Winching kills the battery?

[briandunning]

A couple weeks ago I spent 2 hours on my Warn Powerplant, pulling an RV and its trailer out of a canyon where they'd gotten stuck. It's fair to say this was about the most extreme winch abuse as you're likely to encounter.

Then, the other day, my battery is suddenly dead. Won't hold a charge, needed to be replaced (warranty covered it).

Could the extreme winching have killed my battery? I did run the engine the entire time, and there have been no battery problems in the intervening 2 weeks.

[toad]

If you are running a stock battery, then yes. That much winching takes up alot of battery cell strength. I still have my stock battery but have only used my winch about 7 times now, but just minor pulling. Most switch their batteries out to an Optima Yellowtop. :wink:

[Jusaplaya]

Yea it definitely can shorten the life of your battery. Two hours is a long time to be winching. It is bad on the alternator too. Sometimes batteries don't come back when they are drained. I bet that winch got super hot going for that long. At least it was under warranty. Dealer didn't see the winch?

[GoodysGotaCuda]

Yep, it will hurt it pretty well. If you dont have a dual battery or a solid optima.

You had the engine running, right?

[jkkat]

Should have disconnected the trailer and did them both seperately. That is a heck of a lot of strain on the whole system. Once your battery light comes its below 11.5 volts, i think.

[09rubicon]

Your winch under full load can easily draw more amperage than your alternator can generate. So even with the vehicle running you can drain the battery. With the stock battery you have another common issue, if you draw it below about 20% of its capacity it will never fully recharge. With the kind of recovery you were describing you probably did that several times ( i am assuming you didnt winch for 2 constant hours, but did it in burst of a few minutes each for two hours).
Your best bet is an Optima Yellow top or a sealed marine grade battery. They are both designed to be drained to very low levels and recharge fully. I personally recomend the Optima, but there are several other good brands out there. If you go with a general marine grade make sure you get one with at least 700CCA (cold cranking amps) as many are not designed for high draw (i.e. winch) but instead for constant low draw.

[WranglerDan]

As the winch motor heats up, it draws more current. It gets into a positive feedback loop, then generating more heat again. Extended winching is where a hydraulic winch would be advantageous.

[MBATF]

A Sear's series of the Die Hard platinum (dry cell) Group 34 is actually one of the better battery. Those are actually re-branded Odyssey Battery BUT $90 cheaper.

Odyssey Group 34 normally range about $250-$280 each

Re Branded By die Hard. $195 each and find a 10% off sears coupon, plus core exchange. it set you about $185 or so out the door.

[jkkat]

Stock altenator output is about 160 amps winch draw at full pulling cap. is about 300-400 amps

[Benchmark Designs Inc.]

The stock battery that comes in the JK is definitely a piece of junk. Upgrade to an Optima Yellow Top or Odyssey PC1500.... duals if you want ultimate reliability.

http://www.jk-forum.com/showthread.php?t=96588

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/cascade4x4/Bike%20Stuff/Benchmark/007-1.jpg

[boots]

A Sear's series of the Die Hard platinum (dry cell) Group 34 is actually one of the better battery. Those are actually re-branded Odyssey Battery BUT $90 cheaper.

Odyssey Group 34 normally range about $250-$280 each

Re Branded By die Hard. $195 each and find a 10% off sears coupon, plus core exchange. it set you about $185 or so out the door.


Any more info on this Sears Battery ? Like Group, Dimensions, and Part Number. Called Sears, and they are in the dark.

[boots]

Thanks Guy's,

Guess my next stop is Sears. :yup:

Well the new battery is in. Went with the Die Hard Platinum P4 group 34/78.

The differance between the P1 and P4 is that the P4 has top and side mount posts. The side mount posts is great for hooking up accessories. :thumbsup:

[robin]

yes it does:yup:

[MBATF]

Thanks Guy's,

Guess my next stop is Sears. :yup:

Well the new battery is in. Went with the Die Hard Platinum P4 group 34/78.

The differance between the P1 and P4 is that the P4 has top and side mount posts. The side mount posts is great for hooking up accessories. :thumbsup:

Glad you picked one up!:thumbsup:

[boots]

Glad you picked one up!:thumbsup:



Thanks for the Heads-Up on this Battery David. :thumbsup: