[TheRider]

My wheeler starts fine and after about 10 minutes of plowing the battery light comes on and I have to rev it up to get the plow to move. Also if the headlights are on for more than a half hour the battery light will start flashing. I replaced the battery last summer, any other idea what it could be?
Thanks

 

[FPD218]

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[FPD218]

Sounds like you have an issue either with your stator or your voltage regulator. Are you using a battery tender in between plowing jobs? when the engine is running at 3,000 RPMs the voltage should be somewhere around 14 - 14.5 volts at the battery

 

[bp405]

Test of voltage at the battery while the machine is running at 3,000 RPM. Should read between 13.5 and 14.5 volts DC. The problem is when you're plowing you're using all those high wattage accessories like heaters and the winch but you're not getting the machine up to a charging voltage hence the battery dies down because the wattage of the stator can't satisfy the draw of all those accessories.

 

[latebird]

Install an ammeter in the battery positive lead - start the engine and turn all the accessories - increase engine rpm until the meter is reading ZERO amps - the RPM of the engine at that point is the break even point (the charging system is supplying all the current drawn by the electrical equipment) - at the break even point, the battery is neither being charged or discharged. Now raise the engine RPM until the ammeter is indicating 1 amp - this is the speed the engine needs to be operated at for 5 to 10 hours to fully charge the battery. Any time the engine speed is below the break even RPM, the battery is discharging - if the engine is operated at below break even RPM for longer periods of time than above the break even RPM, the battery is dying while the vehicle is in operation.

 

[TheRider]

Thank you everyone for the advice

 

[Brad Lehmann]

If your charging system is good, think about shedding some load. Can you perhaps not use the lift on the plow as often or as much lift each time? Headlights could be possibly switched to LED to save a little bit of draw on the battery. You might also want to check if there is a larger battery available that will fit in the battery tray and still have all the clearance needed. As for battery tenders; I wish that I had bought one years ago. It is really nice to have a fully charged battery at the start of every job.

 

[FPD218]

If your charging system is good, think about shedding some load. Can you perhaps not use the lift on the plow as often or as much lift each time? Headlights could be possibly switched to LED to save a little bit of draw on the battery. You might also want to check if there is a larger battery available that will fit in the battery tray and still have all the clearance needed. As for battery tenders; I wish that I had bought one years ago. It is really nice to have a fully charged battery at the start of every job.

to the forum

 

[Brad Lehmann]

View attachment 148925 to the forum View attachment 148926

thanks