ChocNessie
Free Member
Does anyone know much about electric winches?
I saw several motorhomes in France last summer with winches fitted to bull bars or front bumpers presumably for when you get stuck in muddy fields or the snowy alps. ;-)
Then low and behold I saw one in operation - superb. The guy let out the steel wire, wrapped it round a tree, hooked the hook back on the wire and winched as he drove. Pulled his MH off the pitch as easy as pie.
So I looked into it only to find that they draw somethinglike 350 to 500 amps under full load and even with no load it takes 50 to 80 amps.
How can that work..,.,. I know it is only for a short time but..,...
At that rate it must use the vehicle battery and not the leisure ones as the cable run would need a huge swg to carry that much current - so shorter the better.
My vehicle battery is a 100 amp/h and will crank at 830 amps, the alternator is an updated one so charges at 150 amps but only 80 of that goes to the vehicle battery.
So would It harm the system to draw 500 amps over 5 mins and should the engine be on or off.
With the engine on it would obviously assist the vehicle movement and reduce the strain (and current draw) on the winch, but the alternator would be trying to fill that 500 amp draw? Would it not?
Any way any advice about the physics and mechanics would be appreciated,
And before everyone starts - yes I know the best advice is to stay off the mud and snow as a motorhome is not a 4x4. However we do like to get out in the wild and fancy going over the alps may be not in the depths of winter snow but while there is still a bit about.....
Many thanks
Richard
I saw several motorhomes in France last summer with winches fitted to bull bars or front bumpers presumably for when you get stuck in muddy fields or the snowy alps. ;-)
Then low and behold I saw one in operation - superb. The guy let out the steel wire, wrapped it round a tree, hooked the hook back on the wire and winched as he drove. Pulled his MH off the pitch as easy as pie.
So I looked into it only to find that they draw somethinglike 350 to 500 amps under full load and even with no load it takes 50 to 80 amps.
How can that work..,.,. I know it is only for a short time but..,...
At that rate it must use the vehicle battery and not the leisure ones as the cable run would need a huge swg to carry that much current - so shorter the better.
My vehicle battery is a 100 amp/h and will crank at 830 amps, the alternator is an updated one so charges at 150 amps but only 80 of that goes to the vehicle battery.
So would It harm the system to draw 500 amps over 5 mins and should the engine be on or off.
With the engine on it would obviously assist the vehicle movement and reduce the strain (and current draw) on the winch, but the alternator would be trying to fill that 500 amp draw? Would it not?
Any way any advice about the physics and mechanics would be appreciated,
And before everyone starts - yes I know the best advice is to stay off the mud and snow as a motorhome is not a 4x4. However we do like to get out in the wild and fancy going over the alps may be not in the depths of winter snow but while there is still a bit about.....
Many thanks
Richard
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