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What is the Proper Way to Wire Up a Winch

3cent.Taco

3cent.Taco

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I'm working through some electrical on the truck and I'm at the winch. I've been trying to research the correct way to wire up a winch, but see a lot of different opinions.

The winch I have is from Harbor Freight, which is the Badlands Apex 12,000 lbs winch. I know... I know... But it was budget friendly for as little as I plan on using the winch. ?‍♂️
The winch came with a battery disconnect, which I assume is rated for the max load the winch. The wiring diagram calls to wire the winch through the switch, then the switch to the battery. As I was buying all my other electrical accessories, it was recommended that I run the winch through a 300A fuse.

My questions:
  • Can I skip the provided disconnect and go to the 300A fuse, then to the battery? (my preference)
  • Or, can I skip the fuse and disconnect all together and go straight to battery?
  • Or, do I do both the disconnect and the fuse, then to the battery?
  • Or, just follow the instructions and do the disconnect and skip the fuse, then to the battery?
 
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Boy, they make it so complicated, I have a Smittybilt 12k and I have the small ground which has a terminal direct to the battery and the positive wire which has a terminal to the +. I don't think any relays or disconnects are require. I don't use any fuse, I just keep checking the winch by touching it and if it get hot I let it set and cool down.

I haven't had any problems with it since it's been so cold but it would take a hard long pull for this Smittybilt to heat up.

If you don't use a fuse just check it by touching the motor side of the winch and touch the control box wires by touch as well. It will get so hot you cannot touch it but don't let it get that hot.
 
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If you have not got to your winch yet my suggestion would be to spring for some proper power cable. 1/0 welding cable or so. The finer the strands the better when it comes to dc current. If you route the cable in a good safe way ( not going to rub on sharp things) the fuse could be skipped IMO. I have three warn winches with nothing more than big power leads and good crimped ends and have never a problem. If you do run the fuse it is best to get it as close to the battery as you can to protect the rest of the leads on the event that things try to go south on you. hope this helps.
 
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Millhouse said:
If you have not got to your winch yet my suggestion would be to spring for some proper power cable. 1/0 welding cable or so. The finer the strands the better when it comes to dc current. If you route the cable in a good safe way ( not going to rub on sharp things) the fuse could be skipped IMO. I have three warn winches with nothing more than big power leads and good crimped ends and have never a problem. If you do run the fuse it is best to get it as close to the battery as you can to protect the rest of the leads on the event that things try to go south on you. hope this helps.
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Makes sense. I haven't hooked it up yet, but the winch came with #2 cables. I'll run with what they provided me for now, but still run it through the fuse. I do plan on branching it right of the battery terminal. Thanks for you input! I'll keep this in mind.
 
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3cent.Taco said:
Makes sense. I haven't hooked it up yet, but the winch came with #2 cables. I'll run with what they provided me for now, but still run it through the fuse. I do plan on branching it right of the battery terminal. Thanks for you input! I'll keep this in mind.
Click to expand...
How big is the fuse ?
 
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That is coming from the 2017 nec code book on my desk. without the info on the jacket of the wire I looked at DLO cable (diesel locomotive cable) as a closest wire to what was supplied with the wench.
 
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Millhouse said:
That is coming from the 2017 nec code book on my desk. without the info on the jacket of the wire I looked at DLO cable (diesel locomotive cable) as a closest wire to what was supplied with the wench.
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Okay. Not doubting your expertise here, but if the welding cable can carry a little more ampacity based on a conductor chart by the manufacture, would it be fair that the #2 is okay for a run that is 6' long? I'm using this for reference: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1804767.pdf
 
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I only get to use wire that is recognised by the nec so that is not a wire chart I get to use. You are correct. There might be a bit of over kill on my fj40 kuz I ran 4/0 copper to my 8274-50 warn whoops
 
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haha. yup, probably overkill. Better safe than sorry though! Again, appreciate the feedback. I think I'll just continue on with what my winch came with and if it backfires, well... bad on me, but I'll know to stay away from the next HF winch.
 
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You will more than likely never see a problem with the cable that is came with. My 40 is a tube chassis rock buggy that can get me into trouble in a big way so I might use the wench in a not so friendly way from time to time. A 2 awg wire will handle 10000 amps for .5 seconds, the longer you use the cable the lower the amp rating will be if that makes sense. Good luck and happy trails
 
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I always recommend winch to an isolator then to battery and from the isolator is also to a switch and ground, I’ll find a picture in a minute
 
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9849E296-17ED-4612-9FCF-E7C28A2C3E0A.webp
97C0D27F-F4BC-4096-80B2-90A4F17A0D50.webp
 
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3cent.Taco said:
I'm working through some electrical on the truck and I'm at the winch. I've been trying to research the correct way to wire up a winch, but see a lot of different opinions.

The winch I have is from Harbor Freight, which is the Badlands Apex 12,000 lbs winch. I know... I know... But it was budget friendly for as little as I plan on using the winch. ?‍♂️
The winch came with a battery disconnect, which I assume is rated for the max load the winch. The wiring diagram calls to wire the winch through the switch, then the switch to the battery. As I was buying all my other electrical accessories, it was recommended that I run the winch through a 300A fuse.

My questions:
  • Can I skip the provided disconnect and go to the 300A fuse, then to the battery? (my preference)
  • Or, can I skip the fuse and disconnect all together and go straight to battery?
  • Or, do I do both the disconnect and the fuse, then to the battery?
  • Or, just follow the instructions and do the disconnect and skip the fuse, then to the battery?
Click to expand...


Hey, I know this is an older thread, but for anyone checking it out now or in the future, here’s a quick rundown:

If you’re wiring up a winch like the Badlands Apex 12,000 lbs, definitely go with the 300A fuse and the battery disconnect. It might feel like overkill, but better safe than sorry. Running without a fuse or disconnect could leave you in a tough spot if something goes wrong—like a short or overheating.

As for the cables, if you're sticking with the stock ones that came with the winch, they’ll work fine for light to moderate use. But if you’re going hard on it—like heavy recoveries—upgrading to 1/0 welding cable is a smart move. It’ll handle more juice and last longer, especially if you’re out in rough conditions.
 
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