More Stupid Wiring Questions....

[Detonate]

Ok, so I got a new Winch. I switched from a Hydraulic to an Electric. If anyone cares, I can go into the reason, but I assure you, I wish I still had my Hydraulic.

So anyways, I get the winch mounted and all that good stuff. I found a spot to mount the remote Solenoid under the hood.

First I ran the wires from the winch to the solenoid, but before connecting them started to think about what's the best way to do this....

If I just connect the wires and make the wires tight, then when I need to drop my bumper to do work on it, I'd have to undo the wiring. If I leave the wires loose enough to drop the bumper, there would be a lot of slack drooping down...

Any suggustions on like how to mount like a bolt or something that I could tighten the 2 ends to and then just unbolt it as necessary?

So after not being able to figure that part out I tie wrapped the wires down to be figured out another day and moved on to connecting the Remote Solenoid to the battery.

It came with some pretty thick ass cables that seem to be near the same gauge as the ones bolted directly to my battery, so my first instict was to unbolt the leads and slip the ends over and rebolt. This is what I would have done, but the hole in the terminal wasn't big enough to fit the battery bolt in there.

I'm also wondering if that is an appropriate way to hook it up?

Out of the positive part of the battery the cable has this red box attached to it that says "Battery" with a very small red cable coming out of it. I opened it up and was thinking maybe I should put the positive cable in there, but then wasn't sure if that was a good way because of the little skinny cable that was coming out of there.

I'm also wondering if I need this thing fused or anything?

Also what is the best way to ground the black cable? I've never fully understood the mounting it to any old screw. How do I know it's actually hooked up properly?

[Detonate]

Ok, so I got a new Winch. I switched from a Hydraulic to an Electric. If anyone cares, I can go into the reason, but I assure you, I wish I still had my Hydraulic.

So anyways, I get the winch mounted and all that good stuff. I found a spot to mount the remote Solenoid under the hood.

First I ran the wires from the winch to the solenoid, but before connecting them started to think about what's the best way to do this....

If I just connect the wires and make the wires tight, then when I need to drop my bumper to do work on it, I'd have to undo the wiring. If I leave the wires loose enough to drop the bumper, there would be a lot of slack drooping down...

Any suggustions on like how to mount like a bolt or something that I could tighten the 2 ends to and then just unbolt it as necessary?

So after not being able to figure that part out I tie wrapped the wires down to be figured out another day and moved on to connecting the Remote Solenoid to the battery.

It came with some pretty thick ass cables that seem to be near the same gauge as the ones bolted directly to my battery, so my first instict was to unbolt the leads and slip the ends over and rebolt. This is what I would have done, but the hole in the terminal wasn't big enough to fit the battery bolt in there.

I'm also wondering if that is an appropriate way to hook it up?

Out of the positive part of the battery the cable has this red box attached to it that says "Battery" with a very small red cable coming out of it. I opened it up and was thinking maybe I should put the positive cable in there, but then wasn't sure if that was a good way because of the little skinny cable that was coming out of there.

I'm also wondering if I need this thing fused or anything?

Also what is the best way to ground the black cable? I've never fully understood the mounting it to any old screw. How do I know it's actually hooked up properly?

[Detonate]

Ok, so I got a new Winch. I switched from a Hydraulic to an Electric. If anyone cares, I can go into the reason, but I assure you, I wish I still had my Hydraulic.

So anyways, I get the winch mounted and all that good stuff. I found a spot to mount the remote Solenoid under the hood.

First I ran the wires from the winch to the solenoid, but before connecting them started to think about what's the best way to do this....

If I just connect the wires and make the wires tight, then when I need to drop my bumper to do work on it, I'd have to undo the wiring. If I leave the wires loose enough to drop the bumper, there would be a lot of slack drooping down...

Any suggustions on like how to mount like a bolt or something that I could tighten the 2 ends to and then just unbolt it as necessary?

So after not being able to figure that part out I tie wrapped the wires down to be figured out another day and moved on to connecting the Remote Solenoid to the battery.

It came with some pretty thick ass cables that seem to be near the same gauge as the ones bolted directly to my battery, so my first instict was to unbolt the leads and slip the ends over and rebolt. This is what I would have done, but the hole in the terminal wasn't big enough to fit the battery bolt in there.

I'm also wondering if that is an appropriate way to hook it up?

Out of the positive part of the battery the cable has this red box attached to it that says "Battery" with a very small red cable coming out of it. I opened it up and was thinking maybe I should put the positive cable in there, but then wasn't sure if that was a good way because of the little skinny cable that was coming out of there.

I'm also wondering if I need this thing fused or anything?

Also what is the best way to ground the black cable? I've never fully understood the mounting it to any old screw. How do I know it's actually hooked up properly?

[Detonate]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PhilD:
You may want to consider using a quick disconnect like the WARN one though. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Aha! Exactly what I need!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If you don't have any, pick up a couple of GM side post terinals that have the extra threaded bolt on for accessories. You can get them at PepBoys and the like for $2 or $3 each. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I was thinking about picking up one of those Optima Batteries you recently installed. Mainly because I have a lot of extra stuff I'm adding here lately, and want to make sure I have the juice to run it.

