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winch wiring to under hood post

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Posted 5/19/2016 11:10 PM

sloughboy
Regular

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Vehicle(s): 1989 280 ge swb; 1997 G320 lwb; lexus gx;
Posts: 92

winch wiring to under hood post

Any suggestions for connecting a wire to the underhood b+ post? The wire will attach to a marine battery switch and then to APP connectors to the portable winch? The post cover is problematic!

#232390

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 2:11 AM

DesertStar
Expert

Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Vehicle(s): 85-280GE/95-G320/08-G500
Posts: 2156
2000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

Maybe a military style terminal connection as shown here ?

(k3vjpt.jpg)

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k3vjpt.jpg (128KB - 0 downloads)

#232391 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 6:39 AM

DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger

Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
5000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

DesertStar - 5/20/2016 2:11 AM

Maybe a military style terminal connection as shown here ?

Source? Link? Thanks.

#232392 - in reply to #232391

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 8:54 AM

sloughboy
Regular

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Vehicle(s): 1989 280 ge swb; 1997 G320 lwb; lexus gx;
Posts: 92

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

Attached are pictures of the post with and without the cover. I am trying to maintain at least a portion of the cover.

(under hood post without cover.jpg)

(under hood post with cover.jpg)

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under hood post without cover.jpg (30KB - 0 downloads)
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under hood post with cover.jpg (29KB - 0 downloads)

#232393 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 12:42 PM

colkrang
Member

Date registered: May 2015
Location: Denver
Vehicle(s): 2004 G500
Posts: 27

Re: winch wiring to under hood post

I wasn't able to retain the cover. My plan in the near term is to put a rubber pipe cap on there to hep reduce the potential for issues:

https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/11237922

#232396 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 2:06 PM

DesertStar
Expert

Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Vehicle(s): 85-280GE/95-G320/08-G500
Posts: 2156
2000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

DUTCH - 5/20/2016 3:39 AM

DesertStar - 5/20/2016 2:11 AM Maybe a military style terminal connection as shown here ?

Source? Link? Thanks.

I just did a Google image search for military battery terminals to find the photo.

#232399 - in reply to #232392

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 11:38 PM

Otiswesty
Administrator

Date registered: Jun 2007
Location: Portland, Oregon
Vehicle(s): 463.241, 461.213
Posts: 3005
2000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

My 1999 G500 came with a Europa winch set up. The elec cable comes off of the post and still allows for the co ver. It goes over to the left fender well where the original solenoid set was. This is gone now. I put in a Hella cut off switch and the wire comes out forward of that through a grommeted hole and runs under the upper radiator cover/bracket. It dives down the right side of the radiator and comes to the front bumper military 24v socket. The wiring is protected at vulnerable rub points with some old washing machine supply hose. I forget what the gauge of the wiring was, but I reused the old Europa stuff.

You can see the secondary elec cable in the first pic on the bottom right.

Edited by otiswesty 5/20/2016 11:59 PM

(Post.jpg)

(Covered.jpg)

(Switch.jpg)

(Socket.jpg)

(PigSnout.jpg)

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Post.jpg (229KB - 0 downloads)
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Covered.jpg (211KB - 0 downloads)
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Switch.jpg (175KB - 1 downloads)
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Socket.jpg (183KB - 1 downloads)
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PigSnout.jpg (49KB - 1 downloads)

#232401 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/20/2016 11:43 PM

Otiswesty
Administrator

Date registered: Jun 2007
Location: Portland, Oregon
Vehicle(s): 463.241, 461.213
Posts: 3005
2000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

Here is the mating plug on the winch.
Works well.

(12vPlug.jpg)

(BumperHardware.jpg)

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12vPlug.jpg (217KB - 0 downloads)
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BumperHardware.jpg (61KB - 0 downloads)

#232402 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/21/2016 12:09 AM

Otiswesty
Administrator

Date registered: Jun 2007
Location: Portland, Oregon
Vehicle(s): 463.241, 461.213
Posts: 3005
2000

Re: winch wiring to under hood post

The APP connectors are rated to 175 amps at 12 volts, the MB pig snout/ NATO connectors are rated to 200 amps at 24 volts.
Here is a really nice hard to find one on Ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191323966882?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&s...

