12 volt dc

Thread Starter

riverrunner

Joined Jul 31, 2009
2
I'm looking for some help. I want to be able to take my removable 12 volt dc winch and place in on a stationary mount and run it on house current. Can this be done safely and if so what do I need. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
 

AdrianN

Joined Apr 27, 2009
97
You did not mention the winch power and voltage.

Anyway, I think the winch needs a lot of power so, building a DC power supply might be impractical. I would use a 12V battery (a large one, again depending on the winch power and voltage) and use a battery charger to recharge the battery when the winch is not in use.
 

someonesdad

Joined Jul 7, 2009
1,583
Yes, it can be done, but you may pay out a goodly chunk of cash for the power supply to do so. If you don't know the current draw of the winch, find out what its fuse is rated at. Then find a 13.8 volt DC power supply that can output that current. Another approach would be to purchase a battery to operate it from and trickle charge the battery. This may or may not work, depending on how long you want to operate the winch.

If I was doing this, I'd measure the current being supplied to the winch while it was both under load and starting the load. I'd use this information to make a decision about how large a power supply I needed to buy.

If you're not comfortable with doing this type of stuff, take the winch to a battery supply house. They can measure the starting and running current and suggest an appropriate power supply.

I would hazard a guess that some batteries with an appropriate charger would be the cheapest way to go (unless you need continuous duty).
 

Thread Starter

riverrunner

Joined Jul 31, 2009
2
someonesdad and AdrianN, I've read your suggestions and running on battery with additional charger sounds like the way to go. Thanks for the advice
 
Top