Will those posts be necessary with the new battery, or will they even work?

Thanks for the advice!

[DRTYFN]

Det,
After seeing an RA bumper up close I totally understand your predicament. RA didn't address the issue of proper solenoid placement so the customer is faced with where to zip-tie it.

I would suggest attaching the two grounds to the bottom of the winch then mounting it, finish wiring it and then placing the solenoid somewhere close so that you have some slack in the wires. If you ever need to remove the winch you'll need the slack so you can partially lift out the winch and unfasten the grounds from the bottom of the winch before lifting it all of the way out. I'm assuming you're using a Mile Marker winch, so you'll need an extension for your hand-held remote. I hope they supplied one.

I've got pictures of the RA set up if you'd like to see what I saw.

Don't get the Optima yet. Wrangler NW is going to have a dual battery system within 2 weeks. Very trick setup.

And asking a question isn't stupid unless you know the answer and ask it twice.

[Detonate]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DRTYFN:
After seeing an RA bumper up close I totally understand your predicament.RA didn't address the issue of proper solenoid placement so the customer is faced with where to zip-tie it. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I've talked with them extensively about the solenoid situation. It was certainly addressed and readdressed many many times.

There solution entails mounting the winch between the frame points that support the bumper. The solenoid cannot be integrated into the winch from any of the current models offered that I've seen. The MileMarker hydrualics with integrated solenoids are off to the side which will not fit in between the frame mounts, has nothing to do with the bumper itself.

The MM, Warn, etc... Electric winches ask that you place the Solenoid on top of the winch. In order to accomplish this, you would need to lower the winch down to a point that the approach angle of the H2 would be comprimised. If you leave the winch at it's current hight, you would not be able to open the hood of the H2.

Instead they have gone with the remote solenoid versions that allow you to put them anywhere. Maybe the ones you saw weren't placed correctly, but I don't feel that could be faulted to the manufacturer of the bumper.

I considered mounting mine inside the cab in the center console. That way I could plug the remote in from inside the cab, and have control over the kill switch. But I'm way too lazy to run that much cable, and loose my junk drawer.

Instead I found a sweet spot to mount it under the hood using the factory supplied plate and without drilling into anything.

The only problem with this solution would be the hassle of opening the hood to hook up the remote.

But thankfully for less than $100 you can buy a wireless remote from MM, that will not only keep me from having to hook up a remote, it will also give me the kill switch inside the cab.

All in all it's turned out to be an excellent solution.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I would suggest attaching the two grounds to the bottom of the winch then mounting it, finish wiring it and then placing the solenoid somewhere close so that you have some slack in the wires. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I think Phil nailed the solution for this one. I just need to put quick disconnects in between the wiring from the winch to the solenoid. This way the wiring can remain neat and tight, and when I need to drop the bumper I just open the hood and pop the quick disconnects. No muss, No fuss

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I've got pictures of the RA set up if you'd like to see what I saw. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Once I'm actually finished I'll post photo's of my install.

I'd love to see the ones you have taken.

Whose truck did you take pictures of? It was probably whoever installed thier winch that jacked up the install. I called Road Armor for pictures of installation pictures and found out they hadn't done any winch installation. That in of itself was a bit annoying and disappointing.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Don't get the Optima yet. Wrangler NW is going to have a dual battery system within 2 weeks. Very trick setup. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Really? Any pictures? What are the benefits to the setup?

I'm at a complete loss when it comes to automotive electronics. I do know that I'm going to be running a winch and close to 15 PIAA's when all is said and done, and I'm a bit worried about the battery drain.

[Detonate]

Oh yeah, another thing to add about the Solenoid, is that the MM solenoids are not water proof, or even really water resistant for that matter and state that they should not be used when raining or in damp conditions, which I thought was lame.

This was a big factor in why I choose to mount it under the hood or in the cab. I actually had made a bracket to connect it inside the bumper outside of the frame mount where the Marker Lamps go.

Hydraulic winches don't have that problem....

[Detonate]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DRTYFN:
...customer is faced with where to zip-tie it. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>By the way. Did you mean that literally? .or as a joke?

I nearly **** myself when I saw that MileMarker actually included 1 zip tie for the mounting of the Solenoid.

[DRTYFN]

Unfortunately, literally.

[Hummer Man]

Thanks PhilD, You just helped me save some time!

[PARAGON]

Hummer Manic, what are you talking about. Phil didn't offer a time-saving tip, he offered some common sense advice. Please keep your monkeys from littering up the forum.

In response to Phil's post, the quick disconnects that WARN uses are a Painless Wiring product and you can get them much cheaper somewhere else besides WARN.

[Hummer Man]

Thanks Phil, for the common sense post that saved me time!

[Dan]

some quick disconnects:

http://www.quickcar.net/electric/57704.html

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...79&prmenbr=361

[Yetti]

as for the battery drain ,you can use a battery isolator like the strereo guys use to keep from draining the battery deticated to the winch. and it will let the rest of the system work normal.