Alternator & Winching

Speartip

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So I will be getting a wench soon . Correction
Winch . Lol
The stock alternator is 160 amps . Do you guys with winches find stock alternator works out ok when winching .
I can get a 250 AMP Tuff Stuff Mudder for about $560 CDN.
Researching Tuff Stuff Seems to be a quality American made product . Tons of positive reviews on Summit site . Don’t know the accuracy of Summit reviews TBH .
Not a lot of info on Forums or uTube .
Anyone here have experience with Tuff Stuff? Or is there one you can recommend . Aware of Mean Green’s & Mechman alternators . Tuff Stuff seems to be along the same lines as those .
The Warn VR EVO 10-S WINCH - 103253 has a MAX
draw of 358 amps. I understand depending on winching circumstances amp draw will vary a lot depending on load etc .
 
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I haven't had a problem winching with stock alternator. I also have only used it 2 times. I do pull the rope out, clean it and winch it back on maybe every 3-4 months. I have a Mean Green on my Dodge Dakota R/T. It helps power my 2 Optima yellow top batteries. I need all that to power my tvs, gaming system, and some big ol speakers. I have nothing bad to say about Mean Green!
 
Most people that have a winch will have 2 batteries. Also when you winch you can't use the winch for extended periods without stopping and letting it cool down. Another thing you can do is get something to put on your gas pedal to get your RPM's up when running the winch.
 
Winching with the stock alternator is fine. If you're going to be doing a LOT of winching, you can increase the alternator output by increasing your engine RPM. Open your copy of JScan and bump up the idle speed. It will return to the default when you close the app.
 
Most people that have a winch will have 2 batteries. Also when you winch you can't use the winch for extended periods without stopping and letting it cool down. Another thing you can do is get something to put on your gas pedal to get your RPM's up when running the winch.

Yes understand while winching can’t do it constantly as the winch does heat up etc
But for what I’m doing can’t foresee putting myself in a situation where I’ll have a 50-75 foot pull .
But sometimes shit happens and Just want to put together a reliable system for whatever I may encounter of if I’m helping someone .
 
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Winching with the stock alternator is fine. If you're going to be doing a LOT of winching, you can increase the alternator output by increasing your engine RPM. Open your copy of JScan and bump up the idle speed. It will return to the default when you close the app.

Sometimes your a ffnn genius .I was thinking about this earlier and @BLACKJKU mentioned as well . Ramping up idle while winching to achieve higher output of alternator.
Using JSCAN to temporarily bump up idle is an awesome idea !! Thanks :)
Where the problem lies have no idea how old alt is . It’s working fine right now . I’m a big believer in preventative maintainance and don’t want it to crap out while in the middle of nowhere .
The price of Tuff Stuff & Mean Green is less than OEM here . So will provably go with. a Mean Green as suggested by @JeepJeezy or Tuff Stuff.
I have an average battery right now so when ALT is replaced going go with high reserve Yellow Top or something similiar.
The Yellow Tops are made in Mexico now . I did read awhile ago quality control took a hit when production moved south.
I’m hoping things got sorted out ? Will research more when I do battery .
 
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I haven't had a problem winching with stock alternator. I also have only used it 2 times. I do pull the rope out, clean it and winch it back on maybe every 3-4 months. I have a Mean Green on my Dodge Dakota R/T. It helps power my 2 Optima yellow top batteries. I need all that to power my tvs, gaming system, and some big ol speakers. I have nothing bad to say about Mean Green!

Yeah I was thinking Yellow Top as well . So it’ll either be Mean Green or the Tuff Stuff.
 
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Observe the duty cycle of your winch. That's the best way to keep em alive.

Snatch blocks for two or three line pulls for mechanical advantage and to get enough rope off for first or second row pulls.

I have a yellow top. Wish I didn't. Capacity doesn't seem to be there. Get a decent AGM.

Don't side load your winch. Don't use the tie rods as pull points.

Fire extinguisher. Circuit protection.

Get the metal out of your recovery gear.

Take a class.

Enjoy your winch...it's fun getting stuck and self recovering. More fun pulling others out.

