Solar battery tender

[TractorGuy]

Yea, I've been there and checked it out. I'm thinking I need (3) items;

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 12V, 27mA, 5W Solar Battery Charger - Weatherproof by Deltran 21-1163: Automotive

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 25 FT Extension Cable for Battery Charging and Maintaining by Deltran - 81-148-25: Automotive

Amazon.com: Battery Tender Ring Terminal Accessory Cable: New World Diamonds: Automotive


I assume the third item will allow me to plug into the tractor without having to open the hood to disconnect the cables. Am I right?

Kevin

These items will work but I would recommend going with a higher watt panel. A 5 watt panel won't do squat without direct sunlight. A higher watt panel will have some output on a cloudy day although limited it will be more likely to keep the battery charged.

I don't think total plug and play is available. You will have to do some cable splicing and planning for your exact needs. Think about how you want to mount the panel. How long does your tractor battery lead need to be. Stuff like that.

Here is a decent looking reasonably priced 30W kit with most of what you need. I like that it has the SAE plug in connectors. Remember the panel has to be unplugged before unplugging the battery and plugged back in to the controller AFTER the battery is connected.
Amazon.com : Sun Energise 3W 12V Solar Panel Kits- 3 Watt Mono Crystalline Solar Panel + Intelligent 1A Charge Controller with Dusk to Dawn Control + Cable Adapters for Off Grid Boat, Marine, Trailer, Cabin : Automotive

Here is an extension cable that should work with the linked kit.
Amazon.com : POWISER 25Feet SAE to SAE Extension Cable Quick Disconnect Connector 16AWG, for Automotive, Solar Panel Panel SAE Plug(25FT(16AWG)) : Garden & Outdoor


These Z brackets are handy for mounting a panel on a flat or ribbed surface. I have read that having some air space under a panel makes it cooler and more efficient. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-SOLAR-PA...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I used a heat gun and bent a piece of PVC tube to run my wires under the edge of the roof. That protects the wires from chaffing and provided a drip loop.

I used a project box with toggle switches to make it easier for me to disconnect my panels before unplugging the tractor or car. Those SAE connectors in that kit I linked will be easier to configure and easy to unplug and connect.

 

[Industrial Toys]

One should always put a suitable fuse right at one clamp of anything you have connected to a battery. The energy in a battery will turn cheap thermoplastic cables into heating elements immediately if there is a short anywhere.

I will never forget hearing about a guy crying in distress when cheap battery cables turned to molten goo all over his hands.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Thanks TG, This is exactly the advice I was looking for. I'm hoping that 17 years of fighting to keep a battery charged on my snow plowing tractor may finally end this year.

Kevin

 

[RalphVa]

Here are the 2 panels I have on the fence charger that don't quite do the job, e.g. have to charge the battery about twice/yr for about 25 amp hr.

Have two of the bigger of the two shown in the photo on the driveway gate that I have to switch batteries on about twice/yr.

Ralph

 

[TractorGuy]

My first solar charger was on a gate opener. I used a 10W panel and a lawn tractor battery. I would have to bring the battery in and charge it several times a year. I switched to a 30W panel and have never had to charge the battery. It remains functional all year round. It is also operating dual gates instead of the original single. Same 230 CCA lawn tractor battery. Been getting about 5 years before having to replace batteries.

 

[deserteagle71]

I've used the below from Northern Tool for years now in my pole barn that has no power to it. Comes with a 15 watt solar panel and long leads and has kept the battery topped up on my old tractor and my welder also.
Error | DNS Resolution | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[TractorGuy]

This is the trouble you get in to when you suggest a product you haven't bought and used. I decided to purchase the 30W kit I linked to above for one of my field camera setups.

It turns out the controller turns off the charger when the battery gets anywhere near 12v and you have to manually press the load button to restart it. That won't be a super big deal for me since I go out every day to put corn in the trough but it's not the way it should work. According the the printed parameters it should resume charging with light as long as the battery remains above 10.8v.

One other thing I didn't like is they have the polarity on all the SAE connectors reverse of what they should be. They insulated the positive post on all the leads on the controller. This leaves the positive post on the panel and all the pigtails uninsulated. Again, not a big deal when everything is connected but if you wanted to install and leave a pigtail on your tractor battery it would have the positive post exposed to short out if it came in contact with ground. You can buy SAE caps but they are not supplied with this kit.

I have been going back and forth with the company and they said if I didn't use it on a battery that has a load it wouldn't be a problem. They don't show the LED controller that comes with the kit on their web site and have offered me a non led controller to replace it. BUT reading reviews on that controller on Amazon it appears to have the same issue with it not resuming charge automatically if you have a load on the battery.

Other than that I like the waterproof design and the fact that it uses the SAE connectors. They just got the polarity and parameters wrong for it to be a 5 star product.

The 5W Battery Tender brand controller I put on my other 30W panel has worked perfect BUT I don't have it out in the weather and I don't have it on a load. I just use it to float charge batteries. The Suner Power kit MAY do that just fine but it wasn't what I needed that kit to do.

 

[ArlyA]

I'm watching this thread for our 6x6 that we use for plowing, and doing that will run its battery down to nothing. The garage we store it in has no power and we get snow here so solar panels get cover. Maybe I could mound the panel vertical to alleviate that. Maybe this 15 watt unit would do it???

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 12V, 83mA, 15W Solar Battery Charger - Weatherproof by Deltran 21-1165: Automotive

 

[ArlyA]

Or this 30w unit. What do you guys think?? Many of these units run about 10% unhappy customers....

Sun Energise 30W 12V Solar Panel Kits- 30 Watt Mono Crystalline Solar Panel + Intelligent 10A Charge Controller with Dusk to Dawn Control + Cable Adapters for Off Grid Boat, Marine, Trailer, Cabin

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C7LRSN...olid=2SJSOW7NF29CZ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Hay Dude]

I'm watching this thread for our 6x6 that we use for plowing, and doing that will run its battery down to nothing. The garage we store it in has no power and we get snow here so solar panels get cover. Maybe I could mound the panel vertical to alleviate that. Maybe this 15 watt unit would do it???

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 12V, 83mA, 15W Solar Battery Charger - Weatherproof by Deltran 21-1165: Automotive

Maybe fix the charging system