Last week I bought at Harbor Freight a 12,000 lb. winch ($300 on sale) intending to install it on my 18 foot flatbed trailer. Now I can't decide what is the best and most economic way to get power to it. One way is to have a stand alone battery on the trailer, but the down sides of this are where do I put the battery and how do I keep it charged. It would be used only occasionally. Do I do an "extension" cord that is attached to the pick up battery by hand clamps that then reaches back to the winch. These are available on Ebay. And there are other choices, such as a hook up through the 7 prong plug-in for the lights or a solar powered charging system to charge up a stand alone battery on the trailer. Any wisdom will be greatly appreciated. And, by the way, the owners manual says to only use for 45 seconds and then let it rest for 15 minutes! With this rule, i'm not sure how useful it might be.
- Thread starter David(CO)
- Start date
wjytexas
Well-known Member
I've had one of those for several years and it had been very handy, especially for the price. It had the corded control which shorted out. I ordered the wireless and it works great. I use a stand alone battery that I put in a milk crate fastened to the front of my gooseneck when I need it. That way I can charge it in the shop.
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
Make a battery box for the trailer and put in a battery and then either add a wire from your truck on the trailer light plug for charging the battery of get a solar charger and mount it to the battery box
Fawteen
Well-known Member
- Location
- Downeast Maine
I ran a heavy cable and an Anderson Power Pole connector out the back of my truck. Rebuilt the winch end with a long enough cable to reach.
Super H Mike
Member
On my trailer I built a fairly large tool box and attached it to the hitch rails ahead of the trailer bed. In it I keep the winch and a battery which is charged by the truck when running. I put 6 foot cables with jumper cable clamps on the winch. When I need the winch it mounts to a 2x2 receiver mount welded to the front of trailer bed , then I just run the cables to the battery in the tool box. This way it all stays out of the weather and the way when not in use, and the battery is always charged .
Roger in Iowa
Well-known Member
I believe most newer trucks have a "hot" wire in the 7 pin trailer hookup you can use to charge your trailer battery. But don't think you want to use it to power the winch.
Hazyhillfarms
Member
I ran 0 guage quick disconnect couplers from my truck battery to the winch on my trailer. That way I never run out of power, as long as I keep the truck running. The extra cable rests in the bed of my truck when not using.
I put a tool box on the tongue of my trailer. On the car trailer I put one 31T semi truck battery in one end of the tool box. It is 959 CCA with 3/8-18 threaded top terminals. This makes it very easy to hook the winch wires and charge wires to. It runs the winch great. I charge it through the trailer plug accessory power supply. I just put a 20 amp circuit breaker in the charge wire. That way if the winch battery is low and tries to pull too many amps through the truck's harness it trips the breaker. I have wired the charge circuit this way for years and never had an issue.
My car trailer may set for months and never be used. The battery usually is fine whenever I use it. I do put the battery charger on it in the late fall so it has a full charge for winter. Never had a battery fail yet doing it that way.
The best thing about using the 31T batteries is they can be bought cheap. Nice big battery for $75-80. That is because they are used by the thousands in semi trucks. All the ones I have come with a handle made into the top which makes handling them really easy for us older fellows.
My car trailer may set for months and never be used. The battery usually is fine whenever I use it. I do put the battery charger on it in the late fall so it has a full charge for winter. Never had a battery fail yet doing it that way.
The best thing about using the 31T batteries is they can be bought cheap. Nice big battery for $75-80. That is because they are used by the thousands in semi trucks. All the ones I have come with a handle made into the top which makes handling them really easy for us older fellows.
I use two 18 ft welding cables and use the truck battery. Two big clamps like a battery charger uses at the truck end and two quick connects on the trailer end. Ones male and one female so I can?t hook them up wrong. On my 30 ft gooseneck with a hydraulic tail I use one battery in the gooseneck and the same size welding cables to the two battery connection under the hood.
kcm.MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- NW Minnesota
I have a smaller winch that I use now and then. I simply use one of the batteries that's already sitting around here, and won't be needed during that time.
