atv to car battery

[redneck999]

i am sure some one has switched from the dinky battery to a larger car car battery, so any advice? ive got enough bits and bobs on my atv that i feel i need to step up, i keep a float charger on it but i left it unplugged for about a week and it was dead and it a fairly new battery from advance auto, im probably gonna add a cb radio in the future and i think the only thin that has a constant draw is the clock in the dash and the memory for the stereo

2012 cf moto x5 500 lwb

Edited November 23, 2020 by redneck999

[mikeexplorer]

Keeping the clock in the dash going draws very little power, should not have drained the battery in a week. There could be something else drawing power that shouldn't be. If you have a meter, measure the current draw off the battery with the machine off. Then start pulling one fuse at a time to see what is drawing the current.

I would have the battery tested (places do it for free) you could have a battery issue as well. I would also test the voltage at the battery with the quad off and with it running.

If you put a larger car battery in, you realize the charging rate from your regulator would mean the battery would take a long time to charge up.

 

Mike

 

[davefrombc]

If your ATV is a newer one with electronic ignition that will also be drawing a tiny but constant current. Add that to the clock, stereo  and any other accessory that must maintain memory settings and the draw on the battery can be significant over a week or more. I have to keep a maintainer on my Sierra because it sits idle for long periods , otherwise the battery goes flat from all those little draws adding up. As  Mike mentioned , the alternator in ATVs is minimal so run time to fully charge a large battery could be significant. It doesn't take long storing a lead / acid battery at less than full charge for sulphate to  slowly build up and significantly reduce battery capacity. More to consider......If you have a side by side you might find room for a big battery, but not so easy on smaller rigs. Then you gotta consider the battery itself. Do you really want a flooded battery in your ATV ? Most get some pretty significant jostling and way off camber use . Acid leaking out of a flooded batter can wreck  havoc, and large SLA batteries can be $$$$$. Unless maintaining memory in accessories and the clock is a must to  you, I would suggest instead of trying to shoehorn a bigger battery in ,just install a disconnect switch  to shut down all power when the ATV will  e parked for  a few days or more. Resetting the clock if it's important doesn't take  long .  A CB or HAM radio gear doesn't draw any more power receiving than any other broadcast radio. They only draw more while key down transmitting, so adding one to your accessories isn't going to affect your battery load to any  degree.

Just my rambling thoughts on adding a bigger battery .. It can be boiled down to  simply saying " It isn't worth the trouble and expense".

[Impala_ss]

I had the same issue with one of mine and for some reason it was the winch.  Switched the power to a switched source and it solved the problem.

[maximus06r1]

Need more POWER!! 

Blahaha!!!

[redneck999]

i deff need more power, i would love to load my wheeler with electronics

[redneck999]

Wife wanted a radio so we got a radio, now she wants a sort of soft top so she wont get sunburned damn redheads, i want electronic toys but running out of room in front trying to keep rain and snow out of it

[mikeexplorer]

7 hours ago, redneck999 said:

i deff need more power, i would love to load my wheeler with electronics

I have seen people do this, even replace the battery with a bigger one, but you have to keep in mind the stator only puts out so much power and if you exceed it, even with a bigger battery, you will be drawing it down as you ride and eventually, your dead in the water.

 

Mike

 

[Impala_ss]

Sounds like you need a fully enclosed UTV with heat and A/C.

 

[redneck999]

i know, ive been looking at trackers to cage

[bodon]

I had the same problem.I put a switch in the line that keeps everything "alive" when the ATV is off. Clock etc. That solved the problem. Hasn't failed to start since I put the switch in.  Mine is a 2011 850 Sportsman. I only have 1300 miles on it and  is in showroom condition. I've had this problem for years and can find nothing wrong. So either my Polaris has a hidden problem or the batteries today are all junk. I'm on my 4th battery.  However this one (since I put the switch in) is holding up just fine and hasn't failed to start or even turn over slowly yet. Problem solved.

[redneck999]

wife is sorta tired of sitting behind me and her hints lean to a side by side but there is no sxs money here, cheaper to cut up a tracker or a vitara 4dr, already street legal with options just have to waterproof everything and have room for my dog. the cfmoto is on 2nd battery i think from advance, lawn tractor battery is bigger as was car battery so my obvious thought was bigger is better, thought somehow you would do like a car, get a higher output alternator, i see pics of rigs loaded like crazy and wonder how. we mostly run around in town and go north to trail ride

[davefrombc]

The thing is , a rig  can be loaded with accessories-- stereos,  lights, and  whatever other accessory you  can think of  but they are not all running at the same time. A stereo radio draws very little current. Older  high powered incandescent lights drew a lot of current, but  new  LED ones draw very little for the same output.  For example a 100W  incandescent  lamp  will pull nearly 10  amps  while the same light output from a LED  light will only  pull  about 1 amp  or a little less.  Rigs  like  my  HAM radio  HF transmitter  draw up to 20  amps on transmit but that is only when  key down. Receiving it draws no  more than   a music stereo.  Even  small ATV batteries easily regain the current used on transmit  when the engine is running and the radio is in receive mode.

The only time a vehicle needs a bigger alternator is when  it is running high powered  accessories constantly . Turn   a 1000w  stereo  amp  on and run it full  blast or run  a winch on your 4x4  for long periods and you need a bigger  alternator   and battery  to  power them, but listen to  a normal  radio  or run an  auxiliary LED  light  or hand warmers and the stock setup should handle it easily.  It doesn't matter how big a battery  you  have, if the  alternator can't put out enough current to recharge it while  all the accessories are running at the same time. For normal  operation and accessories usually found on an  ATV, the stock battery is all that's needed.

 

 

 

 

[redneck999]

right now about the only thing we will be running is the stereo, my cb, i have a hand held baofeng but will probable be adding a led flood light, oh and my wifes 12 volt electric blanket girl is always cold and i am hot

[davefrombc]

The only thing that will draw any appreciable power is the electric blanket. A quick search on them  showed me ones that ran  from a  meager 4w to  60w.  A 60w one would draw about 5 amps.  That might be close to the output of some of the smaller quad's stators.  Your stereo would likely  draw between 1 amp at normal volume and  maybe  2 amps cranked up. It would have to be a fairly  powerful  one to draw 5 amps at ridiculous volume settings.  a 4w CB might draw  about 2 amps at  max.  A legal  output of 4w am or 12w SSB would only require about 0.3A at 100 % efficiency, so  giving it 1 amp to  power  the transmitter  should be  more than enough.  Stereo  cranked, electric blanket on  and transmitting on the CB all together would likely  max out  an older  small quad's stator. Newer quad's generally have more output  than the  older ones . I've seen  quotes of up to  35 amps for  some of them . Most forums mention 15 to 25  amp output on ATV  stators, so  I can  only guess that older small  quads would likely have outputs of  5 to  10  amps and  newer ones between  15  and 35 amps.  At  10  amps  output a stator would be delivering about  140 W  to the system.  Even at 5 amps  there is  60 watts available to power everything and charge the battery.   You really don't  need a monster battery to deliver power for even the most heavily accessorized  quads when the motor is running .