Traxide SC80 Winch Wiring Options

[Shakey]

I'm about to tidy up the wiring on my winch to include a switch so it's not permanently powered and was wanting to include my aux battery in the mix.

I was wondering if there would be any reason why I could not alter the following setup to include a 3 way marine switch after the main battery in the digram below, lose the suggested marine switch and connect the aux battery after the main battery terminal to the 3 way switch.

My thinking was this would allow me to isolate the winch, choose, 1,2 or 1+2 to power the winch, but also allow me to choose 1+2 incase I ever needed to jump start from the aux battery.

Is there anything fundamentally wrong with this idea/reason why it wouldn't work?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/651.jpg

[tailslide]

Yes, that would work for you.

Cheers
Ron

[Kevin B]

That would work well, however I would also move the winch to the Aux Battery

[Shakey]

That would work well, however I would also move the winch to the Aux Battery

Out of interest, what's the benefit of connecting the winch to the Aux battery, particularly when I'm joining the two batteries together?

[Kevin B]

Out of interest, what's the benefit of connecting the winch to the Aux battery, particularly when I'm joining the two batteries together?

Well im not sure how the traxide works but my isolator discontects the aux battery when a load is detected, now say for example you need to winch for one reason or another without your motor running, you wont discharge your main battery, not ideal as its not recomened to run your winck without motor running but its just a failsafe just in case for the sake of moving 2 wires

[Kevin B]

Also on that im personally not a fan of running aything off the main battery other than how it came from the factory, all accessories, light's, fridge, cb, ect from the aux battery leaving the main battery an uninterupted power source for starting

[Shakey]

I get the logic of running stuff off the aux battery but the point of the switch is to join both together for the winch and turn off when not in use.

The aux ground is connected to the main anyway so surely it only matter were the positive is connected?

[drivesafe]

Hi Shakey and Kevin.

With winch set ups, for maximum efficient operation of the winch, it is important that the winch be wired to the cranking battery.

The reason for this is that this makes the shortest electrical distance between the winch and the alternator.

This set up results in the highest voltage possible being delivered to the winch while it’s being used.

The higher the voltage at the winch, the better the winch works.

Also when it comes to what gets connected to which battery, as a rule of thumb, if a device is only used while the motor is running then it goes to the cranking battery.

If the device is going to be used when the motor is off, then it is connected to the auxiliary battery.

Shakey, I am pretty sure I follow what you intend to do but I am not sure why you want to set up for a choice of powering the winch from either battery SEPARATELY.

You should always power a winch with the motor running, and in a high idle state.

Running a winch from a battery and no motor running is a good way to damage a battery in quick time.

Unless there is some specific reason, the diagram is all you need to work from, but if you do have a specific reason for setting up the way you are considering, make sure the cranking battery and alternator can NOT be separated at any time.

Disconnecting the cranking battery from the alternator while the motor is running can destroy an alternator in as short a time as just a few seconds.

[Boofla]

+1 for the winch running off your main battery.

[tailslide]

...

My thinking was this would allow me to isolate the winch, choose, 1,2 or 1+2 to power the winch, but also allow me to choose 1+2 incase I ever needed to jump start from the aux battery.

Is there anything fundamentally wrong with this idea/reason why it wouldn't work?



I understood Jake's desire was to:


install one isolator to isolate the winch when not in use.



and to save money, if it was a 3 way, could it be used to bridge the aux battery to the main for winching and jump start duties as well. Saving money :).

And yes it will do it, but as DriveSafe has pointed out you would not want to select only the Aux battery for winching but with the proposed setup it would be possible.


You will need to look at the max current draw of the winch and the isolator current rating. My preference would be to ensure that there is good mechanical protection to the winch power lead and permanently connect it to the cranking battery. This will give the minimum volt drop to the winch.


If the isolation requirement is for security purposes then you can look at isolating the winch contactor coil or field windings.


Cheers
Ron

[Shakey]

I understood Jake's desire was to:


install one isolator to isolate the winch when not in use.



and to save money, if it was a 3 way, could it be used to bridge the aux battery to the main for winching and jump start duties as well. Saving money :).

And yes it will do it, but as DriveSafe has pointed out you would not want to select only the Aux battery for winching but with the proposed setup it would be possible.


You will need to look at the max current draw of the winch and the isolator current rating. My preference would be to ensure that there is good mechanical protection to the winch power lead and permanently connect it to the cranking battery. This will give the minimum volt drop to the winch.


If the isolation requirement is for security purposes then you can look at isolating the winch contactor coil or field windings.


Cheers
Ron

Thanks for the feedback everybody. To clarify, I wouldn't be aiming to run this off one battery and without the engine running. I guess the only time that might be a scenario is if the main battery failed and the engine wasn't running - but let's not go there.

Ron, you are correct. I don't want to have power to the winch at all times (for security reasons/etc.) hence why I want the switch between the battery and the winch (rather than as per the diagram), so my idea for the marine battery was to save costs/space as you suggest and basically use it to put in position 1+2 when winching, so I get the benefits of the diagram above, plus isolation of the winch when not in use.

I then also have the ability to jump in 1+2 position if the main battery failed.

I would never intend to use 1 or 2 on their own (although I suppose if 1 was the main battery and the engine was running, that is the setup I currently run without the switch).

Does the make sense/work?