Solar Batter Tenders

[Indygunworks]

So my property is 30 minutes away from me. We are building, but I don't know when I will be able to run power to the barn where its stored that's about 200 feet from where the house is going. its a 24x32 barn, and the tractor is parked on the front of the 32 foot long side. the back of the 32 foot side is facing south which is where I would probably need to mount the solar panel. I would need around 40 feet of cord to comfortably hook up the tractor and be able to run the wiring so its out of the way. So far every time I have gone out the tractor has not started, this is every couple weeks or so. I have to pull my truck in and jump start it every time which is getting old, and once we live out there I would really like to be able to just open the barn door and use it. A portable jumper box doesn't have enough cranking amps to help any, but as soon as its hooked up to the truck she turns right over, even in the cold.

Any reccomendations for a solar charger? What about one that could possibly tend a 4 wheeler batter as well?

 

[Blaneypark]

How about a new battery?

 

[Oaktree]

How about a new battery?

+1 on that. For a tractor battery to go dead that fast, you've either got some sort of parasitic drain or the battery is shot.

 

[Indygunworks]

battery was brand new 1.5 years ago, and wasn't cheap. Its a positive ground system and I think I have a small short somewhere that slowly drains the battery. Every now and then she will fire right up even after a week or two of sitting, but for the most part she is normally dead when I go out there. Not dead dead, she will try to turn over and spit some smoke out, just not enough to really get it turning to start. More of an issue in the winter than the summer.

 

[yomax4]

I bought a cheap HF solar battery tender and it caused my fully charged battery to go dead overnight. I took it back and they said yeah, they don't work well on full sized batteries. Mainly motorcycles and lawn mowers. I do use a cheap 115v battery tender on my plow truck and it works perfectly.

 

[Indygunworks]

Anything that has to plug in is DEFINATELY out of the question. Do they make quick disconnects for the battery terminals? Maybe if I could just throw a switch or something to disconnect the battery it wouldn't be able to drain down at all.

 

[super55]

I agree easiest way is to just put a disconnect or unhook a terminal off the battery. Being positive ground I'm guessing your running a 6V battery which always seem to be stubborn in the winter anyways.

For what it's worth I have used one of those cheap solar chargers that you put the gator clips on the battery terminals on my oliver for long term storage 3+ months. Every time I went out there after sitting for months even in the dead of winter it has started right up.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I'd be suspicious of how good your battery is, too. However, it never hurts to have a way to avoid the parasitic loads that can deplete the charge...for example:


Battery and Ignition Switches

 

[Indygunworks]

Its a 12v system. I really don't think the battery is bad. I think I just have a very small short somewhere that pulls just enough of a draw that over a few weeks time takes away enough of the cranking amps that it just doesn't have enough UMPH in the cold weather to get her going.

I like the economy battery switch there. Would there be any big box type stores that I might have locally to pick up something like that?

 

[Buggs67]

Battery disconnect and a solar charger. There are simple cheap disconnects. Check your local auto parts store.