what battery should I get to operate my winch??

[Rev Den]

I can run my winch on 2 9 volt batteries.




Rev

 

[ExTankerGuy]

When I bought my red top a few years ago, I called Optima. They actually told me to get the red because of the warranty. They also said if I need to use the warranty, I may want to leave out the fact that I use it to run a winch.

 

[chpmnsws6]

we have tried them all and we use Trojan AGM, or Odyssey AGM, and the Sears and Odyssey are not quite the same battery, the Sears has cheaper parts and more reclaim internals.

but why mess with it run dual alternators or 3 alternators and be done with it, with one battery you should be winching with the engine running anyway so keep the extra alternator(s) off until you need them, but it is more expensive so just a thought.

I've had decent luck just running high idle (set at 1800rpm) with a 136 amp alternator with upgraded wiring all around and the 34/78

I also run my fan wiring straight off the alternator to keep the draw off the rest of the system. Though the battery isn't inline as a buffer, it hasn't killed the Taurus fan in 2 years. I did the same thing for the Miata with the swap since the F-body alternator is capable of putting out twice the juice the factory 90 alternator did at full tilt.

 

[Rush Power Systems]

I've had decent luck just running high idle (set at 1800rpm) with a 136 amp alternator with upgraded wiring all around and the 34/78

I also run my fan wiring straight off the alternator to keep the draw off the rest of the system. Though the battery isn't inline as a buffer, it hasn't killed the Taurus fan in 2 years. I did the same thing for the Miata with the swap since the F-body alternator is capable of putting out twice the juice the factory 90 alternator did at full tilt.

OK but it does not matter where you pull power from it will still be pulled from the system, when the engine is running the alternator is powering everything that is running. The only benefit from pulling from the alternator is if you can shorten the wires to the load.

 

[MAY POP]

Over at the Farm and Fleet in Woodstock they Have the AGM batteries. 3 year full replacement starting around 115 bucks. Ive had the blue version for 2 years in my Rubicon. Yes it has a winch that gets used.

Ron

 

[Scotts99XJ]

Wow, lots of info flying around. The battery in my XJ is going out and I'm looking at replacing it also. I was considering going with Optima. Seems like a few disgruntled and unhappy Optima owners. Sounds like a Die Hard Platinum or Duralast Gold. I was really going for the Red Top Battery. Not sure what to do now. Dont want to buy a new one in a year or two.

 

[Rush Power Systems]

I should put it this way, I have a red in my CJ and a Die Hard, in my XJ, I am hard on both of them and i have not had any problems. my opinion is use a red on a winch, anything else would not be that big a deal.

 

[XJosh95]

Alright, since I couldn't find a general, non-branded source for this information quickly, I used Optima's website. I'm not advocating you get an Optima battery, I'm only giving you the facts on what type of battery will do what.

For your application, you will be interested most in the red top or yellow top since this is a land vehicle and not a marine vehicle (usually), so I will leave out the info on the blue top.

The YELLOWTOP® high-performance AGM battery has everything you need. It’s one of the true dual-purpose automotive batteries available. With premium cranking power and impressive cycling capability, it’s perfect for modern accessory-loaded vehicles. The YELLOWTOP can repeatedly be brought back from deep power drains to full charge, so it can power plenty of electronics and still start you up time after time. Low internal resistance also provides more consistent power output and faster recharges.

Trucks with winches, vehicles with high-demand electronics and audio systems, commercial vehicles and heavy equipment can all rely on this battery to provide ultimate starting and deep-cycle power

The REDTOP® high-performance AGM battery is the ultimate starting battery designed to deliver a powerful burst of ignition power for a reliable start-up every time. The REDTOP will outperform and outlast traditional batteries in demanding cranking/starting applications. With impressive high-power delivery and extreme resistance to the most common causes of battery failure, the REDTOP is ideal for trucks, SUVs, hot rods, street cars and other applications that require a spillproof starting battery.

If you use these guidelines over in other brands of batteries, you should be able to surmise that you should get a dual-purpose battery that can handle both everyday starting and deep cycling by use of a winch and other large parasitic draws.

 

[Scotts99XJ]

OK, Thanks XJosh. So now instead of a red... get a yellow? I will be getting a winch for this soon. I hope not to use the winch much. But when I do, I don't want to have any problems with power.

 

[Fore Wheeler]

I had a red for many years, the biggest problem I have with batteries in my trail rig is the time it sets w/o use. I needed to replace my red a year ago and bought a yellow because of the research I did, and the fact that my battery is now in the back in the open and it matches my paint.

I would not base your decision on the actual color, it just worked out for me that the battery I felt was tye best choice matched my jeep.

I will buy a yellow again, it has a 3 year warranty and I foresee it going bad in 2 years, 11 months. .

 

[BRIANHO13]

After reading this thread I will be pulling the red from the tj and installing the yellow I had in the buggy, will keep the red on a float charger for possible future use.

 

[Rush Power Systems]

I had a red for many years, the biggest problem I have with batteries in my trail rig is the time it sets w/o use. I needed to replace my red a year ago and bought a yellow because of the research I did, and the fact that my battery is now in the back in the open and it matches my paint.

I would not base your decision on the actual color, it just worked out for me that the battery I felt was tye best choice matched my jeep.

I will buy a yellow again, it has a 3 year warranty and I foresee it going bad in 2 years, 11 months. .

Yellows are better at that, but if a vehicle sits it should have a battery switch, a red will go down to 1 volt but you can usually cycle charge them and keep using it. but again a winch is a starter motor, it needs lots of amps, i could say our high amp alternators will give you 100 mpg and it would be BS, and a yellow top is not designed for starting and winching.

 

[Fore Wheeler]

...and I have a battery switch beside the driver seat.

