Make sure you test your warn platinum winch before heading out. (1 Viewer)

[Fisher23]

Make sure you test your warn platinum winch before heading out.

I usually check most things .. but today I needed the winch and didn't test it before going out.

The controller was charged but the wireless would not connect, and this is one of those one without a hard wire connection.

30 minutes later I got it working, but heck I had to undo the winch battery cables to get the wireless to reset so I could then pair it with the controller and get it re-connected.

Slightly a vent here .. but before I headed out today I had completely forgot how to re-initialize the wireless.

I like my wired hand control on my other vehicle much better today.

 

[grinchy]

Good points! Having the option to connect wired can still be useful.

 

[Dusten]

So it has no option for hard controls? That sounds irresponsible.

 

[REKCUT]

Its a good idea to run your winch out 30 feet or so and back in once a month. I know thats top end maintenance but I still try an do mine before each trip. When needed is a horrible time to find out your broken.

 

[CharlieS]

And this is one good reason why hard wired winches make sense.

While we're on the subject of winch maintenance - I wonder how may people with winches take the time to periodically clean their synthetic winch lines?

I suspect for many people the winch is a thing forgotten until needed, and then when it isn't immediately servicable or a something fails, people blame it on the winch rather than the lack of preventative maintenance.

I've seen a couple of people with built rigs that didn't even understand the clutch operation on their own winch - in a recovery situation. Scary stuff if you ask me.

Be careful out there!

 

[Fisher23]

So it has no option for hard controls? That sounds irresponsible.

Correct, no hard wired controls on this warn model.

ZEON 10-S Platinum Winch - 92815

With state-of-the-art features, cutting-edge technology, and world-class engineering, the WARN ZEON Platinum is the future of winching. The ZEON 10-S Platinum 12-volt electric winch is vehicle mounted and has a pull capacity of 10,000 pounds. It comes with 100 feet of Spydura synthetic rope.

www.warn.com

 

[Pighead]

I can't think of a situation where i would need a wireless winch controller. Is this wirelessness just being Fancy for Fancy's sake?

 

[Dusten]

I can't think of a situation where i would need a wireless winch controller. Is this wirelessness just being Fancy for Fancy's sake?

I can see it being handy, but I can't believe there is no wires option

My comeup has a wireless remote and a 15 foot wired remote.

 

[TeCKis300]

Correct, no hard wired controls on this warn model.

ZEON 10-S Platinum Winch - 92815

With state-of-the-art features, cutting-edge technology, and world-class engineering, the WARN ZEON Platinum is the future of winching. The ZEON 10-S Platinum 12-volt electric winch is vehicle mounted and has a pull capacity of 10,000 pounds. It comes with 100 feet of Spydura synthetic rope.

www.warn.com

That's unexpected!

I mentioned in another thread but the latest lower end Warn VR EVO is both wireless and wired with the same controller. They provide a physical cable for falling back on if the batteries (3x AAA) were to die.

The batteries were dead upon receiving of the winch so it took me a bit of futzing before realizing that. Plugged in cable and works as expected. Swapped batteries out and it worked right away. I'm unaware of a pairing procedure for this model? Probably should figure that out.

Good call on checking out things before heading out on a trip.

 

[CharlieS]

Doesn't it connect when you press and hold the power button until it turns the blue light on?

 

[Fisher23]

There is on/off wireless switch on the back of the winch which cycling it on and off may have worked instead of removing the battery cable, to reset the wireless.

In my situation it was easier to remove the battery cable as the winch is buried in the arb bumper and skid plates.

 

[CharlieS]

There is on/off wireless switch on the back of the winch which cycling it on and off may have worked instead of removing the battery cable, to reset the wireless.

In my situation it was easier to remove the battery cable as the winch is buried in the arb bumper and skid plates.

View attachment 2945010

Sorry, my comment was about the VR winch from Tekis300. There isn't a power switch on the winch or solenoid pack on the VR series. The only power switch is on the handheld control unit. To use wireless, you leave the cable out, and press and hold the power button until the blue light comes on. It is super low tech, I'm guessing radio signals, not bluetooth or anything fancy.

