Battery monitor

What did you buy? Spill it! Was it good? Suck?

Moderator: hemingray

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Battery monitor

Postby hemingray » Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:08 pm

Since my Grizzly 700 doesn't have a pull start (like I could use the one on my 660 anyway!), I always worry about battery condition, to the point of considering packing a second one for a jump if needed. I mean, if you are buried in the mountains miles and miles from your truck and your battery dies...

I happened to find this interesting product:

http://www.powerwerx.com/tools-meters/a ... e-atv.html

It's not just a voltmeter, it watches the starting history and alerts you to a downward trend. Kinda cool.
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

User avatar
Kodiak
Is Totally Obsessed
Posts: 577
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:07 pm
Location: colfax

Postby Kodiak » Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:20 pm

that does seem cool. i have also wondered with the cvt transmission is there any way at all to "bump" start an atv?
Angelo

My Business mention ATV Obsession and i will hook you up.
http://www.mygemologist.com
K0HMR
My ATV!!
2006 Kodiak 450
warn 2500 winch, heated hand grips, and full custom skid plates with wrap around steel fender guards :) and 25" Bighorn tires

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Postby hemingray » Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:31 pm

I believe the answer is no - because the engine revs are what engages the clutch, and it would not happen with just the transmission side spinning. My 660 has a rope pull, but it's near impossible to pull. The 700 has nothing. It may have been the compression that told Yamaha to just forget the rope bit on the 700s.
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

User avatar
GrizzlyGuy
Forever On The trail - RIP
Posts: 1411
