Just a word of caution, running from the battery to the rear bumper is a very long run for 12v for a high draw like a winch. Make sure you size your wire appropriately or it may overheat the motor on the winch. Copper isn't very cheap right now... so it's potentially an expensive proposition. It might even be cheaper to keep a battery on hand just for that use to run the winch when the truck gets stuck... just be sure not to run the battery down too far between charges.

That's an excellent tip --- thank you! I hope Mark bought the right wire when he went to the store yesterday...

You'll also want a heavy duty switch at the battery (or some other way to disconnect it). You don't want a nick under the truck (easier to do thatn you might think) to drain your battery or cause a fire.

--Mike

schomestead.com

I would suspect that it is a slow speed high gear ratio winch, and if that is the case it would require less current than a high speed winch. Never the less the voltage drop from the front of the truck to the back of the truck and the quick disconnect to the winch would be a significant voltage drop, so a large gauge wire wire would be appropriate. I would recommend running the wire through an old garden hose to prevent chaffing to ground and causing a fire.

Mike and Zimmy --- We've really appreciated all of the comments like this on Mark's winch posts. It's helped us clarify a lot about the importance of the wiring process. Stay tuned for Mark's final wiring decision!