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Deep cycle battery for winch

28K views 49 replies 13 participants last post by  Pine_Cat 
#1 ·
My five year old battery recently went kaputz, so I'm looking for a replacement. I have a winch on the jeep, so I figure I need a deep cycle battery to handle the increased current draw. I understand that an AGM battery is good on jeeps too for its better resistance to shock and vibration. I had planned on getting an Optima series D34 yellowtop until I learned about all the QC problems in the last five years. This is disappointing since my last redtop on my truck lasted 10 years. So I'm looking for recommendations on a good deep cycle AGM battery. I've seen some mention of the Diehard Platinum, and another mention the Odyssey?
What have you guys had good experience with?
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#4 ·
#7 ·
A pure deep cycle battery is not really what you want for your Jeep or a car. What you want is an SLI (starting-lights-ignition) or a combo SLI-deep cycle which has more raw cranking amps available. Those AGM batteries recommended above are SLI. Deep cycle batteries are meant more for applications where they commonly get drained very deeply while sitting unused for months like on boats & RVs that don't get used regularly.

This is the Odyssey I personally would go with, it has the side connectors that are useful for connecting a winch to. http://www.odysseybatteries.com/pc1500dt.htm
 
#8 ·
A pure deep cycle battery is not really what you want for your Jeep. What you want is an SLI (starting-lights-ignition) or a combo SLI-deep cycle which has more raw cranking amps available. Those AGM batteries recommended above are SLI. Deep cycle batteries are meant more for applications where they commonly get drained very deeply while sitting unused for months like on boats & RVs that don't get used regularly.

This is the Odyssey I personally would go with, it has the side connectors that are useful for connecting a winch to. http://www.odysseybatteries.com/pc1500dt.htm
What about running a winch? That can draw on the battery pretty deeply, can't it? A winch is one of the applications that Optima recommends a yellow top for...

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#10 ·
I have an Advance Auto Platinum AGM and a winch. The Advance battery is made by Enersys and is a quality battery.

I don't have any longevity numbers on it past 18 months but so far, it hasn't let me down but once and that was running a 12V fridge on it for a week without starting it. (Yes, I forgot to unplug the fridge)

Reasonably priced too.
 
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#13 ·
NorthStar in mine over 6 years and yes with a winch. Also Destination in my DD trail rig sold at Farm and Fleet in the Midwest. Both are AGM batteries.

Ron
 
#17 ·
Guy you're in analysis paralysis. Even Optima will tell you the Yellow Top is a combination SLI with some deep cycle traits as all the the above recommendations do. And of course yes, you run your engine while winching though you can winch just off the battery for short pulls in an emergency. Just relax about all the deep cycle stuff, it's not applicable here. Trust me. :)
 
#18 ·
You mistake my deliberation for indecisiveness. That's not what's going on here. I'm doing my due dilligence, and researching my options. Not in any kind of hurry to run out and buy the wrong battery. Once I'm satisfied that I understand it sufficiently and have considered all the angles, I'll act very quickly.

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#19 ·
I use the winch a lot. Every run there is good chance of its use. more is the issue of winch safety in use.
i still just use a regular wet cell, its the best of those but not a AMG. been on this bat now since late 2013 when the stock one died just before a con run we heading too. But what tends to kill these bat is me leaving the key in the ignition at times. Seems to cause a huge draw. been more than few times. not a dd so asfter a run its in the garage and must be old age, im getting better at remembering to pull the keys and toss them on the dash.
 
#20 ·
Picked up the Odyssey PC1500DT today at a local 4 Wheel Parts store. Haven't got it installed yet. Going to change my winch connection to have it use the side terminals on the battery. Gotta figure out the best way to do that with the existing circuit breaker...

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#21 ·
Not a good idea to use the side terms for the winch as they are not as heavy duty as the top terms. Ive never had a problem adding a lug to the winch feed cables and using the bolt that holds the terminal tight to secure it.

Ron
 
#24 ·
So I looked in the owners manual for my winch, and it says the max current draw at max load (12,000 lbs) is 300 amps. The winch came with three 50 amp circuit breakers in parallel meant to be applied at the positive lead to the battery. That's only allowing 150 amps to be drawn from the battery. Are they counting on ~150 amps from the alternator? I think the TJ alternator only puts out 117 amps max, so it seems I would probably trip the breakers before ever being able to develop full load on the winch, and I would think those side terminals ought to be able to handle 150 amps, right?

