (the kind with 3 females and 1 male on one connector and the opposite on another). So I traced the hot leads all the way out to the last splice point of the wiring harness and the power seems to get out that far, but when I turn on either of the switches in the cab, nothing happens. Do you think the leads on the trailer wiring harness are too small? They seem to be of similar size for the deflector, but may be a little small for the chute motor. What would you recommend as my next move to figure out why nothing is working?

 

[LD1]

Sorry to sound so stupid, but I am assuming that it really doesn't matter which wire is attached to which wire for each motor, because one color makes the chute turn one direction and the other makes it turn the opposite direction? Am I understanding you? So when the wires on the wiring loom from the switch was worn through, I didn't have the same wiring harness from Woodmaxx, I just went to the Auto parts store, and cut off the connectors for the old wiring loom and replaced the loom with a 4 terminal trailer light wiring harness (the kind with 3 females and 1 male on one connector and the opposite on another). So I traced the hot leads all the way out to the last splice point of the wiring harness and the power seems to get out that far, but when I turn on either of the switches in the cab, nothing happens. Do you think the leads on the trailer wiring harness are too small? They seem to be of similar size for the deflector, but may be a little small for the chute motor. What would you recommend as my next move to figure out why nothing is working?

I clearly stated this in post #9

 

[Sierraau]

Sorry I missed that.... yeah, that is probably what is happening. Thanks.

 

[Sierraau]

Ok- now understanding that depending upon the direction of the switch the power is sent to the appropriate wire coming from the motor(s), I figured out that I had in fact had one wire from one motor attached to the opposite switch wire, so, of course, it wouldn't work. So I fixed that. Now there is a big storm bearing down on us and most likely it will be rain, so I didn't have time to switch out the blower for the rear blade, so I backed the tractor up with the rear blade on it and parked it next to the snowblower. I ran the wires from the switch to the wires from the motors. And to be extra smart, I figured since the tractor wasn't actually hooked up to the the blower (and hence no ground), I ran a jumper cable from a ground on the tractor over to the head of a big bolt on the snowblower. And then I hit the switch ....... and still nothing on either motors. I cannot think of what else it could be. The only other thing was the wires of the wire loom are 16 gauge and the wires on the switched wiring harness were probably #14, but I would think I would get some sort of movement. Any other ideas?

 

[LouNY]

Have you got a picture of the backs of your switches?

 

[Sierraau]

"Pictures of backs of switches"? I'm sorry I don't understand what you are asking. Do you want me to send a photo of the switch box? Or do you want me to open it up and take a photo?

 

[LouNY]

Both the outside and the inside would be good.
Also a picture of both ends of your splicing would be beneficial.

 

[Sierraau]

So the rain is going to show up soon, and I don't have a shop to work in, so I am guessing with this 3 way switch thing, if I want to test the motors, I need to get a 12v battery out there and put the positive terminal to one of the wires coming off the motors, and then I run the negative wire from the battery to any bare spot on the blower? Is this correct? I don't want to burn anything up.

On the splicing, I originally use butt end connectors, but since I have been pulling the wires apart a lot lately, I am now just squeezing the wires and twisting them and adding black tape so I can take them apart if I need to.

 

[LD1]

I need to get a 12v battery out there and put the positive terminal to one of the wires coming off the motors, and then I run the negative wire from the battery to any bare spot on the blower? Is this correct?

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

 

[Carl_NH]

Maybe this will help - I have the SB 60 with electric chute deflector like this (Snow Blower) 12V-Electric Chute Rotator/Deflector Controls

Here are the connections on the tractor and the SB. The Yellow-Red on the tractor connector, go to red green to the rotator motor, and the Green Brown on the tractor side go to the Brown Blue on the deflector.