Mschneid

I'm more concerned with the wires rubbing through and shorting out. I am careful and used wire loom but you never know.
I read a few threads that mentioned 500 amp and I'm thinking this should be good for a direct short.

Waiting for others to chime in.

Owl

It depends on your winch, the size and rating of the winch motor and the load you place on the winch during use. The fuses you see are actually "very" large size wise. The fuse holders are even larger. It also depends on whether the fuse can protect the cable adequately for an over-current situation and a short-circuit situation.

The largest size automotive / marine DC circuit breaker I've found is rated at 200 amperes which, for all intents and purposes, may be adequate for most winches. These circuit breakers are much smaller than the fuse / fuse holder combo. I'm considering changing out my on/off switch that I have on the positive conductor with a circuit breaker. I don't have a link handy, but Waytek carries them.

adamisadam

The more I think about it, the more the relay makes the most sense. As I said before, the Ford Starter relay is a tried and true upgrade for Pontiacs to protect the long run of positive battery cable.

Warn Industries - Electrical Accessories for Jeep, Truck & SUV Winches: Power Interrupt Kit

Flexy

100% correct. The winch's OCP is to protect the winch, NOT the wiring feeding the winch. There needs to be a fuse/breaker installed at the battery end to to protect the wiring. There is a lot of energy there, I'd prefer it doesn't burn down my Jeep!

btw: I was an electrician for a time. IBEW Local 481

EDIT: I would at least add a power isolator so I could disconnect the power source when not in use.

EDIT #2: It seems these winches pull 2-3 times more amps than what the wire is rated for. Normally, for a 2awg wire I would choose a 150amp fuse (or smaller). BUT, the fuse would blow anytime you put a mild load on the winch.
Final answer is: Skip the fuse and install a disconnect to remove power when not in use.

LoneWolf

I can't say it any better than this. I would add that I've heard *anecdotally* (so take it for what it's worth) that the Warn entry-level VR Series aren't as reliable as US-made models and are more susceptible to water penetration. Otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to put a Warn with synthetic rope on my Jeep.

Also, I'll try to scare up the link, but I read a report a few months back that said newer synthetic rope doesn't have the same issues with UV rays that older ropes did. Just keep it clean, and it'll last for years.

adamisadam

ok, so can you electricians confirm which fuse and holder to use?

Mr.T

Check out https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...nstall-260339/. As an electrician, I think you'll like the info.

Owl

There ya go: just below your question is a reply from Mr. T, and a link to an installation he did. He also provides a link to the circuit breaker he used. Here's another from Waytek. I've ordered from them before, and they're a good company. Browse the site, as there's loads of electrical goodies to look at.

200: Circuit Breakers | Waytek, Inc - Page 1 of 2

Good job Mr. T. Great write up.

Mr.T

edit: ^ Owl, thanks for the kind words above.

Not that this requires an electrical license to answer, there's a lot of options for a ANL fuse holders. If your winch wire is #2 and you'd like a clamp type connection for the wire (so you can cut and strip the existing wire and insert directly into the fuse holder) -- I did a quick search on Amazon and found this for example: Xscorpion ANL4040G Gold ANL Inline Fuse Holder with 0/2 Gauge Input & Output with Adapters .

adamisadam

Awesome! Thanks