Alternator upgrade for winches?

[Mendacity]

Has anyone bothered to upgrade their alternators or the big 3 wiring to help minimize beating up their battery? I was checking out Js alternators and was thinking of upgrading to a 390amp alternator. That would handle anything you threw at it and me being an electrician I just feel like more power is just better?
I dont plan on ever going rock crawling but the winch I put on our 2020 JL is 10,000lb rated and at max ampacity draw it pulls 365 amps which is kind of insane to pull on a battery.

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[gato]

Not needed. You can add a bit of gas when you winch or user a Tazer that has a winch mode which keeps the engine idle at 2,000RPM (programmable) while winching. Even that is overkill. Most winching is short duration and can be done even with the engine off.

 

[Reinen]

Do you have the tow package? That includes a beefed up alternator.
You're still going to pull mostly from the battery anyway regardless of your alternator. Unless you're using the winch multiple times every week, this isn't something to worry about.

 

[Whiskey 13]

Should not be needed if you keep engine running and RPM above idle. If you are working the winch hard stop frequently to prevent winch from overheating and allowing the battery to recover. Pay attention to how hot the winch cables are getting.

 

[Mendacity]

Do you have the tow package? That includes a beefed up alternator.
You're still going to pull mostly from the battery anyway regardless of your alternator. Unless you're using the winch multiple times every week, this isn't something to worry about.

No tow package but stock alternator I'd rated at 180amps according to my spec sheet.

 

[Mendacity]

Should not be needed if you keep engine running and RPM above idle. If you are working the winch hard stop frequently to prevent winch from overheating and allowing the battery to recover. Pay attention to how hot the winch cables are getting.

Have no future plans to NEED to use it but want to be prepared for emergencies. One thing I will never intentionally do is rock crawl or anything too extreme. Obviously don't want to throw money away but also don't want to hurt the battery but I appreciate the advice and will make note of it. Only use so far is just keeping it oiled and tested once a month or so.

 

[Catiajockey]

Like so many upgrades: "need" is subjective. So there is no harm in upgrading something if it gives you peace of mind. However, there are other options that may prove cheaper and or easier before an alternator replacement. If you have 2.0 e-torque like me you already have a massive reserve battery. if not a dual battery set up is an option. I never any harm in doing a big three upgrade. Even just a better single battery (I replaced mine with the new style yellow top) is good insurance.

All that being said: how you winch is really important.

 

[grimmjeeper]

Get a quality AGM battery and you're good.

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