So I picked up a Warn 8274 from AV.NINE earlier this summer (unfortunately it's not the one he rebuilt, but is instead his friend's which needs a little TLC), and haven't had much time to work on it yet. Now that we're in to September (and I might actually have free time), and I've picked up a winch plate, I want to fix it up and get it installed.
I talked with a few people at the meeting last night, and I have a couple good ideas, but I wanted to ask a few more questions.
Rebuilding / Fixing it up includes:
- Replace the power / ground electrical wiring...I noticed the insulation has been cut/stripped in a couple small places, so it's gotta go.
- Replace the line, as there are a couple spots where the wire has frayed / become untwisted
- Pull / replace the old mounting bolts...could be a pain, as they've been cut off, also have to replace one of the nuts, as it has a hex nut on it (standard issue was a square nut)
- Crack open the case, replace the oil, inspect the components inside, determine if any need to be replaced
- Wirebrush the fairlead, the drum, and anything else that needs it, and then paint it appropriately
- Attempt to repair the fairlead (mounts are a little bent so the vertical rollers won't fit, and it's missing a few of the clips and rods)
- At the very least clean all the dust/dirt off, maybe do some painting if it needs it (doesn't look like it) and I feel inclined to do it
- Find something I can use as a cover, to protect it in the winter.
Upgrades that I don't plan on doing now, but, things to think about doing in the future (if anyone has done anything like this before, and knows what they're doing, I might consider it now....let me know please, thanks! I can pay you with beer
):
- Drain plug / fill plug for the oil.
- Grease nipple on the side of the brake.
- Brace from the winch body over to the other drum mount (see picture of red winch below)
I've found a couple good rebuild threads online, on Pirate4x4 and IH8Mud. One of which, the guy is in Calgary, so I'm hoping to get in touch with him if I have any problems.
As far as installation goes....I'm not sure what to do. I know I want some sort of a safety on the power system. There are a few options (positives and negatives listed as +'s and -'s):
Use a heavy duty connector, disconnect the winch when not in use:
+ Pretty much foolproof, will protect the winch from shorting out
+ Cheap / Easy
- Anytime I want to use the winch, I have to connect it up, and then remember to disconnect it when done wheeling.
Setup a solenoid (no relay can handle the amperage) and have an in-cab switch to turn the winch power on/off.
+ Way nicer than a disconnect, all I have to do is flip a switch
- Still could be problems between the powerline and the solenoid, but I'll mount it as close to the battery as possible
- Solenoids that can handle 400amps continuous duty seem to be few and far between, and are a little pricey compared to a disconnect ($70 USD + shipping I think?)
Relocate the winch solenoids under the hood, ideally next to the battery if possible
+ Cheapest, all it requires is some extra wire, which I have to buy regardless, and a mount of some sort, which I can probably find some scraps around the house to use
+ Basically get all the benefits of installing another solenoid, without having to buy one.
+ Still able to setup in-cab winch controls, instead of the "winch power" turning the solenoid on/off, have it provide power to the in/out switches
+/- you see the motor / wires, but it gets rid of the big black box on top of the winch
- a lot more work than the other two
- if I want to be able to use the remote, I need to run the connector from the solenoid box to somewhere on the body and mount it
Honestly....I'm thinking relocating is actually the best option, but it wasn't an option that came up when we were discussing it last night, so I decided to bring it up here to see what other people have to say about it. Regardless of how I set it up, I'm planning on having in-cab winch controls.
Here's a picture of how the 8274 looks with a few mods:
- painted red
- solenoid relocation
- metal brace from winch body to the other mount (the silver bar running parallel to the drum, above and behind it)
- apparently the black box in front of the motor is a light, for watching the line when night winching
- either a heat sink is mounted on the side of the motor, or it's an M15000 motor with the finned-end cap
For wire-size, I've seen in places that 0/1 or 0/2 is recommended (although I did some research, and that can't handle 500 amps, which apparently the motor can come close to drawing). I'm not sure what's on there now, but I'd guess #2 AWG. A ground wire has been added, which I think is #4 AWG.
So, can I stick with #2, or should I go big and find some 0/2? I imagine the connectors for 0/2 would be a pain though (to hook it to the battery post and whatnot)...but I guess regardless I'll have to do some propane-torch soldering.
For in the in-cab winch controls I'm thinking I'll put two buttons right on the steering wheel (I don't have any cruise control, so I'll put them in one of the little plastic things), and a switch that enables them on the dash (next to the custom locker-bypass switch the Jeep came with). I'll probably throw a rocker switch on the dash as well, in case the buttons aren't usable due to the steering wheel being at an awkward angle.
Blargh, I've typed enough for now I think.....tomorrow we can discuss synthetic vs steel line
j/k. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, but there's already enough information out there that I don't have any questions to ask at the moment. Sorry for the verbal diarrhea, but...I figure it's better than me posting a single question "How should I wire my winch?".
Topic: Winch Questions (rebuilding, wiring, line, etc) - Warn 8274 (Read 3112 times)