winch instalations

[Rory mundy]

hey chaps after my winch set fire to my fortuner over december by shorting out on the power cable is there a dead man switch or something that you can install to remove all power to the winch when not in use. i was lucky that my alarm went off otherwise my truck would have burnt out.

[Searaider]

Rory try the caravan dealers

[MIKE PIKE]

Rory , also try the 4 x 4 fitment centres ,and see i they dont have an alternate means of cutting out the power to the winch live cable when not in use , in aviation we use circuit breakers with various amp ratings like 1, 2 , 5 and so on right up to 120 amps which protects a circuit in case of an over load ,its spring loaded and can be manually pulled which makes the cicuit dead until pushed back in and then will automatically pop out if the amperage rating is exceeded ... only problem is they pricey and work on 24 volts not 12 , i'll get u a pic and see if i can find a 12 volt type, just need to know how many amps the winch draws when running.

[Rory mundy]

im not electrically minded and have been told that a winch draws 300 amps when pulling and thats why there is no ffail safe.

[Eric Roberts]

Hi Rory,  Try Midas or any good auto parts outlet they supply  isolator switches which handle 300 or 500amp. Its a manual switch usually made by Hella and has two large brass terminals for connecting battery cables and a large key which when turned bridges the two terminals. They are used on race and rally vehicles to isolate the main power supply in case of trouble.  They are usually a black main body with a red plastic key. This is the simplest way of achieving the result you need.
Regards,
Eric.

[benniejordaan]

Rory,
You get isolator switches like used on some boats. Not too expensive! Most boat dealers will have them.

[Rory mundy]

can they handle the amps?

and to every one make sure your insurance people know you have a winch on your vechicle other wise they come with some serious stories why they are not going to pay

[benniejordaan]

can they handle the amps?

and to every one make sure your insurance people know you have a winch on your vechicle other wise they come with some serious stories why they are not going to pay

I'll check with ASC tomorrow!

[benniejordaan]

300 Amps, last price R150 - No stock, more stock coming in soon but can't say when!

[CLS]

Try Mr Winch, sure he will be able to help you.- off Umgeni rd Durban