im going to be mounting a 12k winch soon on my 94 F350 and was wondering if any one has installed a HO alternator and if so any info on it would be great (brand, website, ect)

 

Good batteries are more important than a H.O. alternator. If the batteries don't have the reserve to take the draw you'll cook any alternator.

 

Yup, what he said - a big winch like that will pull lotsa amp when working hard (IIRC the 12k Warn is rated at over 400), you'd be hard-pressed to find an alt that can pump out that much current for any significant amount of time without taking damage. Make sure you got two good batteries, add a third one even, run nice heavy-gauge cables to the winch, and you should be good to go.

 

I converted my 1987 F250 to a 1997 Taurus 130 amp alternator. $35.00. All I had to do is clock the case one mark.

 

Me too but the O.P. stated 1994 f450. Different mounting so the taurus alt does not apply. 1994 used this which already is 130 amp.

 

Again, what he said. He's actually pretty good at saving me the typing, lol

On a slightly different note, it may be possible to replace the factory 130-amp Ford alternator with a 215-amp Mitsubishi unit from a PSD (say a '97 F350 model) with an ambulance package, the mounting certainly looks identical between them but the PSDs use 8-rib belts instead of 6-rib like IDIs do so a pulley swap between the old 3G alt and the new Mitsu will likely be needed... Just something to look into I guess, I know I certainly would investigate that option if I had a serpentine-belt IDI.

 

i have 2 optima redtops already, ive always had good luck with the redtops. Id have to find room to mount a 3rd if i went that route.

 

is this just for vehicle recovery use? or do you plan on "working" with the winch?
if working the winch,have you considered hydraulic?

 

more so for vehicle recovery self or others and the occasional tree stump or what ever but definitely nothing on a daily basis

 

id run a 3rd bat too if your off road playing with a 4wd a lot etc.
if you have a 2wd and just want help from time to time in an emergency.then id just make sure both bats are good.

as stated you already have a good alt.
the 3g 130a.
i read an article,where a guy hooked one up and provided proof that she output 100A @ idle.
nothing a winch can compete with like stated.no alt can.
this is why having monster bats and a 3rd,would be a good idea.
they'll recharge for ya just fine with your current alt.

ahh looky here.it was easy to google and find it again;
http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/show...ck+orange+wire

 

getting deep cycle batteries would give you the ability to really run the batteries down without hurting them and they have the capacity to allow for extended use. Regular batteries are not really made to be run down repeatedly. As for different alternators. There is and old guy down the road from me that will rebuild any starter or alternator you have and if your in a hurry he knows so much he can usually just give you one off the shelf that will bolt up but may not have been meant for your truck. For example I now have a $45 Chevy alt on my Caterpiller engine in my Peterbilt dump and I'm not even sure what I put on my Komatsu loader but they work. Cat wanted over $200. You need to find someone like him in your area.

 

Well if he is going to run the winch with the engine idling, then a smaller alternator pulley may be of use, as it would speed up the alternator some and likely end up making more power at idle than it does now.

On the third battery install, I remember seeing in an offroad magazine they put two batteries in a gasser truck, they bought some special battery tray that fits in place of the passenger-side factory tray and allows two group-65 batteries to be installed side by side - basically rotate the battery you have there 90 deg and plop another one right next to it.

 

Your diesel only needs 2 batteries because of the amperage the starter pulls, so as long as you dont shut the truck off then run the winch and try to restart I think your 2 redtops will be fine.

 

Here's a link to a post of mine, I did this mod already. It's got all the information, and links you'll need to do it, and build a new harness if you don't find an existing one.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ml#post9503911

 

Did your '92 had V-belts? Cause the serpentine-belt trucks should already have the 130-amp alt from the factory...