you will like this one... I was playing with my 1500 superwinch, trying to see why it won't pull anything. Here is the strange part....

I've got the key turned on, the kill switch to on but the engine is NOT started. I run the winch until it can't pull any longer (doesn't take much) and it turns the starter and starts the engine. I just don't get it !!! Must be something to do with wiring but it all looks like it is connected as the instructions say...

Any ideas will be appreciated. Why do I always get these problems???

 

That does sound wierd, but maybe it's trying to tell you something. I'm guessing it stops pulling due to lack of juice. It should pull better with the engine running. If it bogs down, rev the engine a bit. After all, it is getting it's power from the battery that's not being charged when the engine's off. Good luck.

 

Sounds like instead of connecting your winch circuit directly to the battery terminals, you picked up a hot wire and ground from existing wiring on your quad. If so, your activation of the winch control switch could be also activating the starter solenoid and starting your quad through cross-wiring. If you made an isolated connection of your winch, it's impossible to say how winch operation affects any other circuit on your quad (besides the current drain).

I thought the recommended connection is (all heavy cable): from the battery positive terminal to "Shortstop," the circuit breaker, to the winch control switch; and the battery negative terminal directly to the winch control switch. Your starting and ignition circuit should not be involved in this path at all. Did you connect the winch wiring directly to the battery terminals as recommended, or did you pick up a hot wire and a ground elsewhere?

From your previous description of anemic pulling, I must ask: did you connect your winch switch to the battery and the winch switch to the winch with heavy-gauge cable? If you used light wire in any part of the winch power circuit, this could be the source of your pull problem, because the T1500 draws over 100 amps, beyond the capability of small-gauge wire. However, I can't account for the crossed wires in your starting circuit.

Tree Farmer

 

TreeFarmer - you win the prize!! I just got in from fixing it... I didn't have it connected to the battery terminal but to the little terminal next to the battery... looked like the right place at the time...
Now that it is hooked up right it pulls like crazy !!

One other problem, even though I do have the wires hooked up correctly, and I checked many times, when I hit the side of the toggle switch that says in, it goes out and vice-versa. I do have a cover that I can switch around so in is in..etc. I'll check with Jack at Superwinch to see if they have the switch 'pictures' backwards.

Thanks, as always, for everyones help.

Tree Farmer, next time I see you stuck in a mudhole I'll pull you out.

Mark

 

Glad you fixed your problem, DaBoss; I think you initially tied on to the ground side of your starter solenoid instead of the battery terminal. Connected like this, engagement of the winch control switch would activate the starter solenoid; also, very little voltage would be available for operating the winch.

As to the "IN" and "OUT" markings on your switch, you can exchange the two connections to the winch motor terminals to make the indicators correspond to rotation direction.

I rotated my rocker switch cover (with the "IN" and "OUT" markings) and changed the winch motor terminal connections so the "IN" position would be closer to my left thumb when my hand is on the handlebars, because I like to steer with both hands sometimes from the saddle when I'm pulling myself out of a hole.

Now, while both hands grasp the handlebars, I can retract the winch cable with only a slight movement of my left thumb on the rocker switch.

Tree Farmer

 

Switch the two heavey wires around on the winch itself. That will solve your problem.