My snowblower lift

[Gregor 4,846]

I decided I should start my own thread on this, rather than encroaching on Jeffs. It may keep things simpler.

I bought a winch and one of these handy dandy winch relays I have heard about. I don't think it will work for my application, unless I am just too stupid to figure it out. I understand that applying voltage to one 1/4" tab will apply 12 VDC to one post. Applying voltage to the other 1/4" tab will apply 12VDC to the other post. But it seems to me, the ground lug (post) remains constant, It does not move. Only the "HOT" side moves. This does nothing to change the polarity to the winch, so how can it change directions? My Winch only has 2 lugs on it. + and -  Seems to me I have to change the polarity of the wires going to the winch. Am I not thinking through this right?

[wallfish 16,986]

It should have come with instructions. I use one for an electric motor I added to a different type of machine. The solenoid will indeed reverse the polarity to the motor for changing directions.

What do you have for a switch?

Here's the one I used

https://www.amazon.com/Winch-Upgrade-Contactor-Switch-Wires/dp/B076F9XTGY

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by wallfish

[Handy Don 12,170]

Following with interest! 

[Gregor 4,846]

It came with no instructions at all. No paperwork what so ever.  I watched a couple videos, which weren't much help, but their winches had 3 posts. Mine has 2 which are also marked +  and   -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKW444K?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C4V6TG4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Gregor

[Gregor 4,846]

[R Scheer 502]

It looks like a "winch solenoid", google that and you should find the wiring diagram.  Basically the battery connects to one of the + and -, the winch connects to the other + and -.   The small connectors on the side go to your winch control switch.  Looks like internally it will swap the + and - to your winch motor for you.

[squonk 41,040]

1 similar. Does your have the switch wiring on it like this? 

  

 

another one.

Edited December 22, 2021 by squonk

[Gregor 4,846]

33 minutes ago, R Scheer said:

Basically the battery connects to one of the + and -,

There is only 1 neg ( - )

 

Not sure how well you can read this but it says.

Yellow cable............To Yellow Terminal Motor

Top red cable...........To Red Terminal Motor

Black cable..............To Black Terminal Motor

Bottom red cable......To Battrey +ve(?) Terminal

 

I dunno.  Apparently all winches, and solenoids are not created equal.  MY WINCH ONLY HAS 2 TERMINALS  And I checked it out, case is not a gnd,

Edited December 22, 2021 by Gregor

[Gregor 4,846]

Switching the 12V + wire between the 2 1/4" tabs, changes the connections described in the pic below.  But I have a plan.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Gregor

[Gregor 4,846]

26 minutes ago, squonk said:

I would like to see the schematic on that

 

[R Scheer 502]

Ok that makes sense.  When you have a connection "Connection here" in your picture, do you also have a connection between the - post and the post on the very right?

 

 My guess is that your battery negative will go to the post that is labelled -, and the battery positive to the post labelled +.  The other 2 posts feed your winch, the polarity being swapped depending on which 1/4 tab you connect to 12V.

 

 

[Gregor 4,846]

1 minute ago, R Scheer said:

Ok that makes sense.  When you have a connection "Connection here" in your picture, do you also have a connection between the - post and the post on the very right?

 

 My guess is that your battery negative will go to the post that is labelled -, and the battery positive to the post labelled +.  The other 2 posts feed your winch, the polarity being swapped depending on which 1/4 tab you connect to 12V.

 

 

It only swaps the 12 V + lead.  - stays constant.

[squonk 41,040]

[Gregor 4,846]

11 minutes ago, squonk said:

Now THAT would work. I think.

[squonk 41,040]

[R Scheer 502]

I think you might have a winch solenoid for a 3 post winch motor (warning I'm no expert), and not the 2 post winch motor.  I hadn't ever heard of a 3 post winch motor before your post, but the wiring diagrams seem to match with what you are describing.  

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

14 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Following with interest! 

[Handy Don 12,170]

The mental jump is to realize that BOTH winch posts (positive and negative) have to go to the solenoid and that the winch body cannot be grounded.

[Gregor 4,846]

While working on my winch and lift system this morning, I inadvertently hit the up button, instead of the down

 

button. I am using the controller that came with the winch for now. The snowblower was already up. It snapped

 

my 1” board clean off. I didn’t really like the board anyway. I thought it was kind-a hokey, and I figured I could

 

replace it with something much stronger. Then looking at it further, with a 2000# winch, I didn’t think I needed a

 

board or anything. The board was only there to raise the lifting point, make it longer, more leverage, and

 

therefore

 

easier to lift. I could just attach the winch cable to the same bolt that the board was on, so I did. Tried it out, the

 

2000# winch lifted it up without batting an eye. It’s only 150#. Hooray !  But then, I got to thinking

 

again I do that a lot. With the snowblower already up, and the board is gone, and the winch cable bolted

 

directly to the snowblowers, what would happen if I accidentally hit the up button again?  The thought of

 

that was REALLY ugly! The board, hokey or not, albeit a bit shorter, is back on.

[ebinmaine 67,317]

1 hour ago, Gregor said:

what would happen if I accidentally hit the up button again

Get you a fairly hefty spring to put at the end of the cable as an anti "two block" device preventing the cable from stopping suddenly.  

 

[R Scheer 502]

Can you put a spring between the end of the winch cable and the bolt?  Better to stretch the spring than break something.  I take it the solenoid is working?

[Gregor 4,846]

31 minutes ago, R Scheer said:

Can you put a spring between the end of the winch cable and the bolt?  Better to stretch the spring than break something.  I take it the solenoid is working?

I am thinking of adding a spring, or possibly a current limiter. if the winch suddenly draws too much, it will shut down.

No, the solenoid is not working. I am using the controller that came with the winch. No solenoid is necessary with that, but you have to push and HOLD the button for up, and push and HOLD the button for down. Trying to eliminate that.

[wallfish 16,986]

1 hour ago, Gregor said:

but you have to push and HOLD the button for up, and push and HOLD the button for down. Trying to eliminate that.

To what alternative? Why wouldn't you want to hold the button for operation and just let go when it's in the position you want?

You can use limit switches that break the circuit when a given limit is reached. Is it taking too long to go from one limit to the other?

A limit switch would also solve the problem of over loading by accident

If the winch you have already has a controller switch that came with it, then there is probably a solenoid like you have already built in it. That would prevent the external solenoid from working.

[wallfish 16,986]

[Gregor 4,846]

23 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Why wouldn't you want to hold the button for operation and just let go when it's in the position you want?

When I am sitting on the tractor, I have no idea how high the snowblower is.

 

27 minutes ago, wallfish said:

You can use limit switches that break the circuit when a given limit is reached.

I am installing limit switches. Limit switches, or my installation of them, can fail. With a spring, or current limiter, I can eliminate a lot of worry should the winch go beyond the limit switch.

 

30 minutes ago, wallfish said:

If the winch you have already has a controller switch that came with it, then there is probably a solenoid like you have already built in it. That would prevent the external solenoid from working.

I doubt the winch has a solenoid inside of it. It is simply a DC motor. The controller that came with the winch, (which I will not use) switches polarity to the motor, thus reversing it.

34 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Why wouldn't you want to hold the button for operation and just let go when it's in the position you want?

Because I like gadgets and gizmos and it gives me something to do.