Winch Master Disconnect

I don't have a disco either, but it seems like a good idea. The winch is wired direct to the battery without a fuse or anything else inline to protect the jeep in case of a dead short. They are BIG wires too, so they can get real hot and carry a whole bunch of current
 
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Having 6' of cabling capable of carrying several hundred amps of electricity connected to the battery all the time without any short-circuit protection was not something I was willing to do. I have a crazy amount of money invested in my LJ project, and I would just feel sick if it burned up because that cable shorted. I considered a disconnect like you posted, but I wanted to be able to use the winch without having to pop the hood and flip a switch.

I know it bucks conventional wisdom on here, but I used the "belt and suspenders" approach. I used a 250A ANL fuse on the winch power cable (Blue Sea Systems, a marine electrical company, had a lot of info on their web site that I read before making this decision). I also ran a 12" always hot lead to a pair of 200A solenoids in parallel, and from there, I went to the winch with a 5' cable that is not always hot. A switch in the dash will control power to the solenoid. The always hot 12" cable is the only part of the wiring that doesn't have short-circuit protection. I've seen the argument that starters have no short-circuit protection on nearly all vehicles and have large cables powering them, and that is true. However, the starter is not mounted in a position where it is the very first component after the bumper to be struck in a frontal collision.

I know that opinions vary on this subject, but you asked for thoughts, and these are mine. YMMV, as they say!
 
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I have a 500 amp solenoid on the firewall, plus a 500 amp fuse directly off the battery. No need for a low impedance, high capacity wire running all the way to the front of the Jeep without some precautions. Both are installed in such a way that its very easy to bypass if they should happen to fail at a critical moment.
 
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That switch is waterproof too so you could possibly mount it out from under the hood near the winch. Which also be good in case you needed to shut it up in an emergency. Wouldn't need much more wire either I wouldn't think.
 
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I have a 500 amp solenoid on the firewall, plus a 500 amp fuse directly off the battery. No need for a low impedance, high capacity wire running all the way to the front of the Jeep without some precautions. Both are installed in such a way that its very easy to bypass if they should happen to fail at a critical moment.

I get the fuse,, but what does the added solenoid provide over the solenoids in the standard Warn winch contactor pack?
 
I get the fuse,, but what does the added solenoid provide over the solenoids in the standard Warn winch contactor pack?

Kills the power to that huge lead going to the front of the Jeep. No sparks if there's a front end collision. Cheap insurance.
 
I've never installed one before on a winch, but am curious what others think about a master disconnect switch. Thoughts? Something like this:

[URL]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XTDSD4B/?tag=wranglerorg-20[/URL]
I would prefer something with at least a 500 amp inrush rating.
Having 6' of cabling capable of carrying several hundred amps of electricity connected to the battery all the time without any short-circuit protection was not something I was willing to do. I have a crazy amount of money invested in my LJ project, and I would just feel sick if it burned up because that cable shorted. I considered a disconnect like you posted, but I wanted to be able to use the winch without having to pop the hood and flip a switch.

I know it bucks conventional wisdom on here, but I used the "belt and suspenders" approach. I used a 250A ANL fuse on the winch power cable (Blue Sea Systems, a marine electrical company, had a lot of info on their web site that I read before making this decision). I also ran a 12" always hot lead to a pair of 200A solenoids in parallel, and from there, I went to the winch with a 5' cable that is not always hot. A switch in the dash will control power to the solenoid. The always hot 12" cable is the only part of the wiring that doesn't have short-circuit protection. I've seen the argument that starters have no short-circuit protection on nearly all vehicles and have large cables powering them, and that is true. However, the starter is not mounted in a position where it is the very first component after the bumper to be struck in a frontal collision.

I know that opinions vary on this subject, but you asked for thoughts, and these are mine. YMMV, as they say!

I have a 500 amp solenoid on the firewall, plus a 500 amp fuse directly off the battery. No need for a low impedance, high capacity wire running all the way to the front of the Jeep without some precautions. Both are installed in such a way that its very easy to bypass if they should happen to fail at a critical moment.

I would run a fuse or a solenoid but not necessarily both as they in the big picture are doing the same thing and I prefer to keep the amount of connections to a minimum.
I get the fuse,, but what does the added solenoid provide over the solenoids in the standard Warn winch contactor pack?

One protects the line the other is if you do not want power in the line all the time.

I have only ever worried about putting a power a interrupt on rear receiver winch installations. I just make sure there is chafe protection where needed and run it.
 
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I have a switch inside the cabin (controlling a relay) that needs to be turned on for the winch to get power. Is something like that not an option for you @Irun?

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I would run a fuse or a solenoid but not necessarily both as they in the big picture are doing the same thing and I prefer to keep the amount of connections to a minimum.
Yea, kinda-sorta as long as whichever is close to the battery. I wanted the disconnect so I installed the solenoid. The fuse was cheap, easy, and basically right on the battery, "just in case".