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#26 ·
Three 50 amp circuit breakers in parallel in the winch you are installing? Exactly what poorly designed winch brand is that? Not to mention claiming only a 300 amp draw at 12000 lbs is a bit of a stretch. What is it, a winch from Harbor Freight or Badlands? That PC1500-DT can easily accommodate well over 500 amps from its side posts.

Personally I would eliminate the three circuit breakers, they're undersized for a Jeep size winch and they're just going to create problems. The best winches in the world from Warn don't include breakers, they're just inappropriate for automotive winching.

Here's one thread on those circuit breakers in a Badlands winch like yours sounds like... https://www.nc4x4.com/forum/threads/winch-circuit-breakers-tripping.106927/
 
#27 ·
Three 50 amp circuit breakers in parallel in the winch you are installing? Exactly what poorly designed winch brand is that? Not to mention claiming only a 300 amp draw at 12000 lbs is a bit of a stretch. What is it, a winch from Harbor Freight? That PC1500-DT can easily accommodate well over 500 amps from its side posts.
No I'm not installing it, it was already on the jeep when I bought it. Yes, it is a Badlands winch from harbor freight (cringe). Wasn't exactly thrilled with that fact; not what I would have chosen if I were putting down money on one, but it was "free" with the jeep when I bought it (didn't pay any extra for it). Despite my expectations, fourwheeler.com gave a surprisingly positive review of the winch a few years ago:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/1112or-badlands-12000-pound-winch-best-deal-in-winching/
I take their review with a grain of salt, but who knows, maybe not that bad afterall? Time will tell I suppose.
I imagine you're going to tell me it is a piece of junk and I should unbolt it and throw it in the trash?
Well, here's the way I look at it. It didn't cost me anything, so if it proves unreliable, I just won't depend on it to get me out of trouble. I'll wheel my jeep as though I don't have a winch, and if I do get myself in a tight spot where I need it, and if by some miracle it proves useful, then it's a bonus. In the mean time I'll save my money for a higher quality winch.

Anyway, on your comments about the Odyssey battery side terminal amperage rating: thank you. I figured it was probably more than adequate, I just couldn't find those specs when I went looking for them. Do you remember where you found those numbers?

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#28 ·
Verbal from an Odyssey rep at a big 4x4 show. My DieHard Platinum was made by Odyssey and its side posts have no problem with my Warn that will draw over 400 amps at full load.

Those three circuit breakers can easily be eliminated by substituting in a 2 gauge cable or one equal to the size of its main power cables. Doing so would up its reliability substantially. Jeep size winches don't normally have built-in circuit breakers for simplicity and reliability reasons.
 
#29 ·
I bought a Duralast platinum battery from Auto Zone about a year ago. I use my winch often and works great. This battery is made by Johnson Control which is who bought out Optima. Optima is not what it used to be and Johnson Control is to blame.

They had the best warranty I could find and a decent price. I wanted it as local as possible and a good warranty. I know there are people here who despise Auto Zone because they sell Chinese crap but at this point unless you really research and pay top dollar most of what you will get is Chinese crap so get it with a good warranty from a place with good customer service.
 
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#34 ·
There's really no need for a fuse or circuit breaker in that kind of circuit. There's no fuse or circuit breaker in any of the major winch brands like Warn. Neither is there a fuse or circuit breaker in your engine's starter motor circuit which uses the same type of 12v motor a winch uses.
 
#35 ·
not that i would use this for a jeep winch. but I found this in a tenth of second Google> ANL FUSE .

winch is a tool so i would more concerned in its use safely . Especially if its pulling cable. its right after the High lift jack in use issues.

had a winch like that and this year replaced it with a Warren 10s. yea it hurt, But i have to say the line speed is so nice. smooth. even the gear box lever is more like clock work. My old winch as cheap as it was it did go 5 years a lot of use until i got stupid and shock loaded it. blew the gear box. But it was so slow, made watching paint dry entertaining.
 
#37 ·
Again, maybe getting a bit too far down the rabbit hole?
First, does the winch even work? Have you run it? If it is inop, then the circuit breakers are a non issue.....
And again, if you are only planning on using it once a year for thirty seconds or less, you might want to choose your upgrades based your wheeling and usage.

A little off topic.
222Doc makes a point:
winch is a tool so i would more concerned in its use safely . Especially if its pulling cable. its right after the High lift jack in use issues.
Get the manual.
Run the winch. Use it in the yard. Get a handle on the operation.
LEARN ABOUT IT'S DANGERS. Cable winches can be a bit dangerous.
Frayed cables can cause cuts.
Fingers in the hawser.
Stretched cables. I watched a guy trying to pull his sunken drift boat out of the river with a winch. Ran the cable up tight, then began leaning on it. The winch almost stopped, then the hook point let go and the cable sent the hook straight back and through the windshield.
 
