Quote Originally Posted by RSCHIPP View Post
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?