For a winch that size, I'd likely use two or three batteries connected together in parallel, just to keep any strain off of my good batteries.
I'm in the process of making a rear-mount wing blade for my plow truck this winter. Won't be a full width blade -- only for knocking down the snow berms a bit on the passenger side. I have a 12K winch. Will be connecting together all of my idle-in-Winter batteries into a common battery box to power the wing fore and aft as needed. After each use, I'll charge the lot of them and keep them at full charge.
For a winch that size, I'd likely use two or three batteries connected together in parallel, just to keep any strain off of my good batteries.
I'm in the process of making a rear-mount wing blade for my plow truck this winter. Won't be a full width blade -- only for knocking down the snow berms a bit on the passenger side. I have a 12K winch. Will be connecting together all of my idle-in-Winter batteries into a common battery box to power the wing fore and aft as needed. After each use, I'll charge the lot of them and keep them at full charge.
Not because JD Seller says so but this (as he stated) is the only way to go. We have several set up like this. If the kid driving the truck gets out there and pulls the battery down , he is not left stranded and the breaker drops the draw out before it lets him pull the truck down. Works like a charm, most time the trip back from using the winch will have it at full charge if it is one of those trailers that is used very seldom , just park it where you can pu a maintainer on the battery.
Janicholson
Well-known Member
Rollie NE PA
Well-known Member
I have the same winch. I hard wired mine to the truck battery using the proper circuit breakers. I have a quick disconnect at the bumper. I let the truck run when I am using the winch.
casecollectorsc
Well-known Member
- Location
- E central SD.
Bought a 12000# Harbor Freight winch and mounted it on my Dodge Cummins 1 ton flatbed. Can use the winch with the gooseneck trailer or the bumper pull car trailer. Wired to the battery in the truck.
I got a winch about that size for my deckover trailer. I just use a good battery, one that will work on other things on the farm. I've used it to haul maybe 10 dead tractors( 6000 lbs or less) this year. I just charge it up before the haul. Get your self a snatch block too. Get a battery with a handle and top posts. I just don't use it enough to wire it to a truck battery.
I have a Warn 12K electric winch mounted on the front of the truck on dual receivers and wired with the Anderson connectors.
I also have a dual receiver on the back of the truck wired in with Anderson connectors also. The power cable to the back runs through a garden hose for additional shielding. The winch can be moved front to rear and then connected.
I am long term working on my other truck to have a Hyd run front winch on a single receiver and will also get plumbed into the back end also.
I also have a dual receiver on the back of the truck wired in with Anderson connectors also. The power cable to the back runs through a garden hose for additional shielding. The winch can be moved front to rear and then connected.
I am long term working on my other truck to have a Hyd run front winch on a single receiver and will also get plumbed into the back end also.
Hobo,NC
Well-known Member
- Location
- Sanford, NC
They like power and plenty of it...
https://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1293137&highlight=trailer
Go for the kill and install its own battery that way when you need it, it will get the job done... Its just part of the deal enjoy your new toy...
BTW that winch has to much rope you have to be real careful are you will damage the winch.. I am careful but not the folks I loan it to are no matter how much I hammer it into there head...
I always carry an extra fully charged battery with me for my winch or to be used as a spare for the truck or pulling tractor in case one fails.....I keep it in the truck and then when needed place the battery on the trailer bed and use 2 vice grips to clamp the winch cables to the battery terminals...I've done this at least 100 times on my 2007 Harbor Freight 9000 lb winch and its still going strong....Its been used on real hard pulls quite a few times and after 30 seconds or less I always stop and let it rest for a few minutes.....I've watched people burn up winches by never stopping for a rest..
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
In Virginia the breakaway trailer brake system on a trailer is required to have a wet cell battery that is constantly being charged by the tow vehicle's charging system.On my trailers with a winch I just use a regular size battery that doubles as the break away battery and the winch battery.On my hydraulic tilt bed trailer the battery does triple duty.
If I think I'll need more power when using the winch I clamp on the jump box to the battery on the trailer.
If I think I'll need more power when using the winch I clamp on the jump box to the battery on the trailer.
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