#232406 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/21/2016 4:49 PM

sloughboy
Regular

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Vehicle(s): 1989 280 ge swb; 1997 G320 lwb; lexus gx;
Posts: 92

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

Thanks for the advice and pictures. I think I will wire the winch in a similar manner albeit using the APP connectors. The portable winch I am using gets moved around to the front and rear on three vehicles...two of which allready have the APP connectors.

#232418 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 5/22/2016 10:13 PM

hipine

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: US, CO, Bailey
Vehicle(s): 460 1980 280GE w. 617A
5000

Re: winch wiring to under hood post

Thanks for sharing that! I bought it.

I've been stewing on how to make the baby G suitable for the Rotzler. The hard part was that plug. I didn't dream one would fall into my lap like that. $50 is probably a little steep. But I figured that for $25 I'd have considered it a steal, and then what was $25 more in the larger scheme of things?

very cool!

Thanks again!

-Dave G.

#232435 - in reply to #232406

Author

Posted 5/24/2016 5:39 PM

bram_r
Expert

Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: the Netherlands
Vehicle(s): 1984 MB 280GE, 1982 MB 300GD, 1986 Subaru XT 4WD
Posts: 1659
1000

Re: winch wiring to under hood post

otiswesty - 5/21/2016 6:09 AM

The APP connectors are rated to 175 amps at 12 volts, the MB pig snout/ NATO connectors are rated to 200 amps at 24 volts.
Here is a really nice hard to find one on Ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191323966882?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&s...

Interesting; when I did my Rotzler install using the standard Nato connectors (which is original MB fitment), the experienced off-road guys adviced against it and recommended the APP connectors (often used in heavy battery applications like electric forklift trucks etc).
Their experience was that the Nato style connector would burn out sooner or later. I have to say I never see modern 4x4's with winches attached using Nato style connectors.

My guess was it probably comes down to both design and use/maintenance of the plug. So I did rebuild my connectors so I was sure it made good connection and so far no problems to report.
On the Dutch army trucks and cars, these Nato style connectors are used for jump starting harness btw.

Gr. Bram

Edited by bram_r 5/24/2016 5:40 PM

#232454 - in reply to #232406

Author

Posted 5/24/2016 9:03 PM

hipine

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: US, CO, Bailey
Vehicle(s): 460 1980 280GE w. 617A
5000

Re: winch wiring to under hood post

Well, in my personal case (and I recommend in everyone's), the intended use of the winch is to be considered as well.

I'm not going on any camel trophy expeditions. The winch gets used for hauling crap around the yard, biasing trees that are trying to fall the wrong way, etc etc. So, 1 - the load is mostly light (as is appropriate for the Rotz, it's not a proper vehicle recovery winch anyway IMHO), and 2 - if it ever doesn't work, it won't be the end of the world, or even remotely concerning, just a minor inconvenience.

I already have the mil plug on the winch and the 280 and per your experience Bram, it's always worked great that way. The 230GE has a tow pin bumper and I've often thought it would be nice to be able to use the winch on that truck too, so finding this mil plug is the perfect solution.

If reliability was a top priority I'd forego electrics altogether and go hydraulic. Like MB did in the original 460 diff locks.

And yes I have toyed with the idea of making a custom set of jumper cables to use that plug, but every time I think about it I come back to the impracticality of them then being useful ONLY on the G, and keep my conventional set.

All the best, friends, and thanks again for the reference to the plug. E-bay tells me it's in the mail on its way to me.

-Dave G.

#232458 - in reply to #232454

Author

Posted 5/26/2016 2:00 PM

Otiswesty
Administrator

Date registered: Jun 2007
Location: Portland, Oregon
Vehicle(s): 463.241, 461.213
Posts: 3005
2000

Re: winch wiring to under hood post

200 amps at 24 volts is equivalent to 400 amps at 12 volts. So given that the wiring is properly soldered and connected, this is a very robust connection. Short of a direct connection to the battery or power circuit, this is as good as I could find, and is what MB used as the stock winch set up on the 460 series.

