winch requirement?

[basstard440]

I'm in the market for a winch and had a few questions to ask before I make up my mind.
first off is powering this thing. The one I'm leaning toward is a 9500 lbs dead pull that draws at worse case scenario 380 amps per minute and best case 190. I have a 650 (Ithink) cc amp batt. and the stock 100(?) amp alt. Can this work? I know that you winch in bursts and vehicle running yada yada yada. I am going to upgrade the batt to something like I keep in my boat that's close to 1100 cc and deep cell so it lasts with deep drains but could the 650cc battery hold up for now till I get up the big bucks for the new batt?
I thought about going duel battery and that would actually be cheaper than the batts. that I keep in my boats but where would you put it in a 2000 DII?
Also would you have to upgrade the alternator?
Also would a 9500 be big enough? What do you guys run?
Thanks, Joe

 

[Chongo]

Winches..........

winch requirement?

I'm in the market for a winch and had a few questions to ask before I make up my mind.
first off is powering this thing. The one I'm leaning toward is a 9500 lbs dead pull that draws at worse case scenario 380 amps per minute and best case 190. I have a 650 (Ithink) cc amp batt. and the stock 100(?) amp alt. Can this work? I know that you winch in bursts and vehicle running yada yada yada. I am going to upgrade the batt to something like I keep in my boat that's close to 1100 cc and deep cell so it lasts with deep drains but could the 650cc battery hold up for now till I get up the big bucks for the new batt?
I thought about going duel battery and that would actually be cheaper than the batts. that I keep in my boats but where would you put it in a 2000 DII?
Also would you have to upgrade the alternator?
Also would a 9500 be big enough? What do you guys run?
Thanks, Joe


Winches are not a toy……….. There’s a lot of them out there that are affordable, But I’ve seen them get more people in trouble than anything else. Especially if it doesn’t have a free spool option. Where people get into trouble is trying to help someone out who has slipped off the side of an embankment or some kind of hill or slope. And the vehicle in peril ends up pulling both vehicles off the hill due to them being attached by a very strong winch cable. I’ve been a witness to this more than I ever wanted to be, and I’ve warned them not to hook up to the other vehicle, but they did it anyways. It’s sad to see someone trying to help someone else, and ends up with just the controller in their hands as they watch both vehicles tumble down the hill…………….. It’s a helpless feeling, and I hope no one on this forum ever has to experience this, and no it never happened to me, just to some good friends and good acquaintances of mine which is bad enough.

Where winches are helpful is to tie to a tree or something heavier than you are and you can pull yourself out, or to pull something lighter than your truck closer to it, they work well for this. Without the engine running your 650 cca battery should run the winch at full load for a few minutes max. Adding a second 650 cca battery will double this value when hooked in parallel. And having a mechanical disconnect between both batteries can be a plus. I strongly recommend a second battery, and to leave the engine running. A second battery is an ideal situation for a winch. In my 77 chevy ¾ ton 4x4 I had a 20,000 lb winch with 2 - 2,000 cca caterpillar batteries hooked in parallel. It was the first and last winch I ever bought, although awesome, I never really used it, and got less than half of what I paid for it. Almost every winch I’ve seen on a vehicle, rarely ever gets used except to test it out the first few times, and looks cool.

Best winches to get have a free spool option if what ever you’re hooked up to needs to be immediately released you can do so to keep the other vehicle from pulling yours into their predicament or worse, just remember not to permanently attach the end of the cable to the spool.

When ordering a winch, the best thing to do is multiply your vehicle’s max weight by 2 as a minimum rating. A lot of winch companies say to multiply by 1.5 times the vehicle weight as a minimum, and through experience, I recommend X 2 , but feel free to do what you’d like.

Cable gauge size is critical for the current supply to get to the winch motor. I would consider a #2 cable size as a minimum and Recommend #1 or #0, even #00 for best current transfer, Remember, your winch is an emergency device and when you need it most, you don’t want to see your cables smoking.

