How to Wire a Truck Winch
- 1). Park the truck on flat, level ground and engage the parking brake. Pull on the hood latch before exiting the vehicle, then raise the hood on the truck to gain access to the truck's engine compartment.
- 2). Jack the vehicle up to elevate the front end off the ground. Raise the vehicle so that there is enough clearance for you to lay under the truck to access the under side of the winch. Place jack stands under the front axles and lock them into position as an added safety precaution.
- 3). Crawl under the truck and inspect the winch to locate the winch motor. Inspect the motor and locate the wiring harness. This harness will have one red cable and one black cable, that are each connected to the winch on one end and to nothing on the other end.
- 4). Take the free end of the red cable and route it up into the engine compartment. Find a place to push the cable up on the side that the truck's battery is located on, and balance it on something so that you can access it from above. Climb out from under the truck and look down through the open hood to locate the cable. Grab the cable and pull it up to the truck battery.
- 5). Use a ¾ inch wrench to remove the positive battery cable. Connect the red cable from the winch to the battery terminal post. The cable should be fitted with a metal ring that will slide over the post. Put the battery cable back on the terminal to hold down the cable, then tighten back into position with the wrench.
- 6). Climb back under the truck and grab the black cable. Remove any screw or bolt from the body of the truck, insert the metal ring of the black cable through the screw or bolt, then replace the item back onto the truck body. Wiring the black cable to the body of the vehicle provides an effective ground for the winch motor.
- 7). Remove the jack stands from the front axles and lower the vehicle to the ground. Close the hood and disengage the parking brake.
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