Loose connection and fire risk?

softdown

Placing here due to pertinence to off grid solar connections. Fow now anyway. 

Was operating a big winch after a snapped rear axle presented a roadside emergency. 

For those who wonder, the right rear bearing only receives axle oil when making turns in a few years of the Lincoln Town Car. Similar models also I hear. There are a large number of videos on replacing the axle shafts on Lincolns and Crown Victoria’s. Mine is a 2006. 

The negative cable to the battery caught fire shortly after it started smoking. I had to operate it a few more seconds to get the car on the trailer in a pretty bad interstate location. 

Initially I thought the winch was destroyed. Still worth it since it got the Lincoln on the trailer and down the road. 

Closer look shows the negative battery cable disintegrated at the connection on the winch body. I hope to replace the lug and use the winch again. 

First time that 18K winch was used. 

A couple other cables also experienced high heat in the insulation. The rubber insulation is subsequently discolored and distorted. But the copper wires seem relatively unaffected though still covered by rubber insulation. 

18K winch so not a cheap little thing. I believe winches have short duty cycles that I likely exceeded. The demand was unusually strong due to pulling a Lincoln uphill unto a trailer. Since the axle sheared off a floor jack was used under the right axle. This was a decent tire substitute until the floor jack stopped at the trailer ramp. Then the winch was forced to work extremely hard. Probably more than extremely hard.  Smoke developed but I was literally seconds from successful completion and persevered. 

On second thought perhaps this belongs in another area? Just thought that loose connections may be a very big deal in solar power. 

I have winched a vehicle out of several “sticky” situations. Can’t recall a hot winch or hot cables before. It is possible this 18K Vevor winch has a design defect. Or a manufacturing defect. 

I can post a pic if “needed". 

SumPower

Just curious, is the conductor 100% copper? 

Copper Clad Aluminum had been used on some of the import winches, don't know if that is still a problem.

I personally use a snatch block when winching as one snatch block will effectively double the pulling force, minus about 10% due to friction on pulleys and bearings.