That’s about it for winches in my opinion of coarse. Smartly used it can be a great asset, wrongly used it can be your worst nightmare………… It is a very very powerful tool, not a toy, and never underestimate the tension on the cable, and never stand between it and the two vehicles. Make sure when using a winch system that you are out of the cables path should it break……… I’ve have seen it cut a man in half………… Winches are not toys……

As far as the alternator goes, I had mine re wound at unit 2 in Santa paula California. Most good auto electric shops can re wind your alternator to deliver max output. I had it wound to 150 amps, 200 or 250 is possible if I remember correctly, 200 amps has a shorter life than the 150, that’s why I chose the 150 amp, plus I don’t have a winch………..

Good luck …………. Chongo

 

[basstard440]

Thank you chongo, I do understand the importance of safety while being recovered and or recovering a vehicle. Unfortunately I have a rover that I wheel quite a bit and recovery happens ofter. And for the sake of the forum you should also mention that the weight of the vehicle should also include an estimate of the weight including persons and gear (ie tools, the amount of people in the vehicle full cans of gas, shovels, cooler's so on and so on). Also when you bend a cable it reduces the line strength up to 50%, and the line is stronger on it's last spool of line so anchor as far away as possible. Vehicle recovery is Dangerous whether it is a winch or a recovery strap. I could probably fill the data banks here about the importance of safety and proper winch recovery.
Anyway, back to the original question. Where would you add the extra battery? is there anything under the hood that could be relocated to make room? I don't want to loose any cargo space.
I think 9500lbs is close to double. with gear and less the people. Dose that sound about right?

 

[Disco Squared]

You can get rid of the plastic jack/battery box combo to increase room for two batteries. You then need to install a dual battery tray to fasten them down. I think 9500 is probably good. I've got a MM 9000 and it has done well for me so far (stock alternator without dual batteries). If 9500 isn't enough, there's always the ****** block option in a pinch. So far I've found the biggest problem with winching has not been the capacity, but finding a good anchor point to winch from. I've dragged two jeeps tow strapped together with my winch trying to get out of a mud hole (three was a charm). A big tree or rock would have been great, but that's not always an option.
IMHO--steel cable sucks. They are easy to kink up, I'm upgrading to synthetic soon.

 

[basstard440]

Yea, I would like a synthetic but man...a hundred ft line is bucks! so I will wait till the stock line needs replacing. Thanks for the tip on the battery. later on I will mesure. Joe

 

[Chongo]

Winches

Thank you chongo, I do understand the importance of safety while being recovered and or recovering a vehicle. Unfortunately I have a rover that I wheel quite a bit and recovery happens ofter. And for the sake of the forum you should also mention that the weight of the vehicle should also include an estimate of the weight including persons and gear (ie tools, the amount of people in the vehicle full cans of gas, shovels, cooler's so on and so on). Also when you bend a cable it reduces the line strength up to 50%, and the line is stronger on it's last spool of line so anchor as far away as possible. Vehicle recovery is Dangerous whether it is a winch or a recovery strap. I could probably fill the data banks here about the importance of safety and proper winch recovery.
Anyway, back to the original question. Where would you add the extra battery? is there anything under the hood that could be relocated to make room? I don't want to loose any cargo space.
I think 9500lbs is close to double. with gear and less the people. Dose that sound about right?


You sound like you know what you are doing, and I’m sure you will be successful. As far as winch size 2 X the vehicles max weight is a minimum, a 12,000 lb Warn will do anything you ever wanted, 9,500 is very close, and it will most likely meet your needs, although this is a minimum. This is now a personal choice you need to make. Cable and battery supply is #1 importance as far as reliability and service goes. Dual batteries is a must with 650 cca. Winch will not run on the alternator alone, it just slows down battery depletion. And having a lock out battery disconnect is nice, it isolates which battery or both batteries you use so you can still start the vehicle if it stalls.

I like Disco Squared’s comments, he is right about the synthetic cables, if your not careful, the steel ones kink, and rust, and usually require periodical servicing and cleaning and lubing. When winching, the lighter object is usually the one that gets pulled, unless the lighter object has much better traction.

Hey best of luck to ya, if you need and assistance in assembly or installation just pm me or leave a post………..

Chongo

 

[basstard440]

Thanks fellas, I think I will try a duel batt and step up the winch to a 10500. Joe