P1000 Winch power cable sizing

[Prntckt]

I am planning to install a Harbor Freight 5000 winch. What guage cable are you using for winch power connections?

 

[Vikes79]

I am planning to install a Harbor Freight 5000 winch. What guage cable are you using for winch power connections?

I used the cable that came with it.

 

[William]

The supplied cables...

 

[Prntckt]

I should have provided more detail in my post. My second battery is under my seat. I plan on running the winch off of that battery. Are #6 cables large enough for this longer run? I know most are powered off batteries under the hood, and the provided cables would have been long enough. Might even mount the winch on a reciever mount so I could use it front or back of the P1000, and on my trailer or truck too. Kicking around some ideas......

 

[BobSmithing]

Looking at an online user manual for the winch there is a table with an amp draw from 30-296 amps. (WOW) Winch Manual, I picked a mid-range of 150A for calculation. Assuming a 6' cable run to the battery and doubling for the return trip I got a 12' run. Using the chart on Blue Sea a 150A draw for up to 30' would be a 1 AWG cable. With a 6 AWG best you should pull is 70A. More details in Blue Sea Article on sizing wire. If you fuse the circuit for 30A you could use 10 AWG. I would be curious to know what amperage others are using for winch wire size calculations. Remember longer the run the greater the voltage drop so use a larger gauge wire than on a shorter run. Hope this is of help.

 

[Prntckt]

Looking at an online user manual for the winch there is a table with an amp draw from 30-296 amps. (WOW) Winch Manual, I picked a mid-range of 150A for calculation. Assuming a 6' cable run to the battery and doubling for the return trip I got a 12' run. Using the chart on Blue Sea a 150A draw for up to 30' would be a 1 AWG cable. With a 6 AWG best you should pull is 70A. More details in Blue Sea Article on sizing wire. If you fuse the circuit for 30A you could use 10 AWG. I would be curious to know what amperage others are using for winch wire size calculations. Remember longer the run the greater the voltage drop so use a larger gauge wire than on a shorter run. Hope this is of help.

Thanks for the info. Looks like I‘m going invest in more copper than I originally planned.

 

[HondaTech]

I mean even the Warn winch from Honda doesn't have that big a wire, even on a 700 which runs to the battery under the passenger seat.

Wouldn't the amperage pull be mainly on the wires to the winch?

 

[BobSmithing]

Wouldn't the amperage pull be mainly on the wires to the winch?

Agreed from the battery to the relay on the power side, not the control lines and from the relay to the winch. I think the real question is what is the real power draw of the winch when it is under load and that I don't have the experience to judge. Does anyone have a good answer to the question is what the real working amperage draw is on the Harbor Freight winch? I have a tendency to over-engineer things and might use a 4 AWG. I saw a WARN 24' Quick Connect Power Cable come up in ads below and it is a 4 AWG cable they state is capable of handling 175 A. Given that, I would probably use a 4 AWG. I'd love to hear the thoughts of those with more experience.

 

[Prntckt]

Well, maybe I’ll be alright. I bought 4 gauge wire. I guess I’ll give it a try.

 

[rickoshea]

Well, maybe I’ll be alright. I bought 4 gauge wire. I guess I’ll give it a try.

i've been using 4 gauge welding cable for my rear 10k lb. winch on my Ram for the last 9 years and it's been working great.

 

[toddvdh]

I’m pretty sure my harbor freight 5000lb winch came with a 30 amp fuse on the wire. And they are pretty long. I bet they would reach under the seat no problem. So, the winch doesn’t draw more than 30 amps unless something is wrong.

So, if you use the 4 awg wire(which is bigger than needed) please put a fuse on it near the battery. The reason for this is so the wire doesn’t melt. If the motor shorts out it could draw infinity power until the weakest point gives out. You want that to be a fuse, not melting wires.

 

[IXInaplesIXI]

 

[IXInaplesIXI]

I should clarify, that chart is a standard stranded cable. There are very high stranded cable (welding cable) that can do a lot higher ampacity with smaller diameters.

 

[Prntckt]

I should clarify, that chart is a standard stranded cable. There are very high stranded cable (welding cable) that can do a lot higher ampacity with smaller diameters.

 

[Prntckt]

The cable I ordered was a #4 awg comprised of 364 strands of #30 awg wire. Should be good.

 

[Prntckt]

I’m pretty sure my harbor freight 5000lb winch came with a 30 amp fuse on the wire. And they are pretty long. I bet they would reach under the seat no problem. So, the winch doesn’t draw more than 30 amps unless something is wrong.

So, if you use the 4 awg wire(which is bigger than needed) please put a fuse on it near the battery. The reason for this is so the wire doesn’t melt. If the motor shorts out it could draw infinity power until the weakest point gives out. You want that to be a fuse, not melting wires.

I had the same concern, so I installed a Bussman marine circuit breaker within a foot of the battery. I also installed a circuit breaker on the #6 running from my underseat battery to my stinger and fuseblock under the hood. The Bussman units I bought are surface mount with studs on the back. I mounted them on surface of the underseat enclosure. I have easy access to the the breaker, and the cable studs are in the underseat area where my second battery is mounted.

 

[Prntckt]

I had the same concern, so I installed a Bussman marine circuit breaker within a foot of the battery. I also installed a circuit breaker on the #6 running from my underseat battery to my stinger and fuseblock under the hood. The Bussman units I bought are surface mount with studs on the back. I mounted them on surface of the underseat enclosure. I have easy access to the the breaker, and the cable studs are in the underseat area where my second battery is mounted.