DV8 Front Bumper dropping soon!

I installed a winch and winch bumper last year for a Mercedes sprinter and the battery was under the drivers floorboard. The big issue with that was the distance you ran the wires the added length could reduce effective voltage at the winch and reduced pulling power. So I’ve been reluctant to add the winch with LC battery located at the rear of the vehicle seeming like it could lead to significant voltage drop due to the long cable length.

As I understand it, 20’ of #2 gauge wire carrying 420 amps drops maybe 2 volts, or 4 volts for a pair of cables, leaving just 8 volts at the winch at peak. Also, the lower voltage forces the winch motor to draw more current, causing it to work harder and run hotter, so overheating, reduced torque, and eventual failure could be issues.

That said, Warn actually sells this 20’ extension kit usually used for a rear winch so maybe you do this in reverse. It’s not cheap but I’m sure you could build your own wiring harness for way less. So I guess their engineers have considered all of these factors 🤷🏻
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I do like this way of routing the cables , if there is enough room under door sills
I checked and look like we have enough room for those 2 cables. I will use combination of door sill and the weathertech full coverage floor mats to hide them ( weathertech floor mates go and cover “mostly” over the door sills.
I will let the gang know how it goes ;)
Now, ordering cables and stuffs …
 
Well a bit of snag running electrical to winch . My local guys won’t touch it . They are afraid it will void warranty for any sensor or other electrical components.
The toyota dealer is looking for a answer from Toyota if they make a factor OEM part for hooking up a winch
I checked other aftermarket manufacturer for center bumper/winch, they also say winch wiring must be connected to main battery in rear per Toyota recommended.
 

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I don’t think anyone questions the power source must come from battery in the back . As someone stated earlier how much power will you lose running 20ft of cable and what sensors maybe affected and you can believe that if any electrical issues come up Toyota will deny warranty due to winch .
I email Toyota technical department to see if they would answer where and how to power the winch
 
I don’t think anyone questions the power source must come from battery in the back . As someone stated earlier how much power will you lose running 20ft of cable and what sensors maybe affected and you can believe that if any electrical issues come up Toyota will deny warranty due to winch .
I email Toyota technical department to see if they would answer where and how to power the winch
Please let us know what the answer from Toyota Tech. Thanks
 
I installed a winch and winch bumper last year for a Mercedes sprinter and the battery was under the drivers floorboard. The big issue with that was the distance you ran the wires the added length could reduce effective voltage at the winch and reduced pulling power. So I’ve been reluctant to add the winch with LC battery located at the rear of the vehicle seeming like it could lead to significant voltage drop due to the long cable length.

As I understand it, 20’ of #2 gauge wire carrying 420 amps drops maybe 2 volts, or 4 volts for a pair of cables, leaving just 8 volts at the winch at peak. Also, the lower voltage forces the winch motor to draw more current, causing it to work harder and run hotter, so overheating, reduced torque, and eventual failure could be issues.

That said, Warn actually sells this 20’ extension kit usually used for a rear winch so maybe you do this in reverse. It’s not cheap but I’m sure you could build your own wiring harness for way less. So I guess their engineers have considered all of these factors 🤷🏻
View attachment 22465
As I understand, 2ga battery cable will drop voltage 2% (not 2v) if length is over 10’.
2% of 12V is 0.24V Am I wrong?
To be safe/overkill, probably just use 1 AWG cables (similar to Dissentoffroad kit—-See the attached photos)

About the Warn kit you said, I checked from Amazon…price is okay, but it designed for winch 6,000-9,500 lbs only
 

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As I understand, 2ga battery cable will drop voltage 2% (not 2v) if length is over 10’.
2% of 12V is 0.24V Am I wrong?
To be safe/overkill, probably just use 1 AWG cables (similar to Dissentoffroad kit—-See the attached photos)

About the Warn kit you said, I checked from Amazon…price is okay, but it designed for winch 6,000-9,500 lbs only
This link has a voltage calculator, it’s is a good way to check your wire runs for voltage drop.

