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Retrofitting a wireless winch remote

91samurai

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Has anybody retrofitted a wireless remote to an older winch, and what system did you use?

I see the harbor freight setup and the cheap no name ones on Amazon. I would like some feedback.

All I want this for is very limited use for a winch on a trailer. The winch is an old Ramsey 8000 that’s basically a family heirloom at this point.
 
I'm sure with some probing with the multimeter you can figure out what wires are the correct output for the in and out buttons. Then if your winch controller has 4 pins you can jumper corresponding pins to make the harbor freight or china style wireless winch controller work for your winch. You could also hard wire in the correct plug to simply plug in wireless winch controller so when it fails you can get a new one.
 
Not a winch but I was putting gears in a buddies TJ, and decided to mess with him, wired one into his horn, and also wiper washer. In horn, out wipers. They are pretty easy wire into almost anything.
 
TTMotorsports said:
I'm sure with some probing with the multimeter you can figure out what wires are the correct output for the in and out buttons. Then if your winch controller has 4 pins you can jumper corresponding pins to make the harbor freight or china style wireless winch controller work for your winch. You could also hard wire in the correct plug to simply plug in wireless winch controller so when it fails you can get a new one.
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baldduck1974 said:
Not a winch but I was putting gears in a buddies TJ, and decided to mess with him, wired one into his horn, and also wiper washer. In horn, out wipers. They are pretty easy wire into almost anything.
Click to expand...
I’m not concerned with the wiring at all. I’m just looking for personal experience with the different options for controllers.
 
I ran several different types of Amazon wireless winch controllers on a HF winch and 8274. They all kinda suck and the 12v batteries don't have the best life, but they do work.
 
I bought one of the tractor supply ones, put a 4 prong winch controller plug on it so I could use it on multiple vehicles, also wanted to unplug it when it wasn't in use.

Randomly shorted out on my 8274 one day, melted all the wiring on the wireless controller, winch was fine. Glad it was on a plug, just ripped it out. Will probably do another eventually
 
91samurai said:
All I want this for is very limited use for a winch on a trailer. The winch is an old Ramsey 8000 that’s basically a family heirloom at this point.
Click to expand...
Dude that is my main winch. There is nothing wrong with them. LOL

Depends on your current controls. But pretty easy.

You have a wind wire and an unwind wire and a power supply wire.

basically the 3 smallest wires. You connect them to your cheapo remote and done.

I had one, not sure from where, hated it. There was a delay. Push the button, hold it, maybe 3 seconds later the winch would start to move.

Took it off and went back to hand control. When winching onto a trailer, if something starts going wrong you can't wait 3 seconds for the winch to stop moving.

But that was the wireless remote I had like 10 years ago. Maybe they don't have a delay now?
 
No matter what I would leave the "wired" cord plug and interior switch if used wired in.
Might also put the wireless unit on some sort of connector or isolated switch so in the event it takes a shit it's easy to remove or disable. I worry about shit like that...
 
CarterKraft said:
No matter what I would leave the "wired" cord plug and interior switch if used wired in.
Might also put the wireless unit on some sort of connector or isolated switch so in the event it takes a shit it's easy to remove or disable. I worry about shit like that...
Click to expand...
I don’t have a corded remote for the winch anymore. It was hard wired in the samurai. But I was going to wire a toggle switch in the toolbox the winch is going in as well as a remote.

The big picture I’m after is winching a dead vehicle up while steering and the ability to hit the brakes with one person.
 
CarterKraft said:
No matter what I would leave the "wired" cord plug and interior switch if used wired in.
Might also put the wireless unit on some sort of connector or isolated switch so in the event it takes a shit it's easy to remove or disable. I worry about shit like that...
Click to expand...
This. I know OP is putting it on a trailer, but wireless is like the ARB locker of winch controllers, they seem to not work when you want them to:laughing:. I would never run one in a serious off-road application, trailer I would though!
 
Slander said:
This. I know OP is putting it on a trailer, but wireless is like the ARB locker of winch controllers, they seem to not work when you want them to:laughing:. I would never run one in a serious off-road application, trailer I would though!
Click to expand...
I bought a new rough country winch after the trip to GER for the samurai. The wireless remote that came with it already stopped working. I need to try to warranty it. Good thing it’s hardwired too.
 
I tried the Harbor freight one on my trailer winch, the connection was iffy at times and the battery was always dead.
I just made an 20' extension for the wired remote.
 
If you put a extension cord outlet on it and then put a switch on the opposite gender plug you could just extension cords to add length:idea:
 
If you don't mind more expensive option the more industrial sydstems are available.


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My harbor freight wireless remote always works on my car hauler trailer and I use it to load trucks multiple times a week. The battery in remote lasts about 6 months but easy to change when that happens. I also bought a 2 year warranty on it from them so after changing battery once i usually exchange it all for a new one because the remote isn't as clean and usually scratched up by then.
 
I've put in a couple cheap ones in from amazon.

Work fine.

But don't not go out without your back up being a standard remote or wired into dash switches.

I just put this one in my xd9000i with the warn Albright solenoid upgrade.

Works absolutely fine.

However it did not want to work once with radio interference of (Bluetooth tail lights used on a trailer that we were pulling my rig onto)

So if you're using any of those stupid Bluetooth rgb junk lights or any other radio frequency shit I wouldn't bother.
1000005840.jpg
 
Winchested said:
I've put in a couple cheap ones in from amazon.

Work fine.

But don't not go out without your back up being a standard remote or wired into dash switches.

I just put this one in my xd9000i with the warn Albright solenoid upgrade.

Works absolutely fine.

However it did not want to work once with radio interference of (Bluetooth tail lights used on a trailer that we were pulling my rig onto)

So if you're using any of those stupid Bluetooth rgb junk lights or any other radio frequency shit I wouldn't bother.
1000005840.jpg
Click to expand...
Similarly I used one of those on my generator remote start/kill kit and in a campground one time I got lucky enough to hear the generator that was still in my pickup bed cranking, I was confused but finally figured out I left the remote "arm" switch on and someone else in the campground was using a remote of the same frequency.
If that was a winch it could have been really bad.
 
CarterKraft said:
Similarly I used one of those on my generator remote start/kill kit and in a campground one time I got lucky enough to hear the generator that was still in my pickup bed cranking, I was confused but finally figured out I left the remote "arm" switch on and someone else in the campground was using a remote of the same frequency.
If that was a winch it could have been really bad.
Click to expand...
I will add switched remote power to my list of wiring. Probably mount it next to the hardwired winch switch in the tool box.
 


Here's a video I did a while back adapting the Harbor Freight controller to a Smittybilt winch. I have another one I did for the Warn on my Power Wagon.
 
I have the hf remote on my old milemarker winch. Mounted the remote box on top of the solenoid box
 
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