toma nova

I'm adding a 4500 lb winch to my open trailer (Miata). Since I'll only use it a few times a year if the car doesn't run or it's raining, can I simplify the power source by using external long leads and clamps to the truck battery? This would save me from wiring through the truck or adding a battery to the trailer and I would just throw the wires in the trailer toolbox. What size clamps and what gauge wire?

De Jeeper

Warn makes a kit with a swich and seliniod. U run it down the frame rail and it gives u an anderson connector. This is the safest way to do it as most cable and clamps (jumper cables) r undersized for the load a winch can pull.

flatsics

A good portable jump pack works great and is nice to have at the track for your vehicles in case you need it.

dgmark

Unless you use very heavy cables you will lose too much amperage over a long run. Use a jumper pack.

toma nova

I've wired up this : short cable with ring ends to the winch controller and the longer clamp ends will go on the Cayenne battery. Tests good, will winch a car onto the trailer for the first time this weekend.

Igooz

Measure the voltage at the battery terminals of your Cayenne and then measure the voltage at the input of the winch while running the winch and loading the car. That is your voltage drop across those long jumpers. The winch may work just fine at the reduced voltage, since Miata is a lightweight vehicle. Worst case is initial pull up the ramp.

You may want to have the Cayenne running (even better, higher than idle speed) so that the alternator is charging more. Touch the cables and see if they get warm.

Be careful if that winch motor fails short or to ground, you will be grounding a live jumper cable. You don’t have a fuse in this circuit.

FWIW: 1500Amp rating for the cables is a tribal number used for the inrush current of a stalled starter motor in a diesel at 20F (IE thick engine oil). It has been around for 40yrs.

toma nova

Thanks for the feedback. Winched the Boxster up this evening, no issues (with the winch. Boxster needs the PDK repaired). When I have time, I’ll check the voltage as you suggest. Cayenne was running, cables did not get warm. I’ll also look at adding a fuse in line.

Igooz

IMHO: Putting jumper cables on the Cayenne's battery and then running an inductive load (winch motor) is not something that is really great for the electronics in your car. I have no clue how robust the Cayenne electronics are nor how bad the power spikes are...so, I would not do what you are thinking about doing on a regular basis. My wife has been a 15 year long Cayenne GTS owner: 957.2/958.2/9Y0, and I have dealt with a fair share of ghost electronics issues with these cars and the newest one being by far the worst.

The cleanest way would be to just bite the bullet, mount a battery in a sealed box as close to the winch motor as possible with short and fat cables; isolated from the car. And when the trailer is not in use, simply trickle charge that battery.

Signing out...

Glyndellis

This is what I did. Total cost was low and I didn't risk damaging my truck

Mussl Kar

Get a tongue storage box for your trailer. Put a small battery/jump pack in there. Maybe even get a small solar trickle charger for it. I used a jump pack for a few years that way when I had my open trailer.

991carreradriver

Just replaced my stolen trailer with a new Trailex CT-8055 EB today. I asked for a quote on a battery set up and a wiring to my car set up. The car setup was less expensive and I don't have a battery to worry about. No brainer, have your vehicle hard wired.

FlipE

Jump box works fine with my wi-fi-remote winch.

I have a stub wall in my trailer. My winch was mounted to the top of the stub wall and triangulated with a turnbuckle mounted to a strip of E-Track bolted to the trailer floor against the front trailer wall.

When I sold my Elise and got a Cayman, I noticed the tow ring on the Lotus was on-center and the tow ring on the Cayman was 12" right of center.

I mounted a 5' parallel-style E-Track to the top of my stub wall. Then I mounted my winch to the backside of a shorter piece of vertical E-Track. Slapped them together face-to-face. Sourced a couple of E-track clips with enough reach to lock the two tracks together. One clip goes on each side of the winch.

This allows me to move the winch right or left in 4" increments. Easy to move the turnbuckle to match.

Now I can winch essentially any car with a tow ring, one hand on the remote, and the other on the steering wheel.