It seems to indicate a higher drop, but it also depends on the amps. So peak load vs continuous load and larger winch would all vary impact on voltage drop.
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Good point about the Warn winch wiring harness. I had #12k on MB Sprinter so I think #10k winch would work for LC.

I’m still on the fence on how I’d wire this and be confident it would perform as intended. Wonder if anyone with a winch on an LC has really put it to the test to confirm?
 
This link has a voltage calculator, it’s is a good way to check your wire runs for voltage drop.

It seems to indicate a higher drop, but it also depends on the amps. So peak load vs continuous load and larger winch would all vary impact on voltage drop.
View attachment 22510

Good point about the Warn winch wiring harness. I had #12k on MB Sprinter so I think #10k winch would work for LC.

I’m still on the fence on how I’d wire this and be confident it would perform as intended. Wonder if anyone with a winch on an LC has really put it to the test to confirm?
Thanks for more information and learning from each other!
I bought 12k lbs dv8 winch with their bumpers as set.
I saw the DissentOffroad had winch installed in their 1958 LC with crazy heavy stuffs (front+rear steel bumpers, 40” AT tires, etc.). They used the winch to get out stuck situation.
I will wait a bit for tbounds02 checking with Toyota Tech.
However, certainly I will build the cable kit on my own similar DissentOffroad, but simplified as my way. Cost probably $210 with 20’ 1ga each cables+250amp fuse+275amp battery disconnect switch
 
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Has anyone used these products? I used it in my 2010 4Runner Trail Edition for my winch, lights, fridge and compressor and it was flawless.
 
We tested the sensor with a four wire ohmmeter and found the resistance to be exceptionally low. I forget the exact reading but it was very low. This tells us that it is a hall effect current sensor, and not a shunt resistor, and is capable of handling very high current. We use a 250A fuse to protect both the wiring to the winch, and the battery sensor, and have not been able to blow that fuse even under heavy winching. Keep in mind that with the way we wired it, all of the current going to the winch goes through the fuse, but the current that comes from the alternator to the winch does not go through the battery current sensor.

If you prefer to bypass this sensor, you absolutely must disconnect the positive and negative of the winch when not in use. This is because the case of every winch we have seen has the ground terminal connected to the chassis of the winch. This provides an alternate ground path through the winch, bumper, and frame, which will turn on your check engine light. If you choose to go this route, we recommend Recoil brand isolators, as we have tested them under heavy loads and with a four wire meter and we believe their current rating. However, if you put an isolator on the negative to protect the sensor, you should put an isolator on the positive too. Because if you forget to turn on the negative isolator, the winch will still power up and draw current through the alternate path through the frame and factory ground cable, and that will burn up some of the factory wiring. If you use two isolators, put both coils on the same switch"


Let us know if that answers your questions.

Cole Willis
Dissent Off-Road
(530)512-1108
dissentoffroad.com
proxy


This was the response i got from them when I asked how they wired winch . Hope it's helpful
 
We tested the sensor with a four wire ohmmeter and found the resistance to be exceptionally low. I forget the exact reading but it was very low. This tells us that it is a hall effect current sensor, and not a shunt resistor, and is capable of handling very high current. We use a 250A fuse to protect both the wiring to the winch, and the battery sensor, and have not been able to blow that fuse even under heavy winching. Keep in mind that with the way we wired it, all of the current going to the winch goes through the fuse, but the current that comes from the alternator to the winch does not go through the battery current sensor.

If you prefer to bypass this sensor, you absolutely must disconnect the positive and negative of the winch when not in use. This is because the case of every winch we have seen has the ground terminal connected to the chassis of the winch. This provides an alternate ground path through the winch, bumper, and frame, which will turn on your check engine light. If you choose to go this route, we recommend Recoil brand isolators, as we have tested them under heavy loads and with a four wire meter and we believe their current rating. However, if you put an isolator on the negative to protect the sensor, you should put an isolator on the positive too. Because if you forget to turn on the negative isolator, the winch will still power up and draw current through the alternate path through the frame and factory ground cable, and that will burn up some of the factory wiring. If you use two isolators, put both coils on the same switch"


Let us know if that answers your questions.

