I use a 1hp electric winch mounted to a gantry to lift my
cars and engines etc. I chose a 12v winch mainly because
the 120V mains type were about double the cost but at the
rate I'm using batteries it might have been cheaper the
other way! But I'm not going to change now.
So my question is what is the best type of battery for this
application and how frequently should I recharge it?
At the moment I'm using a 'cheap' garden tractor battery
rated at 235 CCA and 33 minutes reserve capacity. Works
fine when new but seems to 'give up' after a couple of
years or so. Is this because I'm abusing it? Or am I just
unlucky?
Typical use is 2-3 minutes lifting 600# followed by another
2-3 minutes shortly afterwards lifting 300#. I suppose I
ought to recharge immediately but often don't because it
still seems to work OK.
Presuming I'm using 1hp I make that about an 80A draw - is
that too much for this sort of battery?
Is there a better battery for this sort of use/abuse?
I don't really want to go to a very heavy battery because
it's mounted high on the gantry.
Thx for any help.
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