Electric Winches

FordPerf300 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 12:02 PM

I know that electric winches can really drain an electrical system, i'm into car stereos (big amps powering big subs). These can wreak havok on most alternators and you can see it in the lights, which dim when the subs hit, buying a large capacitor fixes that problem. I was wondering if the capacitor could be hooked up in line with the winch or would it take too long for the cap to charge to do any good?

karljay · #3 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 02:21 PM

I'm no expert on this but a cap just builds up power and releases it. This is great for speakers that need to hit a level of power quickly in order to give a crisp response.

The winch needs amps for a much longer time so I don't think the cap would help. It's really about having a battery that can take the drain and go back and start the truck. Also, a large drain can shorten the overall life of the battery, so some use a seperate battery or run two batteries when winching. Actually I think a deep cycle battery would be better for winching, but these don't usually give the best starting power.

Bdox · #4 (**permalink**) 01-17-2006, 06:59 PM

As far as the cap goes, it may be a help. The initial amperage surge when you operate the winch is huge but drops down after the motor get turning. Can't do any harm.

Franklin2 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-18-2006, 05:05 PM

I would not panic if the lights dim when you used a winch, snowplow, etc. This is normal, will not hurt anything, and you can spend a lot of money trying to get rid of it. If the winch or snowplow is bogging and not working correctly, then that's another story.

It really does not hurt for it to do it with a stereo system either, but the reason to try to get rid of it with a stereo system is to help in the sound quality of the stereo itself. It does no harm to the auto's electrical system.