#232471 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 6/29/2016 12:53 PM

sloughboy
Regular

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Vehicle(s): 1989 280 ge swb; 1997 G320 lwb; lexus gx;
Posts: 92

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

I finally had the opportunity to wire up the new winch and thought I would close out this thread with some comments and pictures.

I wanted a removable / portable winch for a number of reasons. First, for 99% of the time, I do not need a winch out front. Second, I wanted to be able to move the winch from the front to the rear. Third, I wanted to move the winch to other vehicles. And lastly, I like having a front hitch receiver to place a bike rack on, etc.

As there is no one who makes a front hitch receiver for this vehicle, I had a local shop fab up a front hitch mount that attaches to the lower frame and to the bumper attachment points. It might slightly change the approach angle, but it also protects the front from possible animal damage (in my neck of the woods, the latter is a greater concern).

I went with a Smittybuilt X20 10,000 with synthetic rope on a Curt portable winch plate. Total weight is under 95 lbs. It is tidy and efficient.

The winch is wired to the b+ post under the hood. I "carved" out a niche with my soldering gun through the plastic cover. The wires are 8 feet long and use an Anderson connector on one end, which I mounted on the brush bar. A 3 foot long cable is attached to the winch and also to an Anderson connector. In the future I will put a second set of 8 foot long cables with an Anderson connector at the rear of the vehicle. These wires and connectors are a stock Smittybuilt product.

Thanks to everyone for your advise.

(winch 1.jpg)

(winch 2.jpg)

(winch 3.jpg)

(winch 4.jpg)

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winch 1.jpg (30KB - 0 downloads)
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winch 2.jpg (31KB - 0 downloads)
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winch 3.jpg (28KB - 0 downloads)
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winch 4.jpg (29KB - 0 downloads)

#232882 - in reply to #232390

Author

Posted 6/29/2016 2:28 PM

fernweh

Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Calabasas, CA - Centenario, BCS - Luebeck, Germany
Vehicle(s): Few Mercedes-Benz, a Toyota Amphibious and a Vespa
2000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

I had written an install manual for the winch wiring harness, based on a 2004 G500.

please see the attached PDF.file.

One note of caution:

The MBUSA models, starting in 2002, have a main electrical distribution panel, next to the battery on the driver side,

and the remote +12V battery post, is fused in there. If you use this remote post with heaving winching, you might blow that large pre-fuse,

and that means "dead in the water"!

Good idea, to have some spare fuses, if you connect your winch cable to that remote post.

Karl

(Cover over Power Distribution.JPG)

(Power Distribution w bracket.JPG)

(Main Harness Connections.JPG)

(IMG_4262.JPG)

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Cover over Power Distribution.JPG (130KB - 2 downloads)
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Power Distribution w bracket.JPG (236KB - 2 downloads)
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Main Harness Connections.JPG (108KB - 2 downloads)
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IMG_4262.JPG (98KB - 2 downloads)
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Winch Harness installation.pdf (381KB - 9 downloads)

#232883 - in reply to #232882

Author

Posted 7/1/2016 5:05 PM

bram_r
Expert

Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: the Netherlands
Vehicle(s): 1984 MB 280GE, 1982 MB 300GD, 1986 Subaru XT 4WD
Posts: 1659
1000

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

sloughboy - 6/29/2016 6:53 PM
As there is no one who makes a front hitch receiver for this vehicle, I had a local shop fab up a front hitch mount that attaches to the lower frame and to the bumper attachment points. It might slightly change the approach angle, but it also protects the front from possible animal damage (in my neck of the woods, the latter is a greater concern).

Any close-up pics of your winch attachment construction?

Thanks for the wiring update!

gr. bram

#232913 - in reply to #232882

Author

Posted 7/3/2016 11:21 PM

sloughboy
Regular

Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Vehicle(s): 1989 280 ge swb; 1997 G320 lwb; lexus gx;
Posts: 92

RE: winch wiring to under hood post

Attached are pictures of the winch mount without the winch and close ups of the top, and sides.

Square tube was bolted through the bumper to the bumper brackets.

The winch mount uprights are bolted to a plate that was welded to the lower frame.