amurp14
Junior Member
Recently bought a 2016 Ram 2500 Laramie PW with an aftermarket winch. I've used the winch once, and after I was done using it, I couldn't retract the cable and my truck went into "power save mode". On the way home my truck died at a red light. Got it jump-started, started driving again, and it wouldn't stay running for more than 5 minutes, plus some warning lights (abs, traction control, trailer brake, etc.).
My best guess is the winch killed the battery, so I'm considering a dual-battery setup. I would like to use the auxiliary battery to only run the winch and some extra lights, and the primary battery to run all of the OEM components. Ideally, I would like the aux. setup to be completely separate from OEM system aside from the alternator charging the aux. battery.
Is this the best way to set this up? Or should I hook up the batteries in series/parallel?
Also, can my alternator handle charging both batteries?
Can I get a smaller aux. battery, or should they be the same size?
I have a background as a mechanic, but I've never done any major electrical modifications like this before, so any info is appreciated. Thanks!
My best guess is the winch killed the battery, so I'm considering a dual-battery setup. I would like to use the auxiliary battery to only run the winch and some extra lights, and the primary battery to run all of the OEM components. Ideally, I would like the aux. setup to be completely separate from OEM system aside from the alternator charging the aux. battery.
Is this the best way to set this up? Or should I hook up the batteries in series/parallel?
Also, can my alternator handle charging both batteries?
Can I get a smaller aux. battery, or should they be the same size?
I have a background as a mechanic, but I've never done any major electrical modifications like this before, so any info is appreciated. Thanks!