[akrug]

Last ran my quad 2 weeks ago, its kept in an uninsulated shed at the camp i own. temps since then have been in the 10+'s and 20's. went to camp tonite to make sure everything is OK for a ride im going on tomorrow(FIRST SNOW FALL!) and there wasnt enough juice to turn the machine over. pushed the quad into camp so im near an electric outlet in the morning and will plan on jumping it with a battery tender and letting it idle for 30 or 45 minutes to recharge the battery before loading it up in the truck and taking it to where im riding.

My question is, is it normal for that low of temps to be killing my battery? or do you think there is an issue with the battery? I leave the killswitch in the off position when its parked for long periods of time. During my regular summer maintenance i made sure the battery was refilled with distilled water so that shouldnt be an issue.

Thanks for any future insights.

 

[Gangle04]

those temps shouldnt effect your battery at all only when its really cold -30+ i leave my quads outside and never had a problem with a good battery freezing or losing enough power that i couldnt start my machine until below -35 then i get a couple cranks n shese dead ....have you load tested your battery????....i had a new battery in my quad before it got impounded and it was impounded most of the winter weaks of -40c and in the spring when i got it out it fired right up....have you ever froze your battery? to the point where cells might be cracked and then u lose alot of your voltage and it might start in warm conditions but not in cold

 

[GaleHawkins]

Age and parked without a tender charger can do a number on a battery. The an AGM battery next time because they do not self discharge at the rate of a FLA battery assuming that is what you currently have. If the battery is dying not sure what idling will help. If the battery is failing it may not take a charge very well.

 

[Kme743]

Definitely keep it on a battery tender if it will sit for an extended period of time. And I would, for good measure, have the battery tested before you go for any type of long ride. It might leave you stranded

I had a Yamaha warrior start fine, maybe a little slower than normal but ok in my eyes. Rode for an hour and stopped for a break. Got back on and click click click nothing. Good thing was I was able to bump start it. Unfortunately we don't have that luxury with these machines

 

[akrug]

looks like ill be stopping for a new battery in the morning and having a load test done on the old one. Wouldnt hurt to have an extra battery anyways.

 

[Gangle04]

oh i forgot check ur batt terminals to make sure connections are tight if there a little loose the quad will start and run sometimes but not charge the battery so next time you go to start it its dead

 

[PineTree]

...letting it idle for 30 or 45 minutes to recharge the battery before loading it up in the truck and taking it to where im riding....

Two points if I may...
(1) In most cases, idling will actually drain a battery because the alt/gen system will not put out enough to both run the machine and charge the battery. At an idle, most systems will be running off the battery and will not be receiving a charge.

(2) Depending on the system, it may take as much as 30 minutes of running at above idle speeds to replace the charge used to start the machine.

...My question is, is it normal for that low of temps to be killing my battery?...

Both high and low temps play on a battery's efficiency. If the battery was not in a good state of charge to begin with, large changes in temp can negatively affect a battery fairly quickly.

Last but not least, most batteries display the CCA (cold cranking amps) rating. It's important to know if your battery's CCA rating is at 0*F or 32*F - big difference when temps begin to drop.

 

[GaleHawkins]

looks like ill be stopping for a new battery in the morning and having a load test done on the old one. Wouldnt hurt to have an extra battery anyways.

Due to the abusive nature of not having 120 volts for a tender I would really only consider an AMG (absorpant gas mat) because they do not self discharge and typically last longer because they do not have the acid in a liquid form running around inside the cells and do not damage from physical trauma as bad as a FLA (flooded lead acid) battery that is much cheaper.

2002 Polaris 325cc All Models ATV Batteries

When we get the other 325 running we are going to need a new battery to replace the old FLA battery that died and created rust and this link has five options. The last two are high end Lithium based technology which is new to me so click on one of them for more tech info.

They sound idea in a technical sense for the the remotely parked atv that can go months without usage. It is cool they do not require special charging systems but will work with the OEM Polaris charging system. Not sure how they are at winching. I read they can give up twice of amount of stored energy as acid based batteries. Since they are so much lighter I expect we will be seeing more of them being used more than for power tools like today.

 

[akrug]

Well, i showed up the next morning and the quad turned right over. Rode it all day, almost 65 miles, turned on and off about half dozen times and never had an issue. I dont know whats goin on. I think ill buy a spare battery to have on hand.