[Brit]

Hey Aaron: I remember a post you made a month or so back about "pit pins"
I haven't looked for them but I was wondering if they would work for the winch mount for my Warn. Do they come in different diameters? lengths? I know this would make it easier to steal the winch but I was interested for moving the winch to the back in the receiver. I could have a friend fab a plate that would fit into the receiver and pin the winch plate into it. Just an idea. All the guys that drive Suburbans and tall Chevy trucks tried to convince me to get the mounting plate with the receiver mounted "tray" but folks with more sense (read: Jeepers) brought me to my senses. Man this BBS is cool. I mostly take trips to go wheeling, as I don't have many places to wheel around here, so I could remove the Warn mounting bolts and use these pit pin things on the trip. No self-respecting four wheeler would steal the winch on the trail, right?/wwwthreads_images/icons/shocked.gif The only real additional expense would be the quick connect electrical and looong cables to the rear. Thanks for your help. /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Brit
85 CJ7

 

[13337]

I first stumbled on to pit pins in the military.
The Army uses them to hold everything together. At first, I thought that pit pins were just used to hold desk drawers shut when they moved the field command trailers, and to post signs and stuff, but when I was assigned to an armor outfit for a while, I found out they are used to hold those 300 lb tank hatches open, and hold the heavy equipment those tankers take everywhere.
I have seen them 1/8" in diameter to 3" in diameter, from 1/2" to 4 feet long. They come in blunt and pointed entry ends, and 'L', 'T' handles, 'Button Heads' and 'Mushroom Heads', and round ring ends.
Just push the button in on the head, and pull them out. The button pushes a spring loaded rod in the shaft, and releases a ball or balls in the shaft.
(Works like a Craftsman ratchet socket lock)
I have seen the balls located all up and down the shafts.
I have seen them made out of everything from aluminum and stainless steel to titanium.
Normally I get them from an army surplus store, but I saw one of the racing catalogs had some keeping a shifter housing together the other day.

I first started using them while still in the military. I was drag racing a Harley then, and I got sick of putting the wheelie bars on and taking them back off to load the bike in a pickup, so we used pit pins. Before it was over, we had almost everything on pit pins.

Never under estimate the military surplus stuff. It's all the very best money can buy, and you can get it dirt cheap. Every nut, bolt, screw, washer, and wire tie you find will have a military spec. number, and will be of very best quality. You can also find the trickiest little fasteners, latches, hinges, handles, and such for cheap.

To answer your question, YES. You can certainly use pit pins to hold your winch on.
Make a bracket that has at least two attachment points ( I recommend 4 attachment points), and use a tongue and groove design. drill two holes straight down through all three layers of mounting material, and drop two 1/2" pit pins in it. With a similar set of mounting tabs on the rear, you just pull the winch & mounting plate and move it around back.
SEE: Attachment.

That is exactly what we have planned here. Hell, the whole Jeep is put together with pit pins. Anything gets damaged, we yank it off and throw it in the back.
If you are worried about thieft when you are gone, just snap a padlock through one of the holes.

Be sure to use heavy (around 6 or 4 Ga.) FINE STRAND wire to the rear for your winch hook up.(the more fine the strands, the more amperage it will deliver)
If you can't find the wire in the 'normal' world, go to a welding shop, and they will have it.

CJ Dave has a really snappy design for a two battery rig to power that winch, and I'm sure he'll publish it again if you ask..

Hope this is what you were looking for, If it's not, just e-mail me and I'll give you everything I have on the subject.
Good Luck, Aaron.

So many cats.... So few recipes...

 

[Brit]

Aaron: Thanks for the reply. I was looking at a very similar design only through the "saddle" part of the winch mount that goes through the frame rails.
Hopefully I won't need to pull myself out backwards but I don't want to be stuck somewhere with a tree or another wheeler behind me and no way to get out!! It looks like a pretty simple solution rather than mounting the winch in a receiver that sits too low to clear obstacles in the front. CJDave does indeed have a slick setup for the second battery. I attempted to paste in the last time I saw that setup. I don't know if it will work and I have not yet set it up on my CJ. Gotta get ready for work, Thanks again Aaron /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Brit
85 CJ7

 

[Brit]

I don't obviously know how to post the file for the battery wiring. I can tell you it was Wed Jan 5th on a thread started by bas 157 Dual battery Wiring Question.Subject Re: Dual Battery Wiring Question
Posted by CJDave
Posted on Wed Jan 5 11:13:10 2000
From IP 208.12.101.19


Er....ah....we don't exactly know how to do that yet. I have the scanner setup all right, but I have to do it when my "coach" is here. Remember, I'm a fifties guy, and this huge computer with all the stuff is still just a tad strange. HOWEVER....here is the scheme as the written word. (1) Continuous-hold solenoid mounted on fender inner panel...solenoid has input big terminal, and output big terminal. Use a heavy cable to hook solenoid output terminal to the ( ) of the second battery. Use a heavy cable to hook the solenoid input terminal to the ( ) of the first battery, right along with all the original Jeep stuff...just add the cable to the pile.. Take the (-) side of the second battery direct to a real good ground.
(2) Continuous-hold solenoid has two little terminals on it. Hook one to the "run" side of the ignition switch, same as for example a heater motor, The remaining terminal of the solenoid goes to an oil pressure switch that you tee into the oil gauge outlet on the engine. You can buy Hobbs
switches (and many others) which will ground the wire on pressure rise, or which have TWO terminals on them which will connect when pressure rises. If it is a two-pole switch, just run one wire to a
good ground. Now....key feeds solenoid ( ) current, but solenoid waits for the oil pressure to
rise and to get a (-) before it can close. By that time, you have current from the alternator to
charge the guest battery. Hook all the extra stuff to the second battery side (output side)of the
solenoid. Leave the Jeep original stuff on the original solenoid, same as before. With engine
on...both batteries are on the main line. Engine off...they are isolated. Which means that you
can't accidentally run your cranking battery down by using the 12V ice chest, the winch,
the stereo, ot anything else that you added that will be hooked to the ( ) side of the second
battery. Is this somewhat clear?

CJDave
I never believe any statistics unless I've made 'em up myself.

Hey that worked! Sorry folks, I need to learn how to attach the files.


Brit
85 CJ7