guidance please: running 2-0 wire through frame

[hatchethead]

I'm trying to wire up a rear, hitch-mounted winch. I'd love love love to run the 2-0 AWG wire through the frame between the engine compartment to the rear bumper, but it's not as easy as I want it to be.

Does anyone have any tricks or hints for creating this run? I have a log connector soldered onto the end of my wire and a length of light rope running down the pathway through which I'd like to pull my wire. But I can't get the wire more than a foot down the frame when starting from the rear. I think there's a bolt that my wire is getting hung up on, and I don't know how to get over it.

Thanks in advance for any pointers from experienced mudders.

Jason

 

[crobson]

Inside the rectangular frame member?
So enter the up front and run inside all the way to the rear?
I use 0.125" stainless wire to run everything. It's rigid enough to push and also hold a shape. I bought a 25 Lb spool of welding filler wire 20 years ago and still have more than half. I make 2 180 deg bends on top of eachother to tape or ziptie to to prevent slippage.

If I were to attempt this, and I wouldn't since there is enough room to run along the frame and floor IMO, I would use two lengths of wire to fish from hole to hole. Resistance increases dramatically the longer your blind pull. Make a series of shorter pulls by feeding your 2-0 wire for as short a distance as possible.
Difficult with wire that large as you may not have any openings large enough to get the wire out and back in.

So if not possible, I would create a conical taper over perhaps 12" of length with a diameter that ends slightly larger than your 2-0 wire OD. Back to using 0.125" stainless wire to get inside the frame and jostle the taper and wire around obstacles. For the final transition from pull to wire, cutting up a funnel is an idea.

I know all about making life more difficult than necessary due to an "ideal" idea. Good luck.

 

[aztoyman]

I tried to run 2/0 cable inside my frame as well. I had large enough openings to get the entry and exit of the cable where I wanted it so I thought I was good to go. I found there are several substantial structures/gussets inside the frame that you can't see. Might be the same for your truck? Try to get a look inside.

 

[Mike NXP]

Interested to see what you come up with here, especially in regards to where you are mounting the winch.... I've always wanted to take advantage of the space where the spare tire used to live to mount a winch but I'm not clever enough to make it all work...

Almost always when i'm stuck I would much rather pull myself backwards than forwards

 

[NearJetties]

Even if you got it through I’d be concerned about it holding dirt and debris making the frame hold moisture causing rust.

 

[toy_tek]

Even if you did get it through, if the wire contacts an edge (or bolt head) internally and isn’t secured, it’ll eventually wear through the insulator jacket and cause you some exciting issues. If it were me I’d prefer running externally with ample clamping points and jacketing to protect its integrity. Best of luck.

 

[delz05]

Even if you did get it through, if the wire contacts an edge (or bolt head) internally and isn’t secured, it’ll eventually wear through the insulator jacket and cause you some exciting issues. If it were me I’d prefer running externally with ample clamping points and jacketing to protect its integrity. Best of luck.

Second this… insulate and secure externally to maintain accessibility

 

[SWCruiser]

I ran 2/0 in both my lx450s. i would be worried about it bouncing around inside the frame. only a matter of time before insulation gets worn somewhere. I even put braided covering over all of it and then reinforced places where it was secured by clamps. being able to see the cable and check it is always a good idea. if you want it in the cab you could use the marine through hull connections and have them exit near the rear quarters.

 

[hatchethead]

Inside the rectangular frame member?
So enter the up front and run inside all the way to the rear?
I use 0.125" stainless wire to run everything. It's rigid enough to push and also hold a shape. I bought a 25 Lb spool of welding filler wire 20 years ago and still have more than half. I make 2 180 deg bends on top of eachother to tape or ziptie to to prevent slippage.

If I were to attempt this, and I wouldn't since there is enough room to run along the frame and floor IMO, I would use two lengths of wire to fish from hole to hole. Resistance increases dramatically the longer your blind pull. Make a series of shorter pulls by feeding your 2-0 wire for as short a distance as possible.
Difficult with wire that large as you may not have any openings large enough to get the wire out and back in.

So if not possible, I would create a conical taper over perhaps 12" of length with a diameter that ends slightly larger than your 2-0 wire OD. Back to using 0.125" stainless wire to get inside the frame and jostle the taper and wire around obstacles. For the final transition from pull to wire, cutting up a funnel is an idea.

I know all about making life more difficult than necessary due to an "ideal" idea. Good luck.

Thanks so much for this thoughtful reply. I'll post when I get a chance to tackle my project and let you know how it goes.

I tried to run 2/0 cable inside my frame as well. I had large enough openings to get the entry and exit of the cable where I wanted it so I thought I was good to go. I found there are several substantial structures/gussets inside the frame that you can't see. Might be the same for your truck? Try to get a look inside.

Thanks for your reply. My first attempt had me running the cable from the rear to the front, and there's LOTs of obstructions back there! So I took out my NIDAGE borescope camera to confirm the rear of that channel was a mess. When I took a look down from the front of the rig, things looked better. I haven't tackled the pull yet. I'll post an update here when I do!

Interested to see what you come up with here, especially in regards to where you are mounting the winch.... I've always wanted to take advantage of the space where the spare tire used to live to mount a winch but I'm not clever enough to make it all work...

Almost always when i'm stuck I would much rather pull myself backwards than forwards

Thanks for the reply. My winch will be hitch mounted, coming off when I'm not using it. The 2-0 wire will terminate in an Anderson connector that will allow me to connect the winch when I need to use it. The connector will also let me connect jumper cables and, when none of that is in use, perhaps a junction for running electrics in the rear of my rig. Possibilities abound!

I'll post here a report on what I'm able to accomplish with the pull. Fingers crossed!

 

[crobson]

Cool project, keep the updates coming.

 

[Live to Ski]

ditto crobson.

 

[AirheadNut]

I would strongly recommend against running any wiring inside the frame. You’ll have no way to secure and protect the cable against vibration and abrasion, which will eat through the insulation and cause major shorting. There’s a reason that OEM’s and upfitters always run wiring outside of frame members, protect it with split loom or similar and thoroughly secure it with clips or cable ties.

 

[hatchethead]

Found time to work on this today, and I thought I had this licked. But I was wrong. Navigating the inside of the DS frame is not easy.

I have a snake running from front to rear down the frame, and I'm able to pull the 2-0 AWG wire about 2/3 of the way back before I hit some obstruction. Using my $25 borescope, it looks like the snake nestled between some obstructions on its way toward the back end. I can't quite see the orientation of the obstruction - that is, I don't know if the snake is going over it or under it. I'd like to "get in there" and shove the snake out into the clear to it can continue to pull the wire through, but I'm not sure how to do it. Then there's the second run of 2-0 wire to think about even if I pull this one through - will pulling it be easier or more difficult?

I'd love ideas if anyone has one to share. (My mechanic had no ideas. My body show didn't either.)

Right now, I'm thinking that putting the wires in a loom and zip-tying the heck out of the to the outside of the frame is the way I ought to go.

 

[AirheadNut]

Right now, I'm thinking that putting the wires in a loom and zip-tying the heck out of the to the outside of the frame is the way I ought to go.

This is absolutely the way to go. The loom will protect the cable from abrasion and you'll be able to properly secure it from vibration.