Winch Install Tip

I recently installed a winch on my 4Runner and thought I'd pass along something I encountered. The winch is a Smittybilt - but the issue could be with any winch. A friend of mine was helping and since he's a pretty talented fella I really didn't pay much mind to when he tasked himself with attaching the ground wire to the controller. When I found that he left off a cable I just went ahead and attempted to remove the cable already in place - the retaining nut would not loosen and the reason was the stud was NOT previously checked to see if the bottom nut was tight (it was not tight so the stud just moved somewhat freely). I spent the better part of an hour trying to get the top nut off so I could remove the now twisted cable and properly tighten the base nut.

All good now but all could have been avoided if we took a moment and checked all cable stud base nuts to make sure they were good & snug prior to putting on the cables - a mistake I won't make in the future..

 

Thanks!

 

As long as we're throwing out random winch install tips, here's mine:

Don't permanently wire the winch to power. Extend the bolt at the positive terminal of the battery and attach the winch power only as needed, using a wing nut. The reason for this is that there is no inline fuse and if the winch malfunctions or there's a short in the power cable you could possibly burn up your truck. Another option is to use an isolator or a switch, but the wing nut costs $1.

 

Great advice! Also, to add to that, I have found in the past that winches with wireless remotes draw a very small amount of constant current which typically is not an issue unless the vehicle is not run for several days. One could also employ a heavy duty “knife” switch at the battery connection. Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/LotFancy-Veh...duty+knife+switch&qid=1624798707&sr=8-3-spons

 

Another possibility is to use the "marine terminals" on the battery. I recommend them highly. They have a screw post, similar to the one in the picture, but it's built in. You can screw everything down with a wing nut and take it off just as easily. They're all I use in my trucks.
Heck, hardest part of changing to them is putting ring terminals on all the wires going to them. Not really that difficult. AND, when you put the ring terminals on you can use heatshrink, the meltwall kind, to seal them up well, and keep the battery acid mist out.

Just my little note...
Pat☺