Battery Info

[John_Mc]

The mule uses a car battery, buy the statement of amp charger is correct

I was assuming Eddie was referring to a Kawasaki Mule, a UTV which uses a 17 Amp-Hour ATV type battery.

In thinking further about this, I know there are Mule gate openers, which I assume use a deep-cycle battery. There are also antique military Mules (M274) - a funky UTV-type vehicle - which were introduced in 1956 and used up in to the 80s.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

So the two with the issue are the two with the Pulsetech on them? Those Pulsetech units are only supposed to be used on batteries that are frequently charged.

Since your existing batteries are already way out of balance, you could try to recover the weak batteries by connecting them individually to 12V battery charger/maintainer with a desulfation feature. If the batteries are too far gone, it might not be able to bring them back.

Before this problem occurred I had a single 24 V PulseTech connected at the "end" positive and negative terminals. Now I wanted to favor the two that tested bad.

So far the solar panel, and maybe the desulfation, has already helped a bit. Now the specific gravity is still in the red, but only barely. Yesterday it was at the bad end of the red scale.

By the way, the batteries are being charged through the external jump start connector so while there's no extra visible wiring on the batteries, they are being charged. I'll probably hook up a corded 24 V charger instead this evening to speed up the process. Or maybe a 12 V maintainer on each of the two.

Also, there's a 0.17 V reading between the two posts that somebody suggested I should add a cable between, so if these batteries end up staying in service it'll get added. If not, two Group 31 AGMs will likely be the replacement.

 

[LittleBill21]

Before this problem occurred I had a single 24 V PulseTech connected at the "end" positive and negative terminals. Now I wanted to favor the two that tested bad.

So far the solar panel, and maybe the desulfation, has already helped a bit. Now the specific gravity is still in the red, but only barely. Yesterday it was at the bad end of the red scale.

By the way, the batteries are being charged through the external jump start connector so while there's no extra visible wiring on the batteries, they are being charged. I'll probably hook up a corded 24 V charger instead this evening to speed up the process. Or maybe a 12 V maintainer on each of the two.

Also, there's a 0.17 V reading between the two posts that somebody suggested I should add a cable between, so if these batteries end up staying in service it'll get added. If not, two Group 31 AGMs will likely be the replacement.

you should be using a lead acid balancer, if your not taking these apart randomly and charging individually

 

[grsthegreat]

I was assuming Eddie was referring to a Kawasaki Mule, a UTV which uses a 17 Amp-Hour ATV type battery.

In thinking further about this, I know there are Mule gate openers, which I assume use a deep-cycle battery. There are also antique military Mules (M274) - a funky UTV-type vehicle - which were introduced in 1956 and used up in to the 80s.

I have a 2012 kawasaki mule and it has a 550 cca battery on it. Its as large as my truck battery. Did they change these to lawn mower batteries on newer units?

 

[EddieWalker]

I just mentioned the Mule because it's a vehicle with a battery. Oddly enough, it's a 2010 and I'm still on my second battery. It's never had a trickle charger on it, but it's started up and used just about every day. It sits under a roof, in a shed with three walls.

 

[John_Mc]

you should be using a lead acid balancer, if your not taking these apart randomly and charging individually

A battery balancer is a good idea.

For all of my chargers, there has been no need to take the batteries apart in order to charge them individually: I can just connect each one up to a different battery while all of the batteries are still connected to the vehicle. (I suppose it's possible to have a charger where this could be a problem, but I have not yet run into a modern charger that exhibits this problem.)

I'll probably hook up a corded 24 V charger instead this evening to speed up the process. Or maybe a 12 V maintainer on each of the two.

a 24V charger will not restore balance to two 12V batteries connected in series. If they are out of balance, they will generally remain so when charging with a 24V charger: you will continue to have one battery in the series string undercharged and the other overcharged.

 

[grsthegreat]

I just mentioned the Mule because it's a vehicle with a battery. Oddly enough, it's a 2010 and I'm still on my second battery. It's never had a trickle charger on it, but it's started up and used just about every day. It sits under a roof, in a shed with three walls.

View attachment 2105421

My mule sits in the garage, and is also used daily. Probably the most used vehicle i own. It was running sluggish so last month I adjusted valves and new plugs and oil. Running good again.

 

[John_Mc]

I have a 2012 kawasaki mule and it has a 550 cca battery on it. Its as large as my truck battery. Did they change these to lawn mower batteries on newer units?

That's what I found when I tried to look up what battery a Mule uses.

I have a Honda Pioneer 520 (a small UTV). I don;t think I could find a place to fit a full-sized car battery in it.

It's never had a trickle charger on it, but it's started up and used just about every day.

Regular, frequent use is one of the best things you can do for a battery. As long as you aren't having problems with your charging system, there should be no need for a maintainer.

My UTV stays on a smart charger/maintainer when not in use because I never know when I'll be using it again. It also has a wireless winch control. That receiver is on constantly (receiver is wired to the winch, which is wired directly to the battery). The receiver doesn't draw a lot, but it will suck the battery down over time. I found this out the hard way when I bought the unit used from someone - just one year old. Drove it the first day I bought it. It sat for a few weeks and the battery was dead.

 

[RayIN]

Did you check your water levels?
View attachment 1966562

My Massy sealed AGM OEM battery just died this past summer, after 15 years.

That picture shows a battery 3 yrs, 3 mo's.,18 days old. as of this day.

 

[Mike1955]

Here’s another opinion on a battery charger. Associated equipment is a US made battery charger that serves me well. I have one many years old, small about 10 amps 6 or 12 volts that I do all my charging with. For maintaining I have a small smart charger. The vintage charger left to long a time will most likely ruin my battery’s. I just never have great luck out of a battery on a 4 wheeler