PocketsEmpty

Hello all,

Pretty soon when my tax refund rolls in here I'm ordering a Nates4x4 winch bumper and one of his Engo winches that he also sells on his site. I tried searching around but didn't come up with much--but curious of there is anything special I need to do before installing this thing.

I've read a little bit about people running dual batteries, perhaps a marine battery to hook the winch up to and other accessories down the road perhaps? Or would a stronger main battery suffice?

Appreciate your thoughts/guidance, thanks!

Jeepineasy

A good main battery would be a good upgrade, depending on the other acc you have you might look into a higher amp alternator. Dual batteries is only really needed if you are doing lots of engine of witching

99LAxj

run a yellow top optima and make sure your alternator is working good. thats how i run my 9k.

PocketsEmpty

I really don't have any accessories other than stock right now. But I do plan on some offroad lights down the road and upgraded headlights. I can't see I'd need to do any winching with the engine shut off so maybe a bigger/better battery would be all I need, but definitely going to look into a higher amperage alternator. I'm not sure what my stocker has currently.

Is it possible to run just a marine battery as a main battery? I wouldn't see why not. I remember having one of those when I had my boat for my trolling motor and that thing would go all day. Any specific advantages to say, the Optima YellowTop vs. BlueTop?

Thanks for your input!

Nathan9Mile

A deep cycle or marine battery could be used as a winching battery but they are not made to be used as a automotive battery aka bring charged by a alt all the time there made to be discharged 50% then slowly recharged will they work in a jeep sure but you will ruin it over time waste of money. Just my 2 cents

PocketsEmpty

I did some reading on the YellowTop and that looks like the best way to go. Best of both worlds. Thanks everyone

Xj88

Yup.
When I start my electrical upgrades a yellow top will be first on the list.

Rock Toy

The yellow top is a good upgrade if you have a lot of accessories that draw lots of amps. I run a red top and it works great for my situation.

If you are smart enough to turn your off road lights and other accessories off before you start winching, and keep the throttle at a little higher idle you'll be find with any good quality battery in the 700 amp range.

Northwoods Snowman

Diehard Platinum. Beats the socks off the Optima batteries, in pretty much everything. More CCA, better warranty, more reserve etc. It's a re-badged Odyssy battery.

PocketsEmpty

Thanks, ill check it out. Damn these batteries are expensive. Oh well, gotta pay to play, right?

I could see lights coming in handy in a recovery situation. I'd like to know that I have enough juice to run the winch and a pair of 100w offroad lights too. Would the diehard be capable?

Aaron N.S.

Where I live we have a Interstate battery dealer, drive around in the big green trucks, and if you walk into the shop they sell batterys right off the shelf, anyway, they sell what they call ECONO batteries, including their equivalent to the yellow tops, but for 40-70 dollars, they are debadged and have minor flaws. IE scratches, slightly misshapen posts. nothing that would prevent them from working but aren't pretty enough to put on the shelf. Hell of a deal, might be worth looking around for it

mr white

I run interstate batteries. My last one lasted 15 years before it started to fade.

PocketsEmpty

15 years! Wow. I had an Interstate marine battery when I had my boat and that thing never faltered in the two years I had it and would last all day w/ a trolling motor. Thanks for the input, ya'll

Northwoods Snowman

The deep cycle AGM (Advanced Glass Matting) batteries are going to be more expensive, but you get a battery that can be deep cycles, and has WAY more resistance to vibration and they won't spill if they are damaged. I haven't seen it myself, but I've been told about a video out there where someone shoots a 30-06 through the diehard and blows the center out, and it still works! Do a little research on AGM batteries and you'll see why they're superior for applications such as Jeeps.

The research I've done puts Odyssy batteries at the top even above the Optimas, but they're price is also up there. Odly enough the diehard is a re-badged one but is much cheaper. If you do some research on the Optimas you'll find that their quality has gone in the tank since Johnson Controls bought them out. The new batteries are not up to the quality standards the old ones were at.

the John man

hello everyone, i will be running a 10k winch soon in my 89 cherokee and would like to know how big of an alternator would fit woithout modifications and should i run heavier gauge? . thanks