Winch Wiring

[Sgt. Rock]

Mounted a new winch on my "01" Kodiak. How do I find a switched wire to make it hot only when machine is on? Is there a wiring diagram available? Do I need to fuse the hot lead? Thanks for any help.

[huntnfish]

I hooked mine up to the 12v plug in. I also helped a friend of mine wire his on an 03 grizzly and we hooked that one up to the cigarette lighter outlet also. I didn't put a fuse on it. I didn't figure it would be carrying much juice as it was a thin wire. We have never had any troubles with ours.

[Sgt. Rock]

Hadn't thought of that idea and that lead is fused. Thanks.

[Fishbitten]

I have a 03 Griz and wired mine to the D.C. outlet also. My winch has the rocker switch is low amp circuit and have not had any problems.

[#Boater#]

Was just wandering. Why not wire to Battery? Is there a problem having it hot when machine is off. Thats the way I rigged my 01 Kodiak.

[huntnfish]

I don't think that there is anything wrong with that, but I didn't want my winch to be able to run with the key off. If I remember right, all that wire does is energize the solenoid for the winch. It all depends on your preferences.

[Sgt. Rock]

Yes I had it wired to fuse block and always hot, but this left the solenoid energized and ran the battery down.

[Dave]

That's correct. If your winch is using a solenoid, the small wire activates the solenoid when your turn the key on. It's a safety factor so no kids can play with the winch if the key's not in the machine. Always try and think "what if?". It's too late when it does happen and could've been prevented.

[#Boater#]

Being I have a 2 and 5 year old it would probably be a smart thing to do. Thanks for the info. Can I just run the positive right to the 12v output under the right fender?

[huntnfish]

The wire that you are looking for is small(10-14 gauge) and it goes right to the solenoid. I think there were two small wires on my solenoid-one ground and the other was the ignition. When I did mine, I used a little jumper connector and clipped it on to both of the wires. The problem with these connector is that they let moisture in to them. Instead of hooking up to the wire right behind the fender I would try and trace that wire back to somewhere that there won't be as much moisture. If you do have to put it right behind the fender, test it out first and then seal it up with something to keep the connection dry.

[Dave]

For testing, I've had a solenoid under the left rear fender of a Sportsman 500, close to the battery. I used the 12v aux wire at the rear of the machine. No added sealants to any components and have not had any problems.

[sledhead]

wire it to the accessory fuse right off the fuse box under the seat. Or wire it power on hot off the ignition no extra fuses necessary.

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