24V Winch Wiring with 3 Batteries

[nic80]

Hi

Im Looking at running my winch on 24v using 3 yellow tops.

can someone please post up a diagram for this

Thanks

[Jive]

You mean two for the winch and one to power the vehicle ect...?

[ifslux]

i would also be keen to see a diagram as im about to do it to my comp truck.

[nic80]

Hi

I have a diagram that I have used in my comp truck.

I hope it helps.

Cheers

[-Scott-]

Sorry, but that's a bad idea.

All your charge current will flow through battery 2, then be split between batteries 1 & 3. You will end up struggling to keep batteries 1 & 3 properly charged, and overcharge ("cook") battery 2 in the process.

You should use something like Redarc's BCDC DC powered charger to charge your single (12V) battery. Supply the charger from the 24V system to keep balanced load on both of those batteries.

[GUtripper]

Sure Scott?
I would have thought batteries 1 and 3 hooked together in parallel like that would just act as a single (larger capacity) battery.

[-Scott-]

Yes, I'm sure.

Using lead acid cells in series only works if they are all the same. When discharging, they all discharge the same amount by the same current. When recharging, the all recharge the same amount ONLY if they all receive the same current.

With the arrangement above, the 24V discharge current that flows through batteries 1 & 2 will discharge them evenly.

All of the recharge current will flow through battery 2, but then be split between batteries 1 and 3. Battery 2 will fully recharge before either battery 1 or 3. It is likely that the system will continue to charge (because the large "battery" that is 1 & 3 won't be fully charged), so the continuing charge current through battery 2 will be overcharging it until 1 & 3 come up to full charge.

Eventually, all three batteries will achieve a full charge, but it won't be good for battery 2. It won't last anywhere near as long as would otherwise be expected.

Note that I am talking about the charging characteristics of lead acid batteries connected in series. Lead acid batteries in parallel is a different situation, and much simpler to deal with.

[ifslux]

thanks for the diagram. im most likely only going to use 2 batterys. just wondering how are you triggering your alternator to start charging ? i was going to run a wire from the batterys,through a switch in the cab and then to the alternator and just turn it on when the engine is running. think this will work ?

cheers.

[bushy555]

Why not do something different, put all three batteries in series to get 36 volts. Then grab a 24 volt winch motor, and run 36 volts through it?
Be similiar to putting 24 volts through a 12 volt motor.
The only drama then is to get a 24 or a 48 volt alternator re-wired for 36 volts to charge your three batteries.

[poshman]

I used a light/ globe for the alternator to trigger it, we used the switch idea once for a little while, but you have to be careful. If I remember rightly when we forgot to switch the switch off after each stage it would drain the power back through. So all the 24v power we had charged up wasn't there when we got the the next winch wall. It's hard to explain but any decent auto elec should be able to point you in the right direction.

[wheeleybin]

Using a three battery system can work very well if using one battery as a 12V cranking battery and two in series 24V as an auxiliary battery by using a Sterling DC/DC 122450 battery charger which charges from a 12V battery to a 24V battery with the same charging algorithms as a mains charger battery up to its input capacity of 12V 50A governed by whatever the alternator has spare in amps.
Ian

[Shadow]

Using a three battery system can work very well if using one battery as a 12V cranking battery and two in series 24V as an auxiliary battery by using a Sterling DC/DC 122450 battery charger which charges from a 12V battery to a 24V battery with the same charging algorithms as a mains charger battery up to its input capacity of 12V 50A governed by whatever the alternator has spare in amps.
Ian

good ideal, but your looking at it from the wrong perspective.

You need a big 24volt alternator to charge your 2x12v parallelled(24v) batteries, and drive your winch, and then you could run a dc-dc charger to charge your 12volt system from the 24volt side as the current demand on your 12volt system is relatively small, especially on a comp truck?.

Ideally you would just have a 12volt alternator aswell though.