Winch Battery

Not the most economical choice, but an AGM battery would work well in that application:

1. Excels at providing high discharge current (which your winch may demand).

2. Tolerates deep discharges without damage.

3. Accepts high recharge current, so it's capable of being recharged quickly.

4. Has lower self-discharge than conventional batteries, so it doesn't need to be topped off as often.

For new
I recommend a Costco starting battery. Perhaps a group 27 or 65. For many years thereafter, if it quits on you, take it back. The first three years you'll get a free replacement. A starting battery is preferred for dedicated winch or microwave duty.

Rare occasional use?
Why buy new til that one pukes? And for rare use, why not just use a battery out of something else you own, occasionally?

DougE wrote:
I got a GOOLOO GP4000 jump starter lately. It never occurred to me that I could use it in an emergency to power my winch. It's rated at 500a for 5 seconds - not sure what the continuous power output could be.

Most likely will not work without a external battery that is partially charged attached.

Most "jump start" boxes require some sort of battery voltage to be present before they will provide any jumpstart voltage.

Put a meter across the jumpstart leads, bet it will be zero or near zero volts..

The assumption is you have a battery with at least 10V (IE Dead) and the jumpstart box is to be used to provide some starting assistance to get your engine started.

I use an old worn out truck battery which wasn't able to start the truck in middle of winter to run my 8,000 lb winch. As long as the winch is able to pull the load with what you have use it. If you don't feel comfortable with your old battery your using, then buy new battery in the size that fits your vehicle.. Put the new battery in your vehicle and use the old battery from your vehicle for the winch.

If you have a Sam's or Costco membership just buy one of the batteries they sell, they often have better prices than most stores..

I got a GOOLOO GP4000 jump starter lately. It never occurred to me that I could use it in an emergency to power my winch. It's rated at 500a for 5 seconds - not sure what the continuous power output could be.

Maintenance with a SiO2 batter is about zero too. No need for trickle charging.

If the battery shows no sign of failure, I'd simply keep using it...maybe get a set of jumper cables so you could connect to the truck battery in a pinch.

If you still feel the need for a spare, I would get a cheap starter battery or jump-starter pack. Assuming the winch draws 200amps for a maximum of 5 min, that's all of 17amp-hr. There's no need to pay a premium for a deep cycle or other specialty battery chemistry.

You can have good, or inexpensive, but usually not both. Winches are fairly high draw. My own personal choice would be an SiO2.

But if the existing battery passes a load test, I'd continue to use it as in the past.

I have a winch on my cargo trailer. I use a group 24 deep cycle battery.