www.iFourWinns.com

Hey all,
Been a while since I posted...probably because I have not used boat since the $800 fuel modual went out in December. Anyway, now I have 2 issues:

1997 Sundowner 225/steel 2-axles trailer w/electric winch:

http://www.dualsport-sd.com/forums/uplo ... _thumb.jpg

1) My Four Winns trailer has an electric winch put on at the dealer (no gone) and Four Wins Corp says they never use electric winches...always dealer added= so, no help. My question is how do I wire it? It has a 7-way plug with a spliter to 4-flat right behind it (my truck has the 4-flat), lights all work fine, but when you do this there is a big black wire that charges the battery on the trailer for the winch and acts as bypass if battery dies. Other wise dead electric winch on ramp= bad news. So, if I go by 7-way plug...what/how do I set up for the charging wire???? Direct to truck battery?? Want to go out this Sat...any advice or anyone have same set up they could look under their truck?


2) Less critical: trim gauge on dash stuck showing full up! Trim operates fine but gauge does not show position.

Thanks all.

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1997 225 SD 5.7 VP Aqua/White

Can you post a picture of your setup? Especially the big black charging wire.

Hopefully, you could charge the battery before going out on Sat and have enough juice to be able to retrieve your boat?

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Pictures of my set up...It is made by "Power Winch". I called them and they said the battery was added wired to keep battery charged. They do not include a battery...they said most run keyed power directly from the tow vehicle (no battery on trailer). So now my question is still the same what do I tap into to feed the battery and keep everything functioning properly/safely????? There dose appear to be a fuse/relay where wire mounts to positive + post.... I cannot seem to post pic...I can email to someone if you'll post...or moderator insert for me??

my email is rpjlerner at gmail.com or PM me.

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1997 225 SD 5.7 VP Aqua/White

Typical boat trailer has 5 wires if it has back-up release. If you only have 4 way plug them you will have a issue on backing up on hill if your trailer has surge brake set up. Anyway if your truck has a 7-way plug then you are all set just use Battery Charge line (#4 pin, black line).... If your truck only have 4-way plug (as you say) you need to wire additional wires.
You should convert your 4 way plug on your truck to 7 way plug and while you are wiring I would recommend to connect back up lights line to #7 pin (yellow line) so you can back up easier (that if your trailer has a back up release)
If you do not have a spare spot in your fuse box you can connect Battery Charge line
Directly to battery using in line fuse box (15A fuse would work)



7 Way Plug
# Color Gage Circuit Function

1 white 10 common ground
2 blue 12 electric brake
3 green 14 tail/running lights
4 black 10 battery charge (+)
5 red 14 left turn/stop
6 brown 14 right turn/stop
7 yellow 14 auxiliary/back up

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08 H260 VP 8.1Gi DP.....Previous
2013 Crownline E6 Merc 8.2MAG BIIIX, DTS/SC

My '97 trailer has drum brakes so no reverse lockout is needed, I'm guessing his is same since it is the same year.

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Terry
Current: 07 Crownline 255 CCR cuddy - 350 Mag MPI/B3 "Casi Cielo"

Previous:97 245 Sundowner 5.7GI/SX

Tow vehicle: 1986 GMC 2500 Camper Special 454/TH400

Hey all. I decided I'm just going to buy a standard hand crank and be done with it. Very easy to use and no electricity to worry about.

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1997 225 SD 5.7 VP Aqua/White

C'mon audible, don't give up so easy. I've held back on posting to this thread because I've never hooked up an electric winch to a trailer before. I do have a very similar electric winch, and used to use it in a van to winch in (onto carpeted bunks in the rear of a E-150 full size cargo van) a 2 seater jetski. BTW - the winch worked great for that purpose, wish I had some old pics - and talk about a dedicated towing vehicle!, unless on the water, the SeaDoo lived in that Econoline. Anyway wiring for a winch is simple, really. You're looking to provide power to the winch from the tow vehicle's electrical system, and IMHO it's best to do so while the tow vehicle's engine is running, ensuring that the winch is fed enough amps under load. I'd run 10 gauge positive and negative cables (underneath the to vehicle) as direct as possible to the tow vehicle's battery, with appropriate fuses as close to the terminals as possible. 8 gauge wouldn't hurt. On the trailer side, you'd need to allow enough slack to reach the winch. Much easier to forget trying to run through the 12 gauge (or less!) trailer wiring harness. You'll need to rig a connector to plug straight into the winch on the trailer side, with terminal rings to connect to the tow vehicle battery on the other side (and use appropriate siized inline fuses as close to the battery of course!) QED.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP