PEAK PUTTERS

Those of you that were on the Peak Putters Ahtanum Snow Run, March 9th probably remember this...


... yes we are trying to run my winch with bailing wire. It worked almost as well as you might imagine.

Well through various tests I have determined that the culprit is my almost brand new remote. (I had to replace it this summer when some pond scum stole my first one.) But, the Warn service center that I am dealing with is reluctant to replace it under warranty until I prove that is the remote by either testing the remote on someone else's winch or I test my winch with someone else's remote. So, if your solenoid box looks like this...

(it can still have the pretty red 'W' on it, I just need the connector to look the same) and the end of your remote looks like this...

...and you are coming to the meeting tonight, could you please bring your remote so that I can test my winch.
I really appreciate the help. Turns out if I'm going to play with you guys in the snow, I for one need a working winch.

Thanks for your help last night Jafo /Ghost. I contacted Warn and a new remote is on its way. I was dealing with Tracy at Six States in Spokane previously and he was convinced that I was wrong about my remote being the failed part. This time I called Warn's service department directly and talked to Steve S. and once I answered a few question about testing the solenoids and the remote, he just asked that I email him copies of my receipt and packing slip and told me my remote would be on the way.

Well, Warn replaced what turned out to be a bum remote. I hate the new remote design. I had a trusty old style one to go with my old school winch, but some [lovely person] (I'll save the moderators an edit) stole it while I was at Farmers' Market last year. My new one failed in under a year, and on the last snow run someone had a failed one, I think it was Dale. They are not openable / repairable. Well, I guess they are openable with a Dremmel, a vice, a screwdriver, and a hammer, but you'd have a heck of a time putting it back together. Turns out both important contacts were badly burnt. It is amazing this thing would work in one direction at all (mine would feed line, just did not like to pull it.) The contacts are so cheesy, tin, small that probably anyone of these remotes is subject to failure after a long pull or two. And, I say that realizing how little juice it takes to run the solenoids.
Often I like to run my winch with the remote, i.e. out of the cab, so I'm going to keep an eye on eBay for an old style remote (with a replaceable toggle switch), but it looks like I should wire up an in cab setup as a back up anyways. Hey TJ guys check this out, this is what I really want to do...
http://www.kwanms.com/
Look for the TWC (Throttle Winch Control.)

Lee, just make your own remote controler.....should be a piece of cake; just a toggle on the dash works for me, or spend all the money on a fancy system.

I've got an on/off for power and an (on)off(on) for the winch on the dash.. .right next to that fancy button that goes pfffffffffft every time I switch it off.

Lee,
Pm me, we'll see if we can't make an in cab winch control