Winching Issues and Factory Battery (Hybrids)

[Cranberry]

Wanted to provide a quick review here that any serious off roader should be aware of regarding the factory battery and installing winch systems.

I installed a Greenlane bumper with a Warn Evo 10-s 10,000 lb winch. I ran an over size 2A positive wire rated for 2000 watts from rear to front so power drop was not an issue. Full bumper review here - https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...-review-read-before-you-buy.9751/#post-118584

Anyway, i attended a clients off grid location today and for the first time had to put my winch to work. My first experience was extremely underwhelming and frankly concerning.

I have been running winches for many years ranging between high end to low end 12,000 - 8000 lb systems. Currently the winch on my 6th Gen is a Warn Evo VR 10-S rated for 10,000 lbs. in all of my winch experiences, the failure cut off i experienced on this current set up was substantial. The winch would cut out after 4 seconds of pull and i can confirm it was not at the max 10,000 lb rating.

I want to clarify it was not a winch issue, it was a battery issue.

The factory battery was not able to provide the power needed to adequately operate the winch systems the cable im running is almost 4X oversized, the watt testing on the run showed a surge of 2000 with no power loss before installing winch systems so the cables im using are more then adequate and it is not a power loss issue in cable length.

In the end, i was only able to winch for about 4 seconds before the factory battery would fail to full depletion and cutout, would have to then wait for 30 seconds for the battery to recover before i could winch again for another 4 seconds.

I am almost positive i have cooked the factory battery from this 1 winch sessions so i am not even going to mess around and will be upgrading to an AGM Odyssey battery to ensure my winch systems are adequate going forward.

I will re visit this post after i upgrade the battery and do another winch session so other users can see if my battery swap rectified the issue.

Long and short, if you see anyone with a winch and want to confirm if they actually used it, just ask them if they have upgraded the battery on their truck, if its still factory, they aint actually off roading.

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[mcd_ovrlnd]

Please keep us updated. I similarly ran a 2/o wire to the engine for a switch panel but in prep for a winch next year.

 

[Archer]

My battery failed within the first year and was just replaced under warranty, never seen a power draw from a winch. Always thought OEM Toyota batteries were a good battery, maybe not.

 

[Van Solo]

Consider a Alberta Lithium Starter Battery ? I see your Canadian too.

 

[Cranberry]

i never trusted lithium due to the cold temps we experience. I found AGM to be the safer option when we hit -30C. Hows your luck been with the lithium ones?

 

[Greg]

I bought my Trailhunter used. The winch was wired directly to the fuse box main power inlet under the hood. Haven't winched with it yet to see how it will do. Maybe I'll do a light test this weekend to see how it does.

 

[Cranberry]

I bought my Trailhunter used. The winch was wired directly to the fuse box main power inlet under the hood. Haven't winched with it yet to see how it will do. Maybe I'll do a light test this weekend to see how it does.

be very careful, that fuse box is only rated for 250 amps and most winches pull 350 - 450 at full stop. Connect your winch to a anchor point or a friends vehicle, Have your friend put his truck in neutral and hold is break down. You also put your truck in neutral and hold your break down. Activate your winch and slowly try winching your vehicle towards his vehicle till it cuts out.

Please report back your results. If the fuse point is the weak point then it will cut the winch power immediately when it hits the amp restriction point. If the winch slows down as more tension gets on the line and it cuts out after slowing down substantially, then your fuse point is good and you just did research for the forum that many people will love you for.

Very curious on your results.

 

[Van Solo]

i never trusted lithium due to the cold temps we experience. I found AGM to be the safer option when we hit -30C. Hows your luck been with the lithium ones?

This winter here in calgary no issues at all, its BMS and pre heat options are solid. As i said not a single issue 1000 CCA 100AMp Hours.

Give them a call they can walk you through what they have supported.
its a full starter battery replacement.

 

[Cranberry]

This winter here in calgary no issues at all, its BMS and pre heat options are solid. As i said not a single issue 1000 CCA 100AMp Hours.

Give them a call they can walk you through what they have supported.
its a full starter battery replacement.

Thats awesome. Iv never looked into these. Ill have to do sole research. As i type this i am on route to pick up a new battery.

 

[Cranberry]

picked up a decent AGM that fits the same group size on factory. Ill install this weekend and do a stress test and update this thread from there. Also when picking up the battery the tech there helped me measure things out and we might be able to fit a group 27 battery in the rear space. Im going to measure things up when rep[lacing this battery and see if a GRP 27 is possible, having the extra capacity would be very nice.

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