winch battery setup

[mateusz]

gents heading into highcountry this weekend with electric winch. Is it wise to go parrel setup with batteries for winching? Is a alternator upgrade wise? what would be a good alternator setup and is a parrarell batery setup a good idea to not flaten your battery?

[loanrangie]

What vehicle are we talking about ?, unless you plan on a lot of winching a good single battery will do fine.

[alien]

The basic rules I use in setting up and use...
The winch is powered from the main battery.
Always run the motor when using the winch.
(I've never upgraded the alt for this.)
If fitting a 2nd battery setup fitt an isolator that will cut out when the crank batt gets low on voltage.
(This allows the 2nd battery to jump start the rig if needed.)
When using the winch follow the 5 minute guide line , winch for 5-rest for 5. (This allows the winch to cool down and the battery to get a bit of charge as the motor is left running.)

Reading your post this sounds like your first winch, is this right?
if so a lit bit more...
Winching can be a dangerous exercise, make sure you take all required precautions.
(Solid anchor points[not dead trees], dampers, people stand at least 2.5 times the cable length being used).
Check all your straps and shackles before you leave and after each use.
YouTube has a few good recoveries to watch, and a lot more of not how too.


The best bit of advise is to remeber the winch cable only goes foward.
Don't head into a track/situation unless you feel it can be driven.
A lot of folk have thought the winch allows them to go further, usually it's further into trouble.

[Tins]

All good advice. If the winch flattens the battery you have been using it for too long.
On a slightly seperate note, I like to have an isolator for the winch power under the bonnet. I've never seen it, but I have heard of people pulling out the cable, passing it over the car and hooking it up to the towbar and firing it up...... Well, I guess you can imagine. Plenty of winch remotes out there.

[Tins]

The best bit of advise is to remeber the winch cable only goes foward.
Don't head into a track/situation unless you feel it can be driven.
A lot of folk have thought the winch allows them to go further, usually it's further into trouble.

I believe this is why most rear mounted winches I've seen seem to be on Toyotas.

[loanrangie]

All good advice. If the winch flattens the battery you have been using it for too long.
On a slightly seperate note, I like to have an isolator for the winch power under the bonnet. I've never seen it, but I have heard of people pulling out the cable, passing it over the car and hooking it up to the towbar and firing it up...... Well, I guess you can imagine. Plenty of winch remotes out there.

Yes, i have a marine type isolator under the bonnet right near the main battery and its only switched on when i think i may need the winch or leave the blackout heading out.

Kyles points are all valid.

[alien]

All good advice. If the winch flattens the battery you have been using it for too long.
On a slightly seperate note, I like to have an isolator for the winch power under the bonnet. I've never seen it, but I have heard of people pulling out the cable, passing it over the car and hooking it up to the towbar and firing it up...... Well, I guess you can imagine. Plenty of winch remotes out there.

I had one occasion where a vehicle(non LR) we where watching got onto a bad angle and was rocking on 2 diagonal wheels.
He had a winch but we had to climb up and open the bonnet to turn the isolator key, not fun.

After that epoisode I like the isolator to be easy to get to.
Keyed ones can look quite good mounted in the bull bar or on a bracket in the grille.
Having a Defender our rotary switch on the front of the seat box.
It's right next to the battery and the driver can reach it, the cordless remote is a dream to use too.

I've heard the stories of the cable over the car but it was with the older 3 pin plugs that where on the control boxes, power/in/out so easy to tamper with.
More worrying is I've twice known winches to self run....
1 was a member from Melbourne at the a car wash after a play day, he heard it turning.
The other was a D2 in a deep mud puddle, we heard the noise but couldn't work out what it was.
The winch was submerged and back at camp we worked out what had happened after checking for water ingestion etc..
It had spooled in until the hook was pulled through the fair lead and only stopped when the hook ripped the power wire from the winch, the live power wire was left swinging in the breaze.