On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:57:03 -0400, Jim Elbrecht
wrote:

I picked up a winch that I'll be using to pull dirt out of my
basement. So now I need to power it.

It is a one horse motor- 2000lb capacity.
http://www.amazon.com/Superwinch-114.../dp/B0015D4ZH0

I'll be using it to pull a [roughly] 300pound load up a wheeled
incline for 20 feet--- then it will rest for 30 minutes or so-- then
repeat. Probably not more than 3 times. . . then do it again
tomorrow.

So I won't be working the thing real hard. What are some thoughts
on how to power it.

I've thought of a marine battery- and trickle charge overnight. I
have the charger. Would have to buy the battery.

I have a one amp charger (got it free from my cousin in 1965) and
prefer to use it, better for the battery. I"m not sure that is the
same as a trickle charger. I have a vague recollection that trickle
chargers are said to be good for keeping something charged but take
forever to charge something up.

But I'm lazier in my old age, and usually use my 10 amp charger to
charge my battery enough for the car to start.**

In your situation, I might want or 3 to 4 amp charger instead.

In a cursory search, Amazon has a B&D 6/4/2 amp charger for 30 dollars
shipping included that should be plenty good for this and almost any
other need you'll have. I can't imagine spending 70 to 140.

I've thought of a transformer. Have no idea what size or what they
cost.

I've got an old riding mower with a bad transmission. Seems like

I know you have the winch already, but any chance the lawnmower could
pull the load up by itself? Wrapping a rope around a pully, or just
driving away from the basement?

overkill, but it has a good 8hp motor on it, and charges the little
battery - so I think I could just run it off that battery when the
motor is running.

You could do that too.


** (I found the 10 amp charger on a sidewalk in Brooklyn. The
selenium diodes were not working. I spend a lot of time looking for
big seleneium diodes but couldn't find any, even in NYC and the 4
other boroughs. Put the thing aside, and five years later, it worked
fine. Worked for 20 years, then the selenium diodes didn't work
anymore. I used a bunch of 1 or 2 amp top hat diodes and it works fine
again. It's got to be 40 years old at least.

Or I could pull the Impala around to the side of the house and tap
into that 12v system.

Or you could tie the rope to the Impala and pull the dirt up with
that?

What sounds like a feasible plan?

Thanks,
Jim