Can an Electric Trailer Winch be Wired to Run Off of the Towing Vehicle Battery

Published 11/15/2011

Question:

trailer winch with battery has a solar panel to recharge battery and a deep cycle battery runs battery out quickly. can i hook the winch to my truck and power it from truck batterys. 2002 dodge ram diesel

asked by: Ken

Expert Reply:

Yes, you can wire your winch to run off of the truck battery. I have included a link to a help article that explains the methods you can use to wire the winch. You will want the section titled Wiring a Trailer-Mounted Winch and option 1. I have included the steps for you here as well.

Rear of the vehicle
1. Find a place to mount vehicle-side quick disconnect at the end of the long power wire and short ground wire
2. Ground the short wire from the quick disconnect to a clean, metal surface on the vehicle frame
3. Run the long power from the quick disconnect to the vehicle's battery in the engine compartment, avoiding places where the wires could become too hot or get pinched

Under the hood
1. Connect the power wire from the rear of the vehicle to the positive post on the vehicle's battery
NOTE: If a circuit breaker is included with the winch, the circuit breaker needs to be installed in-line with the power wire running to the vehicle's battery
2. Using the separate, short wire with eyelets at both ends, ground the battery to a clean, metal surface on the vehicle's frame

On the winch
Wire the trailer-side quick disconnect to the winch
1. Attach the power wire to the positive post on the winch
2. Attach the ground wire to the negative ground post on the winch
3. Run the opposite ends of the two wires, the end with the quick disconnect, to the coupler of the trailer for use

To provide power to the winch, simply connect the quick disconnect on the trailer side to the quick disconnect on the vehicle side