I have a Polaris / Warn Winch that I am rewiring. I was wondering if anyone has any idea how many amps a winch will pull. The winch is whatever came on a 2000 Sportsman 500. I am guessing it is about 2500 lbs, but I could be way off.

I need to know because I am putting a relay on and I need to know how big it needs to be. When I got it many years back, it had a Ford starter solenoid as the relay, but those seem to wear out about every 3-4 months. I have a 30 amp relay, but I don't think it is anywhere near heavy enough to run the winch.

Thanks

 

If you search the warn site enough you should find the amp draws and line pulls.

You need a heavy duty contactor to use as the relay. I have just refurbished an old A2000 Warn and used a new Warn contatctor (part no. 63070). They are available elsewhere, non branded, for around $30.



Here you go as an example
Warn Industries - Discontinued Winches: 2.5ci

And the aftermarket contactor
Amazon.com: KFI ATV Replacement Winch Electrical Contactor: Automotive

Hope this helps

JF

 

Thank you. I had just purchased something similiar from Amazon about 5 minutes before you posted that. I got

Amazon.com: WINCH MOTOR REVERSING SOLENOID CONTACTOR RELAY 6 Term: Automotive

Along with

Amazon.com: ATV Mini Rocker Winch Switch / Handlebar Remote Control: Automotive

Hopefully it will work out.

As I said, I have been using a Ford starter solenoid for the past 5 years along with one of these
http://www.warn.com/atv/accessories/...000_switch.jpg

Zip tied to my front rack.

I think the new set up will be much better. I also completely tore apart my Winch last night and cleaned up the insides real good. I also greased up all the gearing in there and sealed it up the best I could with RTV.

I had a problem with overheating, but I think it may have been caused by the Winch setup. Between the bad solenoid and mud inside the motor, I think it was drawing the power down so low that the fan couldn't come on high enough.

 

You may want to look at an uprated battery also. I'm opting for an Odyssey PC680. I know in the trucks it makes a huge difference. Especially when my stator is only producing 8 amps.

All the best

JF