12 Volt plug in the bed

tbritt · 08-17-2008, 06:18 PM

has anyone used this for a winch..? I have a car hauler with a 5k winch and I have run cables from the battery all the way back, but thought if the wiring for that factory plug was heavy enough I would give it a try...thanks

orionS14 · 08-17-2008, 06:20 PM

My guess is that there is NO WAY that the factory wiring of ANY cig-style plug can handle more then ~10 amps.

I'll bet that winch pulls close to 20 amps, maybe more.

Someone may know for sure, but don't get your hopes up.

EDIT - Does it have an individual fuse? If so, that will tell you the max rating.

- Brian

HRTKD · 08-17-2008, 09:50 PM

No way you could run a winch on that outlet. The wires I have on my winch are huge and I doubt that the wires to that outlet come anywhere close.

**loufish** · 08-17-2008, 10:04 PM

The bed outlet is rated for 15 amps...Most people mount a battery on the trailer, and use the 12v source from the 7 pin trailer connection to hel pcharge the battery.

HRTKD · 08-17-2008, 10:10 PM

Oh yeah, I thought of one more thing. My winch has no fuse inline with the cables. I suspect it is that way because you don't want to blow a fuse when you're winching someone out and they could be stopped in a precarious position.

**loufish** · 08-18-2008, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Oh yeah, I thought of one more thing. My winch has no fuse inline with the cables. I suspect it is that way because you don't want to blow a fuse when you're winching someone out and they could be stopped in a precarious position.

I believe the higher end winch's have some circuit protection....I would imagine a 5k winch would pull at least 75-100 amps...

xterraintx · 08-18-2008, 07:31 AM

When I had my Xterra for off road I carried a Ramsey 5000 receiver winch. I had a MileMarker up front on my ARB. The Ramsy was just for emergancies where I could not turn around or run front winch to a block.

I ran a cable from my Optima up front to the rear bumper with the standard winch / power adapter just like built into the winch. Had it made at the local "Golf Cart" dealer but could have easily made myself.

DO NOT USE ANY STANDARD wiring on the truck especially the tow plug. Too many other sensitive things run from there.
The idea of using it for charging the battery trailer is good... just be sure no drain there because if left plugged in it will kill the truck battery too

TitanBlue · 08-18-2008, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loufish

I believe the higher end winch's have some circuit protection....I would imagine a 5k winch would pull at least 75-100 amps...

Yes, 100-150 Amp Circuit breakers are common. Could go higher, only use battery cable as recommended by Mfg.

**loufish** · 08-19-2008, 05:39 AM

Quote:

The idea of using it for charging the battery trailer is good... just be sure no drain there because if left plugged in it will kill the truck battery too

Good tip, the Titans have a relay that shut's down the 12v when the key is off to keep the above from happening...

Shane06fl · 08-19-2008, 07:03 AM

NO NO don't do that. You will smoke the wires to the outlet and probably smoket the outlet too.

Best bet is to mount a battery on the trailer like mentioned before. Even running 6AWG wire from the front of the truck to the trailer 18ft or so away can cause winch problems down the road. Doesn't seem like much but on a 12V system 18ft is a long run for a high AMP draw accessory. Yeah I know People do it all the time but you are more than likely to use your winch more than the average off road guy. Plus mounting a battery is super easy.

SRJesse48 · 10-26-2009, 10:14 PM

I know this is an old post, however I built a ramp for my snowmobile and four wheeler and after loading it a few times I was thinking about mounting a winch in the bed to assist pulling up the snowmobile as it was on the ramp, rather than me constantly sliding it in and out...

Anyone have a winch mounted in the bed of the truck, or maybe on a BackRack, or an older Warn Roll Bar? Looking for similar ideas, if anyone has any please let me know!

Jesse

TitanBlue · 10-27-2009, 08:09 PM

Something to consider, is that the front of the Bed has 5 Weld Nuts already in place to hold the Front Utili-Trac Channel. It is a Metric Thread, likely an M10, but don't recall exactly. UT is rated 500#, but it may provide a place to attach for you. Consider it with great caution.

**walleeme** · 10-27-2009, 08:20 PM

Note: The BMW 3 series cars carry the battery in the trunk and have really long battery cables that you can get at pick a part for a song.

Bootzon · 10-27-2009, 09:03 PM

Here's an idea.

Just saw these at Harborfreight.com
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest PricesDual Hitch Extender

Very slick idea, a stacked receiver hitch that allows you to hook to a trailer
and use the second upper hitch for bike rack, winch, or other receiver hitch accessory that fits between your vehicle and the trailer.

mount your winch to something like this...
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices9000 Lb. Capacity Hitch Receiver for Winch

Both pieces for like 70 bucks and your done. Solid mount with no way to damage the bed. The only issue I can see is routing the pulling cable either through or over the side rails on your trailer, but it should be easy enough to use guides to route it the way you need it.

Mount a front receiver hitch on the Titan and you'll be able to use that winch front or rear, and put it away and out of the weather for safety and security
when you don't need it.

Yeah, That's the ticket!