Lawn Tractor Solar Charger
 

I have a John Deere Lawn tractor and I want to connect a solar battery
charger to the battery becuase recently I've been having to jumpstart
it after sitting up for a long period of time. Has anyone done this?
Is there a down side to attaching a solar batter charger? The tractor
sit for 2 to 3 weeks between uses. Thanks in advance for your advice.

On 2005-07-28 16:08:37 -0400, said:

I have a John Deere Lawn tractor and I want to connect a solar battery
charger to the battery becuase recently I've been having to jumpstart
it after sitting up for a long period of time. Has anyone done this?

I haven't with a tractor but I have solar panels. You should have no problem.

Is there a down side to attaching a solar batter charger?

Nope. It will trickle charge the battery. I assume the battery is 12v?


The tractor
sit for 2 to 3 weeks between uses. Thanks in advance for your advice.



--
PCs, like air-conditioners, are useless when you open Windows.

You can use a solar cell to recharge the battery as long as the cell
puts out a voltage higher than the battery. However, if the battery
loses charge over a couple of weeks, it's probably got a low-grade
internal short (leakage) that drains the charge. This is normal as lead
acid batteries age. Eventually, the leakage will take up all the current
that the solar cell puts out and the battery will not charge.

At $39 for a solar cell, you're probably better off buying a new battery.

G Henslee wrote:
wrote:

I have a John Deere Lawn tractor and I want to connect a solar battery
charger to the battery becuase recently I've been having to jumpstart
it after sitting up for a long period of time. Has anyone done this?
Is there a down side to attaching a solar batter charger? The tractor
sit for 2 to 3 weeks between uses. Thanks in advance for your advice.


May need a deep cell battery. Harbor Freight has 5 watt solar panels
for $39.