I'm looking to upgrade the alternator and wiring in my 05 5.4L, something to support the use of an ATV winch I have mounted on a trailer that is connected through a dedicated circuit.

What alternator are you all upgrading to and where are you getting them. There are several on ebay with very reasonable prices, but most of them don't have any product reviews.

 

You shouldn't need to upgrade for an ATV winch or even a full size winch in most cases.

Your battery has plenty of reserve like a savings account. Your alternator is like weekly paychecks and replenishes your savings if you draw it down. It would be difficult to draw it dangerously low with a smaller winch, or even a larger winch only pulling the weight of an ATV

The important thing is proper gauge wiring all the way to the battery.

For something like a car hauler this is why they mount a battery on the tongue of the trailer, then the same principle applies: the battery delivers the big amps to the winch and you just have a charge wire from the alternator to the battery to charge it back up in time.

Failing that you need to run larger (often very large) wires to the battery in the engine compartment to power a winch on a trailer. I'd first look at max amp draw of your selected winch, then make a decision from there. You can easily do the math for cable size, allowing for voltage drop for the distance of your run

Basically, before I even thought about spending $ on an alternator I'd first use those funds to get it wired properly. Always step up a gauge if you're on the cusp-- electric motors despise low voltage and run hot if deprived

 

I've already wired it, with larger cable than what came with the winch, circuit breaker for protection and a battery disconnect connector mounted at the rear. I should've also mentioned that I'm also going to be installing other parts that will add more load to the electrical system. I'm really looking to see where to get a good one, I don't mind paying extra for one that will last and supports whatever load that it has advertised.

 

I’ve had 10k winch, PIAA lights and aftermarket stereo/amp on my ‘05 since new and never had an issue with just the factory alternator. I don’t see a need to upgrade. I also would be hesitant to buy an alternator off eBay even if it had reviews, and with no reviews it would be a hard no. There’s likely a reason it’s cheap…

 

You are asking for trouble ,non oem alternators do not go well in these trucks . They keep throwing failure codes, its a well known problem with replacement alternators. You might be better off with a bigger battery with more amp hours .

 

I'll hang on to the one I have now as long as it supports the load, and especially if failure codes will be an issue. Thank you all for the info.

 

I missed where you were buying ebay, I thought you said, willing to pay extra, DB electric, 130 amp, a bunch of the OBS members suggest these.

 

Go to the boneyard and look for Crown Vic cop cars. Those have these sweet high-output alternators with an overdrive pulley. I've done research on it years ago and I forgot most of it, but I can look into my notes for you.
When I installed Volvo EPAS in my '04 f150, moving the steering wheel would dim the headlights, so I got a higher-output alternator from a mercury gran marquis. It's also a generation newer than the one that came in the truck, but it bolts right in and the plugs fit. But again, it was a long time ago and I forgot most the details. I can look into it and tell you what alternator and what kind of output I am talking about.

 

In the old days, we would install a second battery and wire all the accessories into the 2nd battery. Use a battery isolator.