 

[Fisher23]

I can't think of a situation where i would need a wireless winch controller. Is this wirelessness just being Fancy for Fancy's sake?

For just winching your vehicle sure ... but winching logs and tree's it's really handy.

 

[TeCKis300]

Sorry, my comment was about the VR winch from Tekis300. There isn't a power switch on the winch or solenoid pack on the VR series. The only power switch is on the handheld control unit. To use wireless, you leave the cable out, and press and hold the power button until the blue light comes on. It is super low tech, I'm guessing radio signals, not bluetooth or anything fancy.

Yup, that's how the VR works.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Make sure you test your warn platinum winch before heading out.

Really one should be utilizing all the features regularly. I toss my rig in 4 low, and my other in 4wd just to keep things moving. Of course remembering is another thing.

 

[Fisher23]

Really one should be utilizing all the features regularly. I toss my rig in 4 low, and my other in 4wd just to keep things moving. Of course remembering is another thing.

I'm not sure what you are thinking but the winch was used a couple weeks ago. The other features are used weekly.

The problem was the winch lost the wireless connection.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

I'm not sure what you are thinking but the winch was used a couple weeks ago. The other features are used weekly.

The problem was the winch lost the wireless connection.

In your case, yours was a pre-outing check. What I am getting at is that there are multiple actuators that if not used can freeze up. So every few months toss it in 4 low, lock the center diff, etc. Sound like your case you are using it regularly. Not every one does.

 

[kcjaz]

So I have the War Platinum winch and yep, it is only wireless and yep I wish it had a hard wire capability just for extra reliability. That said, it has yet to let me down. I have only used it 4 times in the year I've owned it in recovery situations but have also used it just playing with it and spooling it out and back in after I've used it. Here are my thoughts on it:

1. I relo'd the control unit to under my hood and I keep it off until I need it or at the trail head when I think there's a good chance I'll need it. Doing this means it re-pairs with the handheld and if it doesn't you would know at the trail head. This is a good practice. @Fisher23, it seems you have an access challenge getting to the power switch so that is why you had to disconnect the battery cable? If you leave the control unit on all the time that may be why it eventually got confused and needed to be restarted.

2. Do you need a wireless control? No. But with one you have a lot of options in recovery situation. I've had my spotter use the controller because he could see the situation of what I was trying to winch over better than me and he could be at a safe distance instead if within 15' of my front bumper and I could have both hands on the steering wheel. I find the wireless clutch convenient. I can just hop out of the cab, hit the button on the hand held, and free spool the hook to the tree, connect to the tree saver, engage the clutch while still by the tree and spool in to tension the line and make sure everything is good.

3. With the wireless controller, you can recover someone else and be closer to the vehicle being recovered rather than back at your rig or just give the controller to the driver of the other vehicle.

4. The thing I don't like is that the handheld controller battery drains when the unit is off so you have to be sure to recharge it before hand. It will work while charging but then you essentially have a wired remote. There is a magnetic switch hack for this that I initially thought I would do but it really hasn't been an issue as I don't forget to charge it on trail runs and you can charge it while running the trail and it will have enough charge if you need it.

 

[Idaho Savage]

There is on/off wireless switch on the back of the winch which cycling it on and off may have worked instead of removing the battery cable, to reset the wireless.

In my situation it was easier to remove the battery cable as the winch is buried in the arb bumper and skid plates.

View attachment 2945010

I went through this as well. I found that by opening the hood and removing the plastic panel by the hood latch (four button clips if I recall), you can reach said button very easily. Took me all of a minute.

 

[Fisher23]

@kcjaz so i noticed the same thing that the handset remote battery goes dead when turned off and stored. One would think it would just keep a charge, but it doesn't.

Do you think it is better to let it go dead and just charge it when heading out, or to leave it plugged in so it remains charged?

Thanks for the tip on the panel removal, I didn't think of that. I was thinking or relocating the wires for that switch, but this has been a rare issue.