My forman 400 winch will not work half the time, Wondering if anyone else had any probablems with that and what they did to fix it.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img] My winch (Warn 2000) on my Rancher was not working correctly either and was intermintent for awhile and it turned out to be the soleniod switch in the rear . Just 1 thought for you to concider.

 

i have a warn 2500 and i was on a poker run and when i went to pull someone out it just wouldnt work. at the next stop i looked up under the solenoid just like you iowahuntr my solenoid thing was bent and all i had to do was put the wire back on.

Ride On!

Urban Cowboy

 

I was having the same problem with my Warn A2000 winch and after replacing the switch twice the problem continued. When I used a voltage meter it showed that I was getting the correct voltage to the switch when I checked it. It would work fine sometimes and sometimes it would not work at all. I called Warn again and they sent me a new Solenoid and that ended the problem and it has worked fine every time after that. Apparently it was letting enough voltage through but sometimes it was not letting enough amps pass to make it work. Warn never charged me a thing for the replacement parts or shipping and shipped them promptly. Great people to do business with and they have earned me as a customer for any future winch purchases I make. If you have a Warn winch and call ask to speak to Tom I believe his extension is 3086 but I could be wrong about the extension number.
Steve

 

You didn't say what brand of winch you had. If it's a Superwinch, you can probably write to them and get a new switch. If it's a Warn, there are only a couple of things that can go wrong with the switches. Like the others have stated, the solenoid may be bad. Another problem I have heard of is when you mount it on an uneven surface (rack, handlebars, etc...). Sometimes if you tighten the bolts too much, it will warp or distort the round contact plate inside the switch.

 

You didnt mention whether you had the twist style or rocker style switch. If it is the rocker style I have found that Superwinch is very good about replacing them. If it is the rotary (twist) style, the problem is very often the 2 studs coming out of the remote mount plate are worn (from arcing) too short and no longer make contact with the switch plates. Another thing to check if you have the twist style, is the wire connections on the back of the plate. Look for corrosion and make sure they are tight. If all these things look and test good then unfortunately the problem may be internal. A good possibility would be the brushes in the motor. With heavy or long term use they will need replacing sooner or later.

 

it is a warner twist style.

 

I had a problem with a Warn rotary style switch once. I contacted Warn to see if they had been having any problems with their switches. They hadn't, but sent me a new one anyway. They were very helpful. Might try contacting them. You never know.