12v Winch Amps

[forestboy]

Hi

I'm looking at getting a cheap 12v portable winch.

I have seen one - which is not a massively powerful one - that is advertised as drawing 25 amps at 12v.

I wanted to run it from my generator which can put out 8.3 amps at 12v.

I know these are designed to run from car batteries which can put out a lot more current than that at once, but has he got his decimal point in the wrong place - should it be 2.5 amps?

Thanks for your opinions.

 

[josh1e]

I have never used a 12v winch, but depending on the tonne rating on the winch, i would say 25amps is an accurate figure.

most car batteries are 40amp (ish) and cranking a car over can use close to that. some large car stereo's can pull 20+ amps through amplifiers & subwoofers. so a winch pulling 2ton up an embankment or similar does seem feasible.

hth

 

[flameport]

25 amps is very likely.

2.5 amps at 12 volts would only be a rather feeble 30 watts - not likely to be winching much with that.

 

[maltaron]

Most likely 25amps is correct. The rating will likely be maximum when starting the pull. a 1000kg recovery winch will draw 200amps at full load and a similar size rolling load winch about 30amps.

 

[forestboy]

Cheers, I thought so, but hoped not. I recall cranking over a V8 Rover P6 for about 20 minutes which wasnt sparking at all and thinking - 'this battery has a heck of a lot of power in it'.

I do see 240v winches at 500-1000W, but they are designed for static fixing to ceilings etc not so good for mobile/tie to a tree use.

Might have to cobble a frame together. hmmmm.

 

[RF Lighting]

What sort of generator is it?

Could you use it to charge a car battery, or even run a step down transformer from it to provide a good supply of 12V DC?

 

[forestboy]

It a 900/1000 watt digtal silent type. Great bit of kit. Lovely supply, can run a lap top off it.

Thats an idea, but getting a bit involved. Thinks! - I could run a 12v winch off the car I carry the generator around in, Doh!

 

[breezer]

I could run a 12v winch off the car I carry the generator around in, Doh!

just dont plug it in the cigar lighter socket

 

[OilLecky]

The amount of current drawn by the winch will be relative to the physical load applied, not the winch current rating. The manufacturers have given a current rating of 25 amps (continuous?). This is 300Watts of power or 0.4 horsepower. i.e. not much. It means that it can do this much work before becoming overloaded. If you use it in the forest for dragging tree trunks or similar, then if the load digs in to the ground the current will rise massively and damage the winch motor unless you have a protective circuit breaker.
It must be powered from a battery (or even two batteries in parallel). Batteries can supply an enormous amount of current (infinite if you short one out!!) a small genny just will not do.
You could reduce the load on the winch by using multiple pulleys but then the line would need winching fully out and in more times.

(for comparison I think that winches for 4 X4 vehicles are upward of 4 horsepower.)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Also, a powerful winch is no use whatsoever unless what you mount it on is a lot harder to move then the thing you're winching. Unless you're self-winching a vehicle. But then wouldn't the best solution for a vehicle-mounted winch be hydraulic or PTO?

Sometimes even the best off-roaders need winch assistance...

PART1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u88_zzEYtI

PART2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xRbGVPdWvM

View from the top: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UILSXnH8YRM&feature=related




Pretty good unaided though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22i6HSezBuA&NR=1