Winch wiring with a solenoid pack

Types of configuration:

1. Direct inline control. This means the switch carries the total current supplied to your winch (this means bulky cables and possibly less torque capacity of your winch).

2. Indirect control by means of current amplification. This basically means that you put an amplifer close to your winch so that the amperage needed by your winch does not have to go through your directional switch. Some current amplifiers are called relays, solenoids or solidstate (transistors, mosfets...)

Wiring of a realy winch controller and Theory:

Although solidstate is one of the best forms of control (with the added function of speed control), the relay option is probably the simplest way to get around a "direct inline" type of control. A relay configuration to control both forward and reverse directions on a motor is known as an H-Bridge. The following diagram explains the setup:



The picture shown is better known as a winch pack or solenoid pack, but regardless, does the function of letting a small current control a larger current and it's polarity acting on the winch motor.

In one direction of the toggle switch, (lets say up in the picture), the relay on the top left and relay on the bottom right activate (or pull in, or "make contact"). This makes the left side picture (to the motor) positive and the right side -, thus turning the motor in "A" direction.

In the other direction of the toggle switch, the relay on the top right and the relay on the bottom left activate and make the left side picture - and the right side +, thus turning the motor in "B" direction.

In this senerio, the toggle switch can be placed anywhere, including on a remote wire of X feet so that you do not have to be in the vehicle during winching. And/Or you can wire a toggle switch into the dash to do the same job (put the switch in parallel with the other one if you have two).

The H-Bridge should be placed as close to the winch as possible as to reduce the amount of power loss through the heavy cables attaching the winch to the battery (via the H-bridge).

Cheers,

Beeman