#38 ·
Again, maybe getting a bit too far down the rabbit hole?
First, does the winch even work? Have you run it? If it is inop, then the circuit breakers are a non issue.....
And again, if you are only planning on using it once a year for thirty seconds or less, you might want to choose your upgrades based your wheeling and usage.

A little off topic.
222Doc makes a point:

Get the manual.
Run the winch. Use it in the yard. Get a handle on the operation.
LEARN ABOUT IT'S DANGERS. Cable winches can be a bit dangerous.
Frayed cables can cause cuts.
Fingers in the hawser.
Stretched cables. I watched a guy trying to pull his sunken drift boat out of the river with a winch. Ran the cable up tight, then began leaning on it. The winch almost stopped, then the hook point let go and the cable sent the hook straight back and through the windshield.
Yes I've run it, it works. It's nearly new with only a few signs of prior use by the previous owner. Had a cover kept over it so it's been out of the weather. The cable is in great shape. I've downloaded the manual.
Thanks for the cautionary tale. I'm aware of the potential hazards, but I always appreciate a reminder.

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#39 ·
Modern winches from a few brands take much less current to do the same work. They have spend allot of time in R/D. The Milemarker SEC8 is a good example along with the S**tybuilt H20 series and XRC. They take less than 1/2 the current to do the same speed pull at the same load compared to the M8000. The Superwinch LP series are the absolute worst and all of the Ramsey/Warn winches aren't too efficient either - and I do know that winching isn't all about efficiency. Just so nobody misses that - I do know that there are things more important than the load on your battery. But when somebody says 300A it doesn't mean that it is a dog slow winch, just one that was designed with tech from the last 20 years.
 
#40 ·
But when somebody says 300A it doesn't mean that it is a dog slow winch, just one that was designed with tech from the last 20 years.
My comment above was not that it was slow because it drew low amps. It was that maybe it drew low amps because it is slow (which it 100% is). Don't swap cause and effect.

I'm surprised by the comments about Superwinch. I don't have an LP series, but I have a Superwinch that has been good for me for almost 10 years and was actually one that drew lower power than most of its peers at the time it was purchased.
 
#47 ·
FWIW, these are the specs for the Badlands 12000lb winch. I'm not all that impressed with the 5% duty cycle, however that is at full rated load of 12000 lbs.
When I did my research I did not find the HF data too reliable. The same winch was given different specs different years and when the data was graphed it didn't make sense. Either something was lost in translation from chinese or the marketing dept was just playing with the numbers so they could sell the product. All other MFGs seemed pretty good: SB; Engo; Warn; Superwinch; MM. I ignored specs from QT, not enough data and HF, it just seemed like bad data.
 
#46 ·
I'm getting worried because my Optima that failed after 2.5 years accepted a lot of charging when I bought it off the shelf, whereas the Odyssey that I ordered in the past arrived fully charged.

The latter Odyssey was holding up well, but a dealership fried it with high voltage because it sat for a week (no need for a jump after one week, but they put it on the charger anyway). The dealership service "adviser" started up my car himself, several times, nice and strong, no parasitic power drain. Then they called me back saying my battery is totally dead and would need to be jumped every time, but they can sell me a conventional non-AGM battery for $200. Time to find a new dealership.

I've been told that, even though AGM is more resilient, it's still best to top them off when it's convenient to do so. Even though an Odyssey battery can be deep-cycled more than 300 times, they say that leaving it in a drained state will shorten its service life.
 
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#49 ·
maybe in China the horses do less work?

about 5 years ago or so my trusty air compressor died. Ended up getting one those china made that claimed a lot. burned up first day. motor was made of plastics and looked like junk under the cover from a vacuum cleaner. took it back refunded bought a much more expensive Ingersoll Rand. should last my life time.

i have that same bench grinder here, maker. its not so great anymore as well. years of age.
 
#50 ·
Dang, it's not looking too good for the 12-month-old AGM from Pep Boys, 48 hours into the pre-installation charge.

I hooked up the battery to a Schumacher 5212 on the 2-amp setting as a way of gauging battery health prior to installation. This Pep Boys AGM battery took a continuous charge for 9 hours, and has been cycling ever since then. 48 hours later, it's still cycling more frequently than every 2 minutes, and taking a lot of power on each cycle according to the amp meter.
 
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