How do I get 80 amps of 12 VDC in my garage?

[bad_idea]

I bought a 12 VDC 2000lb winch from HF to drag my Camaro into the garage up the driveway because the clutch went out. I mounted the winch to a piece of 2x2x1/4" square tube to slide it into a receiver hitch. I welded a receiver tube to a piece of plate and bolted that to the floor of the garage w/ (4) 1/2" red heads. My reason for going this route was to be able to use the winch to drag cars up the driveway or use it on the back of the truck or with a trailer. It works great.

My initial plan was to grab the battery out of my truck to use when dragging a car up the driveway. But unfortunately I am having to move the Camaro in and out of the garage due to space constraints and a lack of funds for the clutch. Rather than pulling the battery in the truck constantly, what are my options to supply 80 amps of 12VDC to the winch? BTW... the winch draws 80 amps when pulling max load according to the manual.

 

[rockwithjason]

the battery will still be your best and cheapest bet. an 80 amp power supply would break you in a second.

 

[scott3257]

I picked up one of these recently. Made in America. Figure some one could always use a jump.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200001727_200001727

 

[Sparkfarmer]

Once it is started it wont draw anywhere near 80 amps. A deep cycle battery with a charger would be the best long term solution. I really cant see you having a problem with a normal car/truck battery though especially if you don't use it daily.

Cheers

 

[racingtadpole]

80 Amps puts you in the world of industrial electronics as far as a power supply goes it would be very expensive.
The cheapest way out is another battery and a charger to top it up when not attached to the winch.

Another idea might be to put an Anderson plug on the front of your truck and run a cable from the winch to the front of your truck to use the battery in your truck. The cable will need to be heavy gauge, which might not make it cost effective.

 

[Outlawmws]

For the occasional use you describe, ANY car or large M/C battery should do the trick with the charger to keep it topped off as mentioned several times. (I used to have a large 12V MC battery in my 47 ford PU and it started a High Compression 327 without trouble or failure for several years..)

Heck, just get a cheap used battery from a wrecking yard...

 

[srmofo]

Just buy a 120v winch.I got mine for less than $100 at hf. That's way cheaper than a battery and you don't have to fool around with keeping it charged

 

[nine4gmc]

yeah a battery, prefferably deep cycle and a trickle charger will put you in business the least expensive way. maybe check CL or put a barter ad for something you have and do not need to trade for those items(I've been big into trading lately, works out good for both parties).

 

[Jack Olsen]

Pain in the neck to have to keep re-charging a spare battery, but that's your cheapest option.

Do you have a low-speed drill? HF sells a worm gear manual winch for $25. That and a drill with a reasonable amount of torque should free up your 12V unit for field work. HF has low-speed drills for as little as $35.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-variable-speed-reversible-d-handle-drill-47991.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/winches/2000-lb-capacity-geared-winch-5798.html

Or for $150, just keep a 120v winch in the garage. The remote means you can operate it while sitting in the car.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-lb-capacity-120-volt-ac-electric-winch-96127.html

 

[Brownsfan]

I own a car stereo store and my demo display has a 60a 12vdc power supply. It was around 400 bucks. It is made by a company called Cascade Engineering

 

[bob15]

Pain in the neck to have to keep re-charging a spare battery, but that's your cheapest option.

Buy a second battery and use a battery tender, then it is always fully charged and ready for use. Not a pain to connect 2 jumper cables, plug the tender in and walk away.

bob

 

[fourjeepin]

****** block would be the cheapest route. Mount the winch on the truck. ****** block (aka big pulley) on the garage floor. Run the cable from the winch, to the block, then to the camaro. Of course, this requires twice as much cable.

 

[rslaback]

Does the camaro have a battery? Run the winch off that.

 

[j.c.whitney]

Sounds like you need a big industrial battery for reliable operation. The kind like they use in electric forklifts and other industrial applications. The largest 12V power supply I am aware of (used in Amateur Radio) is an Astron RS-70M (70A surge, 52A continous) but those are crazy expensive and not really meant for your application.

 

[bad_idea]

Being that constant use is only a temporary problem while the clutch is out in the Camaro, I am looking for the cheapest solution. I thought of buying another battery, but didn't want to spend good money on a battery and then have no use for it after I fix the clutch. I hadn't thought of buying a used one! Garage Journal for the win again. I'm off to craigslist.

 

[Ram]

Take the battery out of the car it will have enough charge to pull it into the garage. Then put on charger so its topped off when you have car fixed.

 

[signcrafter]

Take the battery out of the car it will have enough charge to pull it into the garage. Then put on charger so its topped off when you have car fixed.

I'm with him. If the camaro is inoperable due to the clutch then take the battery out of it and go buy a 10 dollar battery tender from HF to keep the battery charged and use that to power the winch until the camaro is back in business. Why buy a used battery when you have a spare battery in the camaro right now.

 

[cj7365]

you wont be pulling no where near the 80amps, your pulling rolling weight not "dead" weight. cheap battery with a trickle charger