solar battery chargers

any recommendations on a good 6v solar charging system? looked to see if battery tender had one but couldn't find, also i know dc doesn't travel distances as well as ac, would want to run from the roof to the tractor
 
I m not telling you what to do by any means but why don't you get a small 12 volt battery and put a resister in front of the coil and run it. Vidaliaman does that mean you live near Vidalia? We may be neighbors
 
(quoted from post at 18:04:47 05/09/17) any recommendations on a good 6v solar charging system? looked to see if battery tender had one but couldn't find, also i know dc doesn't travel distances as well as ac, would want to run from the roof to the tractor

I have serviced a few automatic gate systems that used a solar panel to charge the system . The thing I did not like was the solar panel would put out 0 to 20 volts depending on the sunlight . Too small of a panel and you won't get enough charge and too big and you will boil your battery . That is the very limited dealings I have had . Maybe a high priced unit ( $100 + ) would do better ?
 
I have a solar panel with associated charger on my electric gate opener. The solar panel is intentionally oversized. The charger/maintainer, which is part of the gate controller is designed so as to properly charge/maintain the battery and does not over charge it.

Dean
 
hi skip, if you look back at one of your recent post i replied to you wanting more info, but it was probably too far back for you to notice, what size 12v battery would you recommend? i was very interested in your post where you could run hard all summer and not need much charging, i live in michigan however i have made my living selling vidalia's to chain stores in the midwest, when i was younger(20's-30's) i would spend 2 months of every year in reidsville, glennville and vidalia selling vidalias north, i have many friends in that area.

my dad's 6 volt is holding a good 6.15 and greater charge which easily turns and fires 2n, however if he continues having issues i will investigate 12v, my 6 volt 8n works great, however i have converted my other fords to 12v


dave
 
" my dad's 6 volt is holding a good 6.15"

That's 50% state of charge. And a constantly discharged battery will sulfate in short order.

And if you put a 12 v battery in it, you can expect the same thing, only quicker.
75 Tips
 
after doing some more on line research even though 6.15 is turning it over it is like you said at 50%, i just put the charger on this battery, my question is how am i sure i have fully charged my 6v battery? 6.7 float? i always worry about over charging, and what tool do you use to get the most accurate charge reading, i am just learning about batteries, between fixing my dads tractor and my off grid cabin soon to be powered by solar i am surprised how much i don't know
 

I have a storage building in the woods. I have a 12 volt battery to run a light when I am back there in the evening. I have a 5 watt panel that is used to charge the battery. The panel has been in place since 2007 and I am on my second battery. The panel does not use a charge controller of any kind.

I have also used similar panels to charge 6 volt batterys without a charge controller. The panel output voltage is usually listed at say 23 volts in maximum sunlight, without a load connected. Once a load is connected the panel voltage will drop significantly. For example, if you connect a 5 watt panel to a 6 volt battery the panel output will drop to battery voltage and gradually increase as the battery charges. A 5 watt panel at 6 volts will output less than 1 amp and only then at full sunlight. There are smaller panels available 1.5 watts (check TSC) if you worry about over charging.

I am not saying charge controllers are no good only that it possible to get along without them, using some common sense on panel size.
 
(quoted from post at 08:21:26 05/10/17)
I have a storage building in the woods. I have a 12 volt battery to run a light when I am back there in the evening. I have a 5 watt panel that is used to charge the battery. The panel has been in place since 2007 and I am on my second battery. The panel does not use a charge controller of any kind.

I have also used similar panels to charge 6 volt batterys without a charge controller. The panel output voltage is usually listed at say 23 volts in maximum sunlight, without a load connected. Once a load is connected the panel voltage will drop significantly. For example, if you connect a 5 watt panel to a 6 volt battery the panel output will drop to battery voltage and gradually increase as the battery charges. A 5 watt panel at 6 volts will output less than 1 amp and only then at full sunlight. There are smaller panels available 1.5 watts (check TSC) if you worry about over charging.

I am not saying charge controllers are no good only that it possible to get along without them, using some common sense on panel size.

With these smaller panels i don't think overcharging will be a problem . This may work well on a 6v battery in this situation . $25 shipped to your house and you can use it on other applications , lawn mower , atv , boat , 12v battery for led shop light , etc .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Windo...9739914&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=112060134523
 
(quoted from post at 12:08:16 05/10/17)
(quoted from post at 08:21:26 05/10/17)
I have a storage building in the woods. I have a 12 volt battery to run a light when I am back there in the evening. I have a 5 watt panel that is used to charge the battery. The panel has been in place since 2007 and I am on my second battery. The panel does not use a charge controller of any kind.

I have also used similar panels to charge 6 volt batterys without a charge controller. The panel output voltage is usually listed at say 23 volts in maximum sunlight, without a load connected. Once a load is connected the panel voltage will drop significantly. For example, if you connect a 5 watt panel to a 6 volt battery the panel output will drop to battery voltage and gradually increase as the battery charges. A 5 watt panel at 6 volts will output less than 1 amp and only then at full sunlight. There are smaller panels available 1.5 watts (check TSC) if you worry about over charging.

I am not saying charge controllers are no good only that it possible to get along without them, using some common sense on panel size.

With these smaller panels i don't think overcharging will be a problem . This may work well on a 6v battery in this situation . $25 shipped to your house and you can use it on other applications , lawn mower , atv , boat , 12v battery for led shop light , etc .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Windo...9739914&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=112060134523

i'll second this. i've got a couple of those low output panels in use here. i was thinking they were one watt, but they might very well be a watt and a half.
 
It won't overcharge with a float charger. All of mine are Battery Tender brand.

A digital meter, even the cheap ones, will give you an accurate voltage reading. But the next test is specific gravity w/ a hydrometer. A load test is usually very reliable.

24 hours after you take the battery off a charger, you should see 6.32-6.35 volts. You will see higher voltage "surface charge" as soon as you take it off the charger.
75 Tips
 
Okay - I absolutely, positively love you guy's. I learn more in a good quibble than I ever could in a good agreement. Works the same way in my marriage. 43 years and still going. Life is good!
 
i sold my 1929 A tudor couple years ago, was going to get a model a pick up but got involved in 68-72 pick ups, miss that tudor, fun to drive and easy to maintain
 
Once I rebuilt the steering box, all new brakes, rebuilt rear end, fixed the leaky radiator, I drive mine 2-3 times a week. Going out for dinner tonight in it!
 
They make 6-volt solar chargers, look at Cabelas or Bass Pro. And these small 12-volt solar chargers are not likely to overcharge a 12-volt car or tractor battery. I use a 3" x 12" charger that produces 2 watts, which is just over 0.1 amp (W=VxA or A=W/V). That the solar charger uses 18 gauge wire is a good clue that the power output is small. I was initially alarmed at the 18 volts to 19 volts my voltmeter was reading when the panel was in full sunlight..., and worried about that. But after sundown, my battery holds at 12.7-volts so all seems to be OK. If it continues to alarm you, you can angle the solar panel a bit and the charging voltage will rapidly decrease; but I don't think that is necessary or desirable. If you have or get a big panel (1' x 4'), then the controller (regulator) would be needed.
 
(quoted from post at 12:29:25 05/10/17)
(quoted from post at 12:08:16 05/10/17)
(quoted from post at 08:21:26 05/10/17)
I have a storage building in the woods. I have a 12 volt battery to run a light when I am back there in the evening. I have a 5 watt panel that is used to charge the battery. The panel has been in place since 2007 and I am on my second battery. The panel does not use a charge controller of any kind.

I have also used similar panels to charge 6 volt batterys without a charge controller. The panel output voltage is usually listed at say 23 volts in maximum sunlight, without a load connected. Once a load is connected the panel voltage will drop significantly. For example, if you connect a 5 watt panel to a 6 volt battery the panel output will drop to battery voltage and gradually increase as the battery charges. A 5 watt panel at 6 volts will output less than 1 amp and only then at full sunlight. There are smaller panels available 1.5 watts (check TSC) if you worry about over charging.

I am not saying charge controllers are no good only that it possible to get along without them, using some common sense on panel size.

With these smaller panels i don't think overcharging will be a problem . This may work well on a 6v battery in this situation . $25 shipped to your house and you can use it on other applications , lawn mower , atv , boat , 12v battery for led shop light , etc .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Windo...9739914&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=112060134523

i'll second this. i've got a couple of those low output panels in use here. i was thinking they were one watt, but they might very well be a watt and a half.

I went through two of these in my fishing boat trying to keep a trolling motor battery topped off. Both failed quite quickly. Then I discovered why - they're not for outdoor use. That's right - a
[b:24280a16e6]solar[/b:24280a16e6] charger not for outdoor use! I now have a 5W panel that is rated for exposure to the elements.
 

ouch, scout. i have one on a dashboard and the other on the inside of a shed window.
 
That's cool I live just outside Statesboro, we eat Vidalia onions all summer. I will take a big one and scoop out the center and fill it with butter and 1/2 of a beef boullion cube add salt and pepper and double wrap it in tin foil and put the scooped out center back on it and grill it until its soft. That thing will make you hurt yourself. As for the battery we just grabbed a small 12 volt battery from Wal Mart and put a white resistor from NAPA in front of the coil and run it. My brother uses the 2N mostly around his house but when I need a small tractor I will walk up and get it out of the barn and go with it. Seems like we have to charge it once maybe twice all summer long. It has the 6 volt starter and it spins over really great but we don't grind on it if it dosent start right up we find out why. I ll check and see what size battery it is for ya tomorrow
 

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