hay ride pics

Tororider · Dec 11, 2007

So if you use an extra batteries how do you connect it to say Christmas lights? Some type of inverter? Sorry, I know little about electricity other than to respect it immensely.

Soundguy · Dec 13, 2007

Parallel as many 'car' batteries as you need for the amperage draw you intend to pull. An average single car battery will pull some trailer lamps and a couple strands of xmas lights for an hour or more without getting down to the inverter 'shutdown' voltage of about (10v) give or take.

And yes.. an inverter is used. Keep in mind that draw on the 12v side, in amps, is about 11X of the ac output requirement. IE.. it can take 10+a of 12v dc to make 120vac, 1a ( figure in the effeciency of the inverter circuitry Plus the load conversion.. many inverters are around 90% efficiency.. )

Soundguy

swedish-fish · Dec 14, 2007

Hayrides are great. Your pictures reminded me of when I offered to do one at my church at the harvest party (Halloween alternative). By the end of the evening, we figured about 250 people had ridden. My wife set up luminaries in the woods which was beautiful at night. We also did the Christmas light thing with a 700 watt inverter. As I remember I just used 10 gauge wire from the tractor battery to the inverter which sat in the front of the trailer. It melts your heart to hear the kids in their high pitched voices say "thank you driver".