Cole Willis
Dissent Off-Road
(530)512-1108
dissentoffroad.com
proxy


This was the response i got from them when I asked how they wired winch . Hope it's helpful
Super helpful! Many thanks!
As I planned, double insurances, I will have:
• 250 amp fuse on hot cable (red/positive. Less than 12” away from + terminal)
• Ground cable (black/negative) will be connected through the draw sensor.
• Have power switch between hot cable to winch and locate it in engine bay. Only turn on when need to run winch. This is “second insurance”

Any thoughts?
I got all stuffs and ready to do it on this weekend or new year day ;)
 
We tested the sensor with a four wire ohmmeter and found the resistance to be exceptionally low. I forget the exact reading but it was very low. This tells us that it is a hall effect current sensor, and not a shunt resistor, and is capable of handling very high current. We use a 250A fuse to protect both the wiring to the winch, and the battery sensor, and have not been able to blow that fuse even under heavy winching. Keep in mind that with the way we wired it, all of the current going to the winch goes through the fuse, but the current that comes from the alternator to the winch does not go through the battery current sensor.

If you prefer to bypass this sensor, you absolutely must disconnect the positive and negative of the winch when not in use. This is because the case of every winch we have seen has the ground terminal connected to the chassis of the winch. This provides an alternate ground path through the winch, bumper, and frame, which will turn on your check engine light. If you choose to go this route, we recommend Recoil brand isolators, as we have tested them under heavy loads and with a four wire meter and we believe their current rating. However, if you put an isolator on the negative to protect the sensor, you should put an isolator on the positive too. Because if you forget to turn on the negative isolator, the winch will still power up and draw current through the alternate path through the frame and factory ground cable, and that will burn up some of the factory wiring. If you use two isolators, put both coils on the same switch"


Let us know if that answers your questions.

Cole Willis
Dissent Off-Road
(530)512-1108
dissentoffroad.com
proxy


This was the response i got from them when I asked how they wired winch . Hope it's helpful
Laying out the diagram. Will execute it by tomorrow.
1ga cables are BIG and heavy, especially, pure 100% copper and made in USA ;)
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It certainly feels good to have it done! The only thing I didn't do was the disconnect switch.
Winch wiring succeed. Tested and all works well!

I had 1 ga cables ( finger size dia. and heavy) which is harder to go through vehicle interior (firewall, interior trims, carpet, etc.) As you notice from photos, I did not hide a portion of cables, because it will be hidden on the side of drawer system. I can access to replace the fuse if needed.

I don’t want to run the cables through fender and under the vehicle like Discentoffroad, because I want those cables got no harm from outdoor stuffs.
Also, I chose 1ga cable so that no voltage lost after 20 ft long cables.

As you said, I feel great with that achievement myself 😜
Attached are few photos
 

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Wonderful! Nice job!
Thanks. If you like you can check entire my setup of my LCFE: ACC lights( roof front, sides, rear lights. Ditch light, light bar), Auxbeam, drawer system + fridge slider, Molle panels (rear side windows and center console), awning, hitch-mount spare tire carrier+rotopax water/fuel+traction boards, iPad (maps)/phone mounts with RAMs, ARB air compressor, tires KO3 275/70 R18, front bumper/winch + wiring as you saw, etc.
My next build is 2” lift system with TC UCA+front / rear King suspension + Dobinsons Springs 😜

I share ideas / stuffs here for our community and I did learn great stuffs from others as well
 
Winch wiring succeed. Tested and all works well!

I had 1 ga cables ( finger size dia. and heavy) which is harder to go through vehicle interior (firewall, interior trims, carpet, etc.) As you notice from photos, I did not hide a portion of cables, because it will be hidden on the side of drawer system. I can access to replace the fuse if needed.

I don’t want to run the cables through fender and under the vehicle like Discentoffroad, because I want those cables got no harm from outdoor stuffs.
Also, I chose 1ga cable so that no voltage lost after 20 ft long cables.

As you said, I feel great with that achievement myself 😜
Attached are few photos
Nice!! I noticed your bumper doesn't have the DV8 metal logo blocking the light bar, is that something you did or did it come like that?
 
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