two alternators
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Miami
Originally Posted by masseysbronco
the capacitor will help. a winch pulls an enormous amount of amperage, obviously more than your altenator can put out at once. when the winch is running the cap will help keep the voltage at 13-14V, which will lower the amount of current necessary. ...
Massey, Double check your research. The current stored in a capacitor like the ones you find at a car audio shop would be depleted by a winch in less than a second.
A capacitor big enough to maintain the winch working for more than a couple of seconds would be so big it would need to be towed behind the truck on a trailer.
Like I said, a capacitor is good to smooth out the Surges from a device like an audio amp, or a flashing light, but for a steady high amp draw like a winch, It would do nothing.
And even in car audio applications, the Capacitor mainly compansates for the resistance of the wire run from the batt/alternator to the amp. I've yet to see an amp that draws more than 70 amps (the output of a typical alternator)
I'd hate to see this guy go out and spend money on something that he doesn't need.
If you have documentation proving otherwise, please let me know so I can go back to the University and throw my Electrionics Engineering degree at the proffessor, LOL
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by masseysbronco
If you install dual batteries in series, (+ of one battery to the + of the other battery and the same for the negatives) both batteries will act as one giant battery sharing the load, and both getting charged at the same time. Thats how i have mine setup, and i haven't had any problems, (i don't even have an aftermarket altenator yet).
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Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2005
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hey thanks everybody, i found a kit that optima has, it has the brackets the cables, battery, basicly everything needed. it basicly takes and makes one big battery, hopefully this fixes everything. thanks
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Bend,OR
what is it? i dont recall you saying what it was. you should have at least a 130+amp and what kind is it. a 130 or 200amp 3g alt would handle all you have to dish out for sure. check out www.fordfuelinjection.com for premade harness's and large fuse blocks to make this an easy install as possible
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Jeff:
I agree with kem on this about going with a larger 200+ amp alternator, but If you go the dual battery setup just be sure that if connecting your batteries together in parallel (or even in series for that matter) that both batteries are of the same age and group size. Now if you are planning to isolate them from each other then that shouldn't matter unless you will have a switch of some kind to connect them when one or the other is drained. This little project can be quite costly and should be good for the rated life of the batteries only (when done properly) and then you have two more batteries to replace... Good luck and may the force be with you!
btw: nice looking bronco, I like what you did to it overall, good job.
I agree with kem on this about going with a larger 200+ amp alternator, but If you go the dual battery setup just be sure that if connecting your batteries together in parallel (or even in series for that matter) that both batteries are of the same age and group size. Now if you are planning to isolate them from each other then that shouldn't matter unless you will have a switch of some kind to connect them when one or the other is drained. This little project can be quite costly and should be good for the rated life of the batteries only (when done properly) and then you have two more batteries to replace... Good luck and may the force be with you!
btw: nice looking bronco, I like what you did to it overall, good job.
Last edited by redrumybronco; Jun 25, 2005 at 08:15 PM.
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This is probably a well known fact, but just to make sure nobody fries thier truck, DO NOT hook up automotive batteries in series. You'll get 24 volts - enough to fry just about everthing in a vehicle. Big diesel trucks will use 24v for starting, but not any light car or truck that I know of (Superduties are a light truck too).
Sorry about posting the obvious.
Sorry about posting the obvious.
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