Just bought a nice Warn 9.5ti winch. Its my first winch and I was wondering if theres anything i should know about prior to install? Do I need some sort of fusible link, killswitch, specific connectors? Or it just go straight to the battery? How is your set-up?

Thanx for your input

 

I did use the Warn interrupt kit. Heavy enough to handle the heavy current that goes through your winch leads. Switch sits nicely in the little panel in front (behind?) the gears (mount the switch low enough to allow for enough room for the actual switch to stick out). The relay fits nicely above the battery, just under the hood.

Do not be tricked by the cheaper red manual (Hella) switches. They might work as an emergency kill switch but cannot handle frequent switching (the switch will eventually melt). Having said that, I don't think the relay will last very long when switched when the winch is busy winching, running 600 amps through the leads.

I do switch my winch off when not off road to make sure some joker with pliers or other metal object cannot short the connections and kill my battery (he, I live in the Netherlands, stranger things have happened over here ;-)

 

All right, thats what i was looking for. Thank you both for the info

 

I have it on my JK for over a year now without any issues. Again, I don't think you should use it under heavy loads; running 600 Amps through it while shutting it off, will be to much eventually. But as an emergency switch it only have to work once, right?

The kit comes with all the cables, heavy current lead to the battery, relay and switch plus the plastic "hoods" to water seal the lead ends on the relay side. I am sure you can buy all the parts in your local hardware store, but not in my local hardware store in the Netherlands.

 

I have the same winch and I ran it straight to the battery now for a year. I do have a relay set up and it is in my garage getting dusty.

 

Relay should be the way to go, but the problem is the connector inside specially when you go high amp can weld together therefore not disengaging when needed

 

The solenoids used in the Warn kit and what we use are definitely not Ford starter solenoids. Those are light duty, intermittent duty and cheap.

Warn & Benchmark both use high power, continuous duty solenoids. They have bigger internal contacts, and the contact plating is different. And they cost around 3-4X.

Typically they're rated for 100-200 amps continuous, 750 amps intermittent. As far as I know, the most a Warn winch will pull is <500 amps.

Carrying high-amp loads isn't particularly hard on a solenoid, it's switching the solenoid open & closed while carrying 400+ amps. That creates arcing and can burn the contacts or cause them to fuse.

You won't find a true relay capable of carrying 500 amps for a reasonable cost. Think hundreds of dollars.

 

Hey, Benchmark guy, your domain is coming up expired.

 

I think there IT guy is stuck on the traill !

 

Here's a little tip I picked up from an old Jeeper after smokin out my brake lines by not grounding my winch.

Run the positive cable though 1/2 heater hose to help prevent the insulation from dry rotting or chafing and causing a huge short over time.