hey i will be getting a winch soon and i either want to get a yellow top battery but i dont want to pay the money, but i have an extra good battery and was looking to remove the stock air box and just weld a bracket up for it. my question is can i ground the second battery to frame and just have the two batteries + connected? i want to try and have them both running the system the hole time or if not just have a switch i hit when i need to winch. what do you think the best way is? thanks

put in a isolater for the second battery so you can have all of your accessories run on that battery and only that battery and so it doesnt drain your main battery

just put an isolater in the middle of the two +?

I'm not 100% sure but I think it's supposed to be by the second battery so it doesn't drain the first one....do a little research on it

You don't want to run 2 batteries all the time because the batteries will drain eachother and will not last long. If you insist on doing it that way you would want to use 2 brand new identical batteries so they will have the same charge. You could buy a dual battery kit, but if you are on a budget the cheapest way to go would be to get a marine dual battery switch and run some welding cable between the switch and the batteries. You need a heavy duty switch like this one or the current will fry it. Then use just one of the batteries with regular driving, and switch back and forth every so often to keep them both charged up and only use them both at the same time when you really need the extra juice. If you go that route just make sure you dont turn both batteries off while the engine is running or that would be bad for the alternator.

Switching back and forth between the two batteries on a regular basis seems kind of pointless to what he wants in my opinion. If you want to do it right you do want to get two similar batteries that are new so one battery doesn't over work while the other isn't. They make kits or have lists of material you need to make it so the alternator charges both batteries. In the process of the two batteries you can also do the alternator upgrade. I think it's a dodge Durango alternator so you have better output for both batteries. Google will have tons of info and wiring diagrams on how to do it properly

Agreed. Don't bother with isolating them. You want both available when winching and both always charged. That's how they do it with OEM diesels all the time.

Why not go with a bigger alternator and keep the jeep running when using the winch

Because a winch under load draws amps at a higher rate than the alternator can re-charge the batteries.

I tried that once and was disappointed. Next time went with 2 batteries and the winch had a ton more power and kept that power for a longer pull.

exactly i upgraded to the 120 amp alternator...got more than enough power now....

Just understand for somethign so critical dont half *** it ! get good quality parts and make sure its all done right so you have no problems when you go to winch :P

I could easily go out and buy a winch for 300 bucks but i know my dual battery set up with a high output alt will run me a couple hundred for the alt, two red top optima batteriest and the wiring set up. that 300 winch turned into nearly a grand because with air lockers, CB, and fog/ rock lights i want it all powered with no problems.

What would be the best optima battery to get? What about an optima battery vs two battires? Thanks

Unless you are worried about leaving some accessory running and killing the battery and having a second batter to fall back on, I would look at one GOOD battery with a high amp alternator vs. (2) batteries, with that said I have read a lot of old die hard Optima owners lately who have not been happy with the recent changes/quality at Optima, I think I read they either sold or moved their manufacturing a couple of years back and that is when things started to change. Lately many have been moving to the Sears Marine Battery or one of the few different brand names of the same battery out there. It has been a while since I researched it for myself, but this is what I remember figuring out - always best to research multiple places yourself before spending the $$$$$$$

Bryan

Interstate batteries ftw!

i already did the two batteries setup and let me tell you, unless you are going to use electrical equipment for long time with the car off there is no other use , the output you need to power up stuff will be given by the alternator , unless you get a high output alternator you will be wasting money , using two batteries wont give you more power it will just last longer , and as for the setup you do need to buy two new batteries of the same brand and type , because as the other guys said , the bigger is going to drain the smaller , and when the smaller is drained is going to drain the bigger until there is no more charge and in the morning youll have nothing to turn on with , i just used two battery wires and drill a whole right under the ac blower and located the battery on the opposite side of the spare tire...