5:13 pm
May 4, 2004
Offline
We installed a Warn PowerPlant winch on Dick's Jeep (Scott's dad) a couple weeks ago. He didn't have the fairlead bracket for his bumper so we couldn't fully test it. Last weekend Scott and Dick installed the fairlead and tried to run the winch. It momentarily came on then went completely dead.
Dick took the Jeep & winch to 4WheelParts who offered to let him try the controller for their floor unit. Surprisingly it worked. Dick plugged his controller back in and it worked. Then plugged 4WP's controller in and it wouldn't work again. Thinking he had a serious electrical problem, he decided to go home and call Warn.
Before he had a chance to call, I sent him an email for what I thought might be an unrelated issue with his winch. Warn has a male quick disconnect on the side of the winch where you connect the air hose. This requires using an air hose with female connections on each end which is not customary. We swapped the male end for a female coupler and it seemed to work initially.
It turns out, on the PowerPlant winch the compressor always runs regardless of where the dial on the winch is set. So when you're winching you're also running the compressor. If you've got the dial set to compressor it only runs the compressor. Warn relies on that male quick disconnect to unload the pressure from mini-tank while winching. If there's pressure in it's tank and you try to winch (and compress air) the winch will almost instantly go into overheat mode and shut down.
I just thought I'd pass on this info and if you have or get a PowerPlant winch, don't replace that male coupler.
6:13 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline I haven't had any problems with that. My problem is with the controller pins. They have been a pain. One of the pins isn't set properly into the controller plug (on the cable rather than the winch itself). I need to call warn and see if they will send me another.
It sounds like you are working now, correct? I like the air up time with the powerplant and the two wire set up, rather than all the hoses, tubes, mounts, switches and wires.
7:02 pm
May 4, 2004
Offline Yep, Dick says everything is working fine now that he put the male end of the quick disconnect back in the compressor.
The stats on the Powerplant compressor are impressive - 5 cfm at 90 psi. I believe that's more than a York and know it's way more than my ExtremeAir compressor at only 4 cfm @ 0 psi.
If money was no object, I'd replace all my on-board air stuff and 9.5ti with the PowerPlant and a compact ARB compressor for the lockers.
7:03 pm
January 7, 2003
Offline That sounds like a common misunderstanding with the powerplant. People don't realize the compressor runs when the winch does. I got mine a few weeks ago and the thing is freaking huge. I am having a tough time mounting it on my bumper. Because it is so wide, I am in the middle of making some 3/4" spacers to raise the winch up high enough to fit.
7:06 pm
January 7, 2003
Offline "FAM" wrote: I'd replace all my on-board air stuff and 9.5ti with the PowerPlant and a compact ARB compressor for the lockers.
Thats the way I went. I have the small ARB compressor for my ARB's and the powerplant for my tires and whatever else. I would have liked to go OBA with an engine mounted compressor, but I didn't want to ditch my A/C.
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