Dual battery questions

[JMynes]

Hmmm….
Not sure I follow that.
The winch, the part with the motor, spool, and rope, doesn’t have a ‘negative’ post. The contactor does have a negative and positive that connect directly to the battery. It also has smaller wires, which, when energized appropriately, send 12v power to the winch. The positive and negative on the winch alternate, depending on whether you’re spooling in or out.

 

[X50]

Hmmm….
Not sure I follow that.
The winch, the part with the motor, spool, and rope, doesn’t have a ‘negative’ post. The contactor does have a negative and positive that connect directly to the battery. It also has smaller wires, which, when energized appropriately, send 12v power to the winch. The positive and negative on the winch alternate, depending on whether you’re spooling in or out.

My post above refers to the positive and negative terminals on the winch contactor itself, not the winch itself.

 

[Yotebuster]

If the factory winch negative cable will reach to your aux battery, then you can connect it there and then run a same size (or larger) wire from the aux battery ground to the winch contactor ground. If not, connect it to the winch negative contactor post and run run a same size wire to the aux negative post.

Either way, you'll need to run a wire between the aux battery and the ground post of the winch contactor. I'd prefer running the factory winch ground connection to the aux battery as that means one less connection that could become loose. (If run to the winch contactor, that connection or the one on the battery could become loose)

i quess my question is from the winch contactor to the negative on the 2nd battery and the 2nd battery negative is grounded with the factory extra negative cord rhey supply so it is all the same negative unless the Factory battery negative is grounded in a different place on the frame then extra negative terminal that they run for your accessory battery that you run over and hook to the negative side of that battery so does moving the negative from where it’s at do any good cause it’s actually all tied together in the long run someplace or am I wrong

 

[X50]

i quess my question is from the winch contactor to the negative on the 2nd battery and the 2nd battery negative is grounded with the factory extra negative cord rhey supply so it is all the same negative unless the Factory battery negative is grounded in a different place on the frame then extra negative terminal that they run for your accessory battery that you run over and hook to the negative side of that battery so does moving the negative from where it’s at do any good cause it’s actually all tied together in the long run someplace or am I wrong

What you want to avoid is relying on the frame for ground connections, especially for high current items like a winch. As long as you have suitably large wire connecting from the battery negative to the winch contactor negative, you're good to go.

What you wouldn't want to do is have the aux battery ground connected to the frame on one side of the SxS and the winch contactor negative connected to the frame on the other side. It will work fine if it's the same piece of steel; if it's not, then it could cause problems with a high current draw if there is any resistance such as caused by corrosion or where painted frame members are bolted together.

 

[JMynes]

If the factory winch negative cable will reach to your aux battery, then you can connect it there and then run a same size (or larger) wire from the aux battery ground to the winch contactor ground. If not, connect it to the winch negative contactor post and run run a same size wire to the aux negative post.

Sorry, my mistake. I guess I read this part of your post too literally.

 

[Yotebuster]

What you want to avoid is relying on the frame for ground connections, especially for high current items like a winch. As long as you have suitably large wire connecting from the battery negative to the winch contactor negative, you're good to go.

What you wouldn't want to do is have the aux battery ground connected to the frame on one side of the SxS and the winch contactor negative connected to the frame on the other side. It will work fine if it's the same piece of steel; if it's not, then it could cause problems with a high current draw if there is any resistance such as caused by corrosion or where painted frame members are bolted together.

gotcha thanks for the imput!!

 

[DRZRon1]

imo - you don't need 2 batteries, the voltage will always drop a little energizing the winch, if anything make sure all connections are tight and corrosion free

if possible on the plow use a small snatch block to lift, this will take some load off of battery, always plow in low range to keep rpm's higher to charge battery faster while plowing

the machine is fine, you won't burn anything up running a light bar and lifting the winch for 2-3 seconds when plowing at night

think about the thousands of machines that come with a factory winch and no second battery - the couple seconds of voltage drop when you lift the winch is nothing compared to that winch actually pulling the machine out of trouble

I agree with all from above - 2 batteries and controls can get your butt out of a jamb and 2 batteries are always better than one - I understand the need, I ran a plows on atvs, multiple s x s's for years on one battery with zero issues.

 

[Scoop]

imo - you don't need 2 batteries, the voltage will always drop a little energizing the winch, if anything make sure all connections are tight and corrosion free

if possible on the plow use a small snatch block to lift, this will take some load off of battery, always plow in low range to keep rpm's higher to charge battery faster while plowing

the machine is fine, you won't burn anything up running a light bar and lifting the winch for 2-3 seconds when plowing at night

think about the thousands of machines that come with a factory winch and no second battery - the couple seconds of voltage drop when you lift the winch is nothing compared to that winch actually pulling the machine out of trouble

I agree with all from above - 2 batteries and controls can get your butt out of a jamb and 2 batteries are always better than one - I understand the need, I ran a plows on atvs, multiple s x s's for years on one battery with zero issues.

If all you're going to do is putz around the yard or push a little now, I agree.

But if you ever see yourself out on the trail or otherwise away from civilization, a second battery and isolator is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Using your winch for what it's intended to be used for - getting you out of jamb - can most certainly put a drain on a battery. If you happen to have other accessories, not only could their use drain down your battery, but any one of them could malfunction and cause a short. Even if you don't completely kill your second battery, the Honda DCT is very finicky when it comes to voltage. Having a second battery and isolator preserves solid voltage for shifting the transmission. Finally, perhaps you're on your own and your main battery gets fubar'd. You can always replace and or/jump from your AUX battery in order to get you back to camp or home safely.

There are plenty of ways to look at a second battery setup, including a second under the hood of the same size OR a larger deep cycle battery under the seat (popular with those who want t park and use accessories).

Does everyone need one? Nope. Would most everyone benefit from one? Yup. Is it cheap insurance and peace of mind? You bet. If you carry concealed, you might not well NEED to carry that spare magazine, but if you ever find yourself in a jam and dont' have it if you need it, you'll wish you had it.

Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[Ohio4x4]

If all you're going to do is putz around the yard or push a little now, I agree.

But if you ever see yourself out on the trail or otherwise away from civilization, a second battery and isolator is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Using your winch for what it's intended to be used for - getting you out of jamb - can most certainly put a drain on a battery. If you happen to have other accessories, not only could their use drain down your battery, but any one of them could malfunction and cause a short. Even if you don't completely kill your second battery, the Honda DCT is very finicky when it comes to voltage. Having a second battery and isolator preserves solid voltage for shifting the transmission. Finally, perhaps you're on your own and your main battery gets fubar'd. You can always replace and or/jump from your AUX battery in order to get you back to camp or home safely.

There are plenty of ways to look at a second battery setup, including a second under the hood of the same size OR a larger deep cycle battery under the seat (popular with those who want t park and use accessories).

Does everyone need one? Nope. Would most everyone benefit from one? Yup. Is it cheap insurance and peace of mind? You bet. If you carry concealed, you might not well NEED to carry that spare magazine, but if you ever find yourself in a jam and dont' have it if you need it, you'll wish you had it.

Just my $0.02 worth.

I have to agree. The second battery setup with isolation let's me know my accessories can short or malfunction in any way and the factory harness and core operation of the machine will function. I also carry that spare mag lol.

 

[Scoop]

I also carry that spare mag lol.

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