-Mac
 
Sometimes your a ffnn genius .I was thinking about this earlier and @BLACKJKU mentioned as well . Ramping up idle while winching to achieve higher output of alternator.
Using JSCAN to temporarily bump up idle is an awesome idea !! Thanks :)
Where the problem lies have no idea how old alt is . It’s working fine right now . I’m a big believer in preventative maintainance and don’t want it to crap out while in the middle of nowhere .
The price of Tuff Stuff & Mean Green is less than OEM here . So will provably go with. a Mean Green as suggested by @JeepJeezy or Tuff Stuff.
I have an average battery right now so when ALT is replaced going go with high reserve Yellow Top or something similiar.
The Yellow Tops are made in Mexico now . I did read awhile ago quality control took a hit when production moved south.
I’m hoping things got sorted out ? Will research more when I do battery .

I bought a Red Top for the Jeep a couple years ago and only lasted a month, also bought 2 for my Cummins truck and they are still going strong.
 
Sometimes your a ffnn genius .
Tell my grandkids that...
@BigAL07 disliked the post (he dislikes all my posts) so apparently he agrees with my grandkids.
I was thinking about this earlier and @BLACKJKU mentioned as well . Ramping up idle while winching to achieve higher output of alternator.
Using JSCAN to temporarily bump up idle is an awesome idea !! Thanks :)
Thank the JScan coders. :)

Back In The Day, we used to put a bicycle brake grip on the shifter and use that to step up the RPM. That was also helpful in the pre-hill ascent assist days, when getting from the brake to the accelerator with a manual transmission could be terrifying.

Putting something on the accelerator pedal is an option, but it can fall off or (worse...) fall ON, and then you better hope your rev limiter is set right.
Where the problem lies have no idea how old alt is . It’s working fine right now . I’m a big believer in preventative maintainance and don’t want it to crap out while in the middle of nowhere .
If it's not an aftermarket brand, I'd just assume it's the one the factory put in. There's also no law that says you can't replace it before it fails, and as always, a chance to replace is a chance to upgrade...
The price of Tuff Stuff & Mean Green is less than OEM here . So will provably go with. a Mean Green as suggested by @JeepJeezy or Tuff Stuff.
I have an average battery right now so when ALT is replaced going go with high reserve Yellow Top or something similiar.
The Yellow Tops are made in Mexico now . I did read awhile ago quality control took a hit when production moved south.
I’m hoping things got sorted out ? Will research more when I do battery .
The only one of those I've ever used in the Optima. I've used a lot of them and never had any quality control issues.
 
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Back In The Day, we used to put a bicycle brake grip on the shifter and use that to step up the RPM...

Yup. I sometimes miss the simple stuff.

... no law that says you can't replace it before it fails, and as always, a chance to replace is a chance to upgrade...
That also gives you a working spare. Maybe not at the same performance level, but usable until a new one can be had.
 
Observe the duty cycle of your winch. That's the best way to keep em alive.

Snatch blocks for two or three line pulls for mechanical advantage and to get enough rope off for first or second row pulls.

I have a yellow top. Wish I didn't. Capacity doesn't seem to be there. Get a decent AGM.

Don't side load your winch. Don't use the tie rods as pull points.

Fire extinguisher. Circuit protection.

Get the metal out of your recovery gear.

Take a class.

Enjoy your winch...it's fun getting stuck and self recovering. More fun pulling others out.

-Mac

All good advice . Been watching Matt’s Off Road Recovery on UTube . He’s a big believer in leaving metal out of recover gear as well .
Going with a synthetic line winch and soft shackles .
Will get which line protector and all the necessary accessories .
 
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Yup. I sometimes miss the simple stuff.


That also gives you a working spare. Maybe not at the same performance level, but usable until a new one can be had.

Yup, exactly . Will hang on to old one for a temp spare if ever needed. Will probably put under rear seat so always have it in case new one craps out . Never hurts to have a few spare parts along for the ride .
 
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Winching with the stock alternator is fine. If you're going to be doing a LOT of winching, you can increase the alternator output by increasing your engine RPM. Open your copy of JScan and bump up the idle speed. It will return to the default when you close the app.

A little unsure of why thumb down on this post ? Please expand on why a poor idea to ramp up idle temporarily using JSCAN while winching .
 
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All good advice . Been watching Matt’s Off Road Recovery on UTube . He’s a big believer in leaving metal out of recover gear as well .
Going with a synthetic line winch and soft shackles .
Will get which line protector and all the necessary accessories .
Love that channel.

I've got a metal hook on the end of the synthetic winch lines, because that's how they came. But soft shackles and kinetic ropes are in the bag. I'm too stingy to replace the winch ropes until there's at least a little wear, but eventually...