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Front Winch.

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:54 am
by Vampyr
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I wanted to put an ATV winch on the front of the Haffy, and went through a range of idea's and in the end came up with welding a support frame to the front bars of the bumper bar. My reasoning was that this was where it is held to the frame by two bolds either end. Moved the support frame forward 2.5 inches and weld a plate to the support frame and the bumper bar. This allowed the vents to open and the snorkel to work. Have yet to wire the winch up. 3,000lbs with wired and wireless remote, delivered for 86 dollars Aussie. happy days. Danny

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:06 am
by AustHaflinger
All you need now are heavy duty front springs to carry all the weight :)

Looks great :D

Garry

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 1:30 pm
by Yakov
Cool!
How much electrical power does a winch like that typically draw?
Would you have to have a second battery to be sure that you won't run out of juice on a trail after using it?

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:16 pm
by Vampyr
I don't know how much power it would drain Yakov, would rarely use it without the engine running, but will find out anyway. Have been toying with the idea of a second battery, still need to think that out a bit more. Not worried about the weight Gary, last time I was out had 4 large lads in her and she still pulled great, love the gearing for the hills. danny

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 11:02 pm
by heinkeljb
The manufacturer should provide a document which tells you what the maximum current draw "should" be. Real world draw would require a meter on the system to tell you.

I would seriously consider a second battery if you ever wnat to actually use the winch as it will pull the voltage down on your main battery very quickly and the Haflinger's electrical system has a very limited power output. The Dynastart is rated at 240 watts at 14 volts at best, about 17 Amps when it is cold. When it is hot this output drops to around 13 to 14 Amps (156 to 168 watts) at 12 volts. The ignition system when running takes about 8 Amps so that leaves about 6 amps to provide charging, any other electrical system you have on. So not a lot to help supply a winch drawing upwards of 100 Amps!

I would suggest a second battery with maybe a split charger to help with trickle charging when engine is running but no other current draw is happening.

If you plan to try and "make" the Dynastart give you more power by asking it to support the winch whilst in operation you run the risk of overheating and burning out the field coils.

John

p.s. You need to check how well those bumper bolts are fix to the body work, As far as I know the original metal in that part of the platform is just thin sheet steel bent over in an open box shape, so not really structurally very strong. You might want to see if you can get a nice thick piece of bar behind there to spread the load a bit.

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:26 am
by mechanical horse
Hey Vampyr,
I am going to do the same with a winch onto the front of mine when I get to that stage of the rebuild. I have been looking at winches and can't believe the choice that is out there, small, compact with huge pulling power. and at good prices. Some reinforcing in the mounting area and a second battery in the battery box with a separate circuit wired in and the world is my mussel or is that oyster. Looks like you have done a good job. Well done that man.
Regards Rick.

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:21 am
by AustHaflinger
I have a similar winch and it has a maximum rating of 175 amps at full load - so realistically about 100amps pulling a Haffie.

Most 4wds don't have a second battery to use a winch (in fact they all use the starter battery) and as a general statement it should not be all that different with a Haffie IF it has a normal car size starter battery which mine does - however as highlighted battery management is important as it is in any car (a 9000lb winch will pull 400amps). With only only about a max of 20 amps available from the dynastarter it will take a bit to charge the battery back up but given a full battery and a short winching time the starter battery should be OK.

The other advantage with the Haffie is that it takes almost no power to start the engine and I have found that a battery that does not have enough power to start my normal car can still easily start my Haffie.

Garry

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:32 am
by Vampyr
All good valid points guys, On my Hilux SR5 , I run a smittybuilt, amphibious 10,000 lb electric winch off the main battery No problems. I have a twin battery system controlled by a ARB RedArc control, the 2nd battery runs my inverter which charges my power tool batteries and gives me 240 volt and also runs my fridge. I always use deep cycle 4wd batteries. The winch I fitted only pulls 3,000lbs/1360kgs and at maximum pull draws 90 amps at 153:1 ratio, 2,000lbs/907kgs @ 61 amps and 1,000lbs/454kgs @ 29 amps. I don't see myself at maximum often if at all. I am looking at making a second battery box and running another deep cycle battery with an isolator switch. This would give ample power for the winch and a few other accessories I'd like to fit. Am looking forward to GaryCol fitting his as he has some different options than I did. regards Danny

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 5:28 am
by kerry460
G,,day , a comment .
winches work much better from a cranking / starting battery .
they are designed for fast / high discharge . and fast charging .

deep cycle batteries are designed for long slow discharge and take a lot longer to charge .

this for "normal" lead acid type batteries .

kerry

Re: Front Winch.

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:15 am
by Vampyr
Hi Kerry, don't disagree with your comment, I use Century Deep Cycle batteries, have never failed me. Century's webpage lists them for a range of options including Marine, Industrial and 4wd. They provide a chart on Ah usage including for winches. I would be lucky to use a winch twice a year, when I do it is most likely as a result of an unseen hole. The winch in all cases would be needed to pull the vehicle perhaps 10 feet out of the bog. There are a lot of good points on this thread, but I don't forsee many problems unless I'm trapped in a paddock of wombat burrows. Danny