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Old 05-10-2022, 03:14 PM   #1
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Power winch blowing 60amp fuse

So I've solved my battery issue but still having trouble with the winch. I've perused the Wicked Winch site but it doesn't explain what the problem might be when the 60 amp fuse keeps blowing.

Winch was working fine when I put it in storage last fall. When I took it out of storage it wasn't working at all. Battery was dead so I charged it and now when I flick the switch the motor turns but it lags hard. Comes down a little when lowering and raising it usually blow the 60 amp fuse right away. These fuses are $10 a pop so I can't really mess around too much if they keep blowing.When using a drill on the manual crank shaft it seems to raise and lower just fine.

Question 1: the fuse was completely wrapped in electrical tape at first. I undid the tape to replace fuse but didn't wrap it up in tape when testing it. Should I completely wrap it up before even testing it? Could that be why it's blowing?

Question 2: When I put the trailer away for storage, at one point I knocked a broom over and it hit the switch to raise the roof while it was still clamped down. It only went for a couple of seconds before I stopped it. Could that have been enough to wreck the motor?

Question 3: When replacing the fuse I am almost certain I put the wires back together as I found them. A white wire on one side and a black and red wire on another. My step-dad seems to think this is not correct...although it was able to run the motor slightly like that, it just sounds very stressed and blows the fuse. I've added 2 pictures, one of the fuse attached to wires and another of just the wires with no fuse.

Thanks in advance for any help. It's much appreciated!
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Old 05-11-2022, 03:47 PM   #2
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You did not say what kind of camper, Year, make and model? On late model forest river campers they use a breaker, not a fuse.



1. Its probably taped because its a "rig job" of some sort and not factory. Tape won't make it work or not work unless its insulating it from a ground that its coming in to contact with.

2. Two seconds on the motor would not break it but it might damage lifter mechanisms trying to run the motor while closed. I am assuming were talking "1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi" seconds or shorter?

3. If its the Goshen lift with Powerwinch system the motors would just run in the opposite direction than the way you push the switch I believe. Mine was black to Red and white to negative. Very confusing if you ask me :/

If it is the Goshen lift with Powerwinch motor I wrote up a troubleshooting page with video on this forum:

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2624179
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Old 05-11-2022, 04:16 PM   #3
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Based on the photos you've provided I can't help you, however I'd be changing the fuse to something more affordable yet equally as effective. Perhaps an ANL style fuse, heck maybe even a 60A circuit breaker would also be fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Syst...33&sr=8-2&th=1
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Old 05-11-2022, 05:03 PM   #4
clr
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I would pull the battery for the winch and take it to an auto store and have it tested. My guess is that the battery is defective. May be the classic 12volts but not able to produce the amp hours required by the winch. When you try to use the wince the voltage drops and thus the amps go up trying to meet the load requirement.
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Old 05-12-2022, 01:49 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clr View Post
I would pull the battery for the winch and take it to an auto store and have it tested. My guess is that the battery is defective. May be the classic 12volts but not able to produce the amp hours required by the winch. When you try to use the wince the voltage drops and thus the amps go up trying to meet the load requirement.
I think you hit the nail on the head. This is what I am thinking as well.
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Old 05-12-2022, 05:40 PM   #6
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RV wire colors

Quote:
Originally Posted by flyerdp View Post
You did not say what kind of camper, Year, make and model? On late model forest river campers they use a breaker, not a fuse.

3. If its the Goshen lift with Powerwinch system the motors would just run in the opposite direction than the way you push the switch I believe. Mine was black to Red and white to negative. Very confusing if you ask me :/
There are two schemes used in RV wiring.
  • Black (or maybe Red) = Positive; White = Negative. This is the way assemblers are taught. They are taught this way because it matches the way 120 Vac is wired. Black is hot, white is neutral return.
  • Red = Positive, Black = Negative. This is what we are used to in 12 Vdc automotive wiring and in other DC appliances like the 9 Vdc snap-ons for smoke detector batteries.
In a situation like this, you have to look for each PAIR of wires to disambiguate where the black wire goes. You know the white is negative. If it's paired with black, that black goes to the OTHER terminal, positive. If the black is paired with red, it's negative and goes with the white.

It's not unusual to have both color codes at the trailer battery. The assemblers are using black and white, but components like pumps and jacks use red and black. You can have black going to both terminals.

Rule #2: If you're not good with electricity, take pictures with your phone before disassembling anything.
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Old 05-12-2022, 07:02 PM   #7
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I agree that it's likely to be the battery's fault. You said it was dead and you recharged it. Not so fast. Once a battery goes dead...really dead...it often cannot be brought back to life.

A poor battery, as CLR said, will suffer a significant voltage drop when you add the load, and as voltage drops, amps increase. High amps blow fuses.

While you're at it, make sure every connection from the battery to the winch is clean and tight. Poor connections cause issues, too.

So, it's pretty clear your battery is shot. Start with a new one.
Your old one can be turned in for the core charge.

If you have a good battery charger that plugs into 120 volts, you can "jump start" your winch when connected to the new battery and risk your $10 fuse to make sure that good voltage and current do the job. You could accomplish the same thing with jumper cables from your running car. LOTS OF 12 VOLT POWER RESERVE.

If that works, problem solved. If that DOESN'T work and you continue to blow fuses, there's something wrong with the winch. But, important note. These winches can be driven manually with a hand crank or a cordless drill...in other words, it shouldn't take 60 amps to make this thing go. If it continues to be sluggish, then fix the winch.

Now the last. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BATTERY CONNECTED when storing your rig. Make sure you know your wiring connections to the battery, and disconnect the battery completely when storing it. Even better, bring it inside and put it on a maintainer charger. Every rig has parasitic loads that can drain the battery in between 10 to 20 days if not on a charger. Disconnected, a fully charged battery can do just fine all winter.
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Old 05-13-2022, 11:15 AM   #8
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Thanks everybody for taking the time to respond!

As someone mentioned, I forgot to add what trailer I have. It's a 2010 Flagstaff 176 LTD tent trailer that I purchased off of someone last September. Upon purchasing it the previous owner had bought a BRAND NEW battery. I took it camping once before putting in storage. Yes, I messed up and left the battery connected when putting it in storage (someone told me it would be fine..). I'm guessing the little light on the gas detector is what drained it.

Now a few of you are pretty certain the battery is the issue. Did I kill the battery by leaving it connected despite it being brand spanking new? I charged it with a trickle charger and a voltage meter is showing that it's keeping the charge. Lights, pump and everything all seem to be working fine off of it.

I don't know if it's a Goshen winch. The sticker on the side just says 'Powerwinch System Model P30001'



Jaime
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Old 05-13-2022, 02:01 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaime K View Post
As someone mentioned, I forgot to add what trailer I have. It's a 2010 Flagstaff 176 LTD tent trailer that I purchased off of someone last September. Upon purchasing it the previous owner had bought a BRAND NEW battery. I took it camping once before putting in storage. Yes, I messed up and left the battery connected when putting it in storage (someone told me it would be fine..). I'm guessing the little light on the gas detector is what drained it.

Now a few of you are pretty certain the battery is the issue. Did I kill the battery by leaving it connected despite it being brand spanking new? I charged it with a trickle charger and a voltage meter is showing that it's keeping the charge. Lights, pump and everything all seem to be working fine off of it.
The propane/CO detector will drain your battery in a matter of weeks, especially a 2010 detector (more recent models have dropped the current used down to about 250ma). FWIW, the CO detection portion only has a lifetime of 5 years, so if it's original, you have no CO detection. If you have a stereo, the memory keep-alive also drains your battery (happens in modern cars, too).

Had the same thing happen on a 2008 John Deere lawn tractor. Put the thing away, did not disconnect the battery, and by spring the battery was dead. Learned and paid the price of a new battery.

Either disconnect the battery or install a battery cut-off switch to disconnect battery upon return home from a trip.

Battery voltage does not reveal the loss of capacity of a battery. A hydrometer will. Lights and pump are fairly light loads and will work when the lift motor will stall or pop the fuse due to insufficient battery.

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