Continuing from page one, we have the winch mounted in place which is often the quickest and easiest part of the whole install. Getting the winch wired is often the more time consuming and challenging part of the install.
The winch solenoid on the Barricade winch is not integrated but does come with a mount to attach to the cross bars above the spool. Position the solenoid and tighten the set screws. Begin attaching the leads to the proper terminals on the winch. The ground is rather inconveniently located on the bottom of the winch motor. After the lead is positioned and tightened slide the boot over the end.
With the leads attached to the winch is now time to find a good route to the battery. Depending on the year of the Jeep and items under the hood the route will vary. Usually a good route goes through a grille slot and up below the air box. It’s likely you will need to remove the air box to reach. Protecting the wires from sharp edges is very important.
Usually we leave the positive cable of the winch disconnected unless we are on the trail or winch use is needed. It’s a matter of preference. In wrapping this install up double check all the bolts and especially verify the wiring is secure and will not wear. The positive battery cable is direct wired to the battery with no short circuit protection. If the cable wears through and make contact with metal there could be a fire. This is our primary reason for leaving the positive cable disconnected.
The orange synthetic rope really makes the winch stand out on the front of the Jeep.