 

[Rush Power Systems]

so going dead with no draw, that would be battery build quality, Optima was not what it once was, unless you had a by pass for the memory in the radio.

 

[Fore Wheeler]

the leak down was before the switch, when I moved the battery I installed the switch, and bought the yellow..

I can't dispute that Optima isn't what it was, neither is MOOG, but I still have MOOG joints on my rig. I don't know any company that has kept or increased quality. Optima batteries are still a good choice for our sport.

 

[87manche]

i could say our high amp alternators will give you 100 mpg and it would be BS, and a yellow top is not designed for starting and winching.

I could say it would be great if you were a vendor and could advertise your high amp alternators here.

 

[Fore Wheeler]

I could say it would be great if you were a vendor and could advertise your high amp alternators here.

that would be a good idea, and a wise business choice. very little cost for the exposure you will get. Hell, I might buy my alternators from you, but currently I deal with vendors only.

hope I can buy from you soon.

d

 

[Rush Power Systems]

I could say it would be great if you were a vendor and could advertise your high amp alternators here.

reminds me i need to make a phone call, Nathan this week for sure!

 

[OptimaJim]

Hello, I noticed your conversation involving our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. Although ExTankerGuy suggested the RedTop has a better warranty than than the YellowTop, the length of those warranties is identical and the RedTop warranty does not cover deep-cycle applications, including winching. (ExTankerGuy, I know it's a longshot, but if you happen to recall the name of the person you spoke to at Optima, please let me know).

Fore Wheeler and 85xjwoody are absolutely correct- the only batteries that should be considered for applications that include deep-cycling (winching) should be batteries designed for deep-cycle use, which would not include our RedTop. You may be able to get away with using a RedTop in that type of application, but that use voids your warranty. Likewise, as long as a battery's rated cranking amps meet or exceed the requirements of the engine, the focus should really be on the reserve capacity and not cold cranking amps.

While I understand individual experiences can vary, the quality of our batteries has only improved under Johnson Controls' ownership. We still manufacture all of our own batteries in our own facility and they are the only batteries produced there. We never re-label or re-spec our batteries for any of our retail partners and we still use 99.99% pure lead, which is becoming less common in AGM products, as start/stop's presence in the marketplace increases.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left in that state, sulfation begins to form, which diminishes both capacity and performance. That makes a quality battery maintenance device an excellent investment for any vehicle that doesn't see regular use. If anyone has questions about our products, I'll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

 

[Rush Power Systems]

Hello, I noticed your conversation involving our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. Although ExTankerGuy suggested the RedTop has a better warranty than than the YellowTop, the length of those warranties is identical and the RedTop warranty does not cover deep-cycle applications, including winching. (ExTankerGuy, I know it's a longshot, but if you happen to recall the name of the person you spoke to at Optima, please let me know).

Fore Wheeler and 85xjwoody are absolutely correct- the only batteries that should be considered for applications that include deep-cycling (winching) should be batteries designed for deep-cycle use, which would not include our RedTop. You may be able to get away with using a RedTop in that type of application, but that use voids your warranty. Likewise, as long as a battery's rated cranking amps meet or exceed the requirements of the engine, the focus should really be on the reserve capacity and not cold cranking amps.

While I understand individual experiences can vary, the quality of our batteries has only improved under Johnson Controls' ownership. We still manufacture all of our own batteries in our own facility and they are the only batteries produced there. We never re-label or re-spec our batteries for any of our retail partners and we still use 99.99% pure lead, which is becoming less common in AGM products, as start/stop's presence in the marketplace increases.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left in that state, sulfation begins to form, which diminishes both capacity and performance. That makes a quality battery maintenance device an excellent investment for any vehicle that doesn't see regular use. If anyone has questions about our products, I'll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

Disclaimer, we do not offer batteries, but we have done extensive testing on all batteries, we do so because we need to know the actual abilities of each battery so we know how many volts they can actually handle. I have never stated you should not use the yellow or Optima in general, I do not think they are a good value for the money and if money is not a factor I believe there are better batteries out there.
The original Optima had better quality, when the company was sold there were many changes, yes you walked some back but the quality is not the same.
According to your specs http://jci_media.s3.amazonaws.com/4713/4583/5068/YELLOWTOP_Full_Specs_Sheet.pdf
Your yellow top has a capacity of 55 Ah with 120 minute reserve capacity, in our testing we have never found a Yellow top that would pull the stated specs of 750/870
If you look at the Red top specs on the 34R
http://jci_media.s3.amazonaws.com/9613/4583/5078/REDTOP_Full_Specs_Sheet.pdf
You have 50 Ah with 100 minutes reserve capacity but in testing we have found performance much closer to the 800 / 1000 specs. We have never had one hit the stated numbers but for sake of argument we will use them, keep in mind this is battery, the engine is off so the alternator is not in play here. So is a Yellow worth that much more money for an extra 5 amp reserve at an extra 20 min, I don’t think so.
So the yellow can power a 55 amp load for 120 minutes, and a red can power a 50 amp load for 100 minutes. On a simplistic look at it you can see the yellow gives better performance. So if you sit and listen to the radio with the engine off for over an hour you need the yellow. The problem is a winch will pull between 100 and 400 amps depending on quality and conditions of the pull.
So when taking about a winch amp hour is pointless, we need to look at cranking amps and the red is clearly better in that respect. However when the engine is running the alternator should do the heavy lifting and the battery just supplies what the alternator cant. With the engine running Ah is pointless.
I know I am going to get “what about the D31A” to be honest if you have that much money to invest go with a better alternator and a cheap battery, you will be better off. UNLESS you will do a lot of winching with the engine off, then the D31A is a good choice, but I would have it as a second battery so you can get the engine started after winching, and you will need an isolator (not a battery switch)so you don’t damage your battery, alternator, or ECU.