It all depends on where you live and how much sun you get. Many so-called solar battery maintainers are only 5-15 watt which is very little.
Here in New York, a 5 watt solar panel can make about 1/10 th of an amp at 14 volts under normal sun conditions. Obviously, if you want even 1 amp, you need a 25-50 watt panel.
I have solar battery chargers on two of my old backhoes. Both have 80 watt panels and regulators. That's a bit overkill, but they work very well. Keep in mind that panels are sold by max ratings - and in reality, it rarely happens. An 80 watt panel is apt to make 40-50 watts at the best time of day when the sun is out. That comes to 3-4 amps of DC charge current.
A 15 watt panel is about the useful minimum in the northeast. It will make 1/2 to 3/4s of an a amp at 14 volts charge. If you live out west with a lot more sun, something smaller will work.
A big battery needs near a 1 amp charger just to offset the normal self-discharge rate. A smaller battery can be maintained with less.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - What Oil Should I Use? - by Francis Robinson. I keep seein this question pop up over and over again in discussion groups all over the web. As with many things there are often several right answers and a few wrong ones. Some purist I'm sure will disagree to no end with what I will tell you but most of us out here in the real world don't really care do we ? Some of them only bring their noses down out of the air long enough to look down them anyway. If you are like me you are only doing this old tractor stuff because you enjoy it. You
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
