Winch wiring & battery questions

[MBOffroading]

ok, getting ready to install my winch this upcoming week, and have a few questions.

I have a Optima Yellowtop D34/78 battery.
9,000lb winch

Can I wire the winch directly to the side posts on the Optima, or should I run it off the top posts? Really haven't been able to get a solid answer.

 

[80t0ylc]

ok, getting ready to install my winch this upcoming week, and have a few questions.

I have a Optima Yellowtop D34/78 battery.
9,000lb winch

Can I wire the winch directly to the side posts on the Optima, or should I run it off the top posts? Really haven't been able to get a solid answer.

This was taken from the Optima website in the FAQs tabway down in the "Fitment" section)

1. Side Terminals – OPTIMA 34/78, D34/78, 75/25 and D75/25 batteries have both top and side terminals. If you are using one of these batteries in a vehicle that uses the top terminals, it is important to ensure that the side terminals can not come into contact with anything metallic (for example, the firewall or fender well), thereby causing a short. We suggest keeping the post protectors on the terminals you are not using. A winch should only be connected to the automotive posts.

Optima's reputation has been suffering lately. I think it has something to do with their manufacturing techniques and the quality of materials. Anyway, you can search here on MUD if you like. There's threads talking about just what you're asking. Optima seems to make it difficult to find this info, in the first place. And secondly, IMHO, if you have multiple posts on a battery, especially a battery that is marketed for off roading, the + posts and the - posts should be common or tied together internally with maximum capacity available at all posts. It should not matter which posts you hook up your winch to. Most winches come with cables that have the non-automotive terminals and it would seem to make sense to hook them up to the smaller, non automotive terminals on the battery.

 

[MBOffroading]

Thanks for that info. Must have missed that section when I was looking for side post info. I would agree with you though, it would make sense for both terminals to be equal.

 

[Pin_Head]

I used the threaded side posts on my Optima to power my 8274 for many years. They are automotive posts, just like the top ones. It goes without sayig that you should not let any +post touch the grounded metal.

 

[MBOffroading]

Thanks Pin_Head. I have my battery pretty far from any metal, I'm really careful when wiring electrical.

 

[80t0ylc]

I used the threaded side posts on my Optima to power my 8274 for many years. They are automotive posts, just like the top ones. It goes without sayig that you should not let any +post touch the grounded metal.

Just to clarify, automotive posts are the normal lead posts on top approx 3/4" in diameter or threaded (female threads) side posts available on some batteries.

There is the other type of post, smaller, threaded (male threads) and usually separate. On some marine or deep cycle batteries they combine the two types and you can visually see that they're tied together.

My point is that the cables that are provided with winches usually have non-automotive terminals. Some time back, Optima made a line of batteries that had both style of posts and off road users were hooking their winches up to the non-automotive posts because they were the right size for the terminals and it was assumed that all terminals had maximum current available. Well, that was not the case. Optima was not providing the information very well, just like the OP of this thread was experiencing. You had to really dig for it and as it turned out, the smaller non-automotive posts did not have the maximum current rating. Users were experiencing internal battery failures when the equipment they were running exceeded the gauge of the internal connections. I'm not sure if these were Marine or Multi-use batteries, but it just seemed poor design or poor communication to me. Either the buyers were misinformed by the seller or the seller was not educated by Optima to provide what the user was looking for. If the smaller terminals are not designed to power high amp usage, there should be a large notice that is easy to see. And the seller should be aware of it, also. I think people today are a little bit more informed about the different types of batteries and how they should be used.

 

[MBOffroading]

Tweeted Optima about it, and they heavly suggested I only connect the winch to the top posts, and smaller amp loads to the side ones.

 

[80t0ylc]

Tweeted Optima about it, and they heavly suggested I only connect the winch to the top posts, and smaller amp loads to the side ones.

That almost infers that the side posts are not automotive posts. Maybe the Optima employee involved is not well versed in their batteries. I would assume, from experience, that the side posts are just another way of hooking up to an automobile that has side post cables. Gives me even more pause about Optima in general. Don't have this kinda BS with Sears Platinum or even Walmart for that matter.

 

[MBOffroading]

So in the end, it is NOT recommended to run the winch off the side posts? It was my understanding (and reason I bought it) that the side posts could be used for stuffs like that. Currently my electric fan runs off the side posts (triggered by IGN ON), and I planned on running my ARB compressor off of it to.

 

[80t0ylc]

So in the end, it is NOT recommended to run the winch off the side posts? It was my understanding (and reason I bought it) that the side posts could be used for stuffs like that. Currently my electric fan runs off the side posts (triggered by IGN ON), and I planned on running my ARB compressor off of it to.

If you go by Optima's recommendation, your fans and compressor will be fine. The answer from Optima suggests that running the winch off the side posts is a no-no. Pin_Head's experience gave him no problems. It's your choice. How old is your Optima? Is it too late for getting your $ back as a dis-satisfied customer? I run 2 batteries, myself. Next winch battery's going to be a Sears platinum, I think. (Or a Walmart )

 

[Pin_Head]

Many autos only use the side posts with no connections to top posts. How could they not be automotive posts, when they are used for starting the car and running it?

 

[MBOffroading]

Many autos only use the side posts with no connections to top posts. How could they not be automotive posts, when they are used for starting the car and running it?

I saw this yesterday, I was wrenching on a truck with my buddy, and he had a duralast gold, and the battery connections are setup on the small side posts.

The battery I have is new as of July 2011. If I nuke the battery, I'll warranty it.

I really won't run the winch without the '40 running.

 

[Tapage]

Tweeted Optima about it, and they heavly suggested I only connect the winch to the top posts, and smaller amp loads to the side ones.

I got that same recommendation form Optima guy that visit us last year .. at least I ask that about do that in my yellow top Optima

 

[Rwhat]

If you go by Optima's recommendation, your fans and compressor will be fine. The answer from Optima suggests that running the winch off the side posts is a no-no. Pin_Head's experience gave him no problems. It's your choice. How old is your Optima? Is it too late for getting your $ back as a dis-satisfied customer? I run 2 batteries, myself. Next winch battery's going to be a Sears platinum, I think. (Or a Walmart )

Great info on this subject. Never knew about the side posts. I also agree that optima is lacking on their quality and warranty on the newer batteries. I had a old one and loved it. I have seen alot of problems first hand with the newer ones.

I'm cheap and did my research and went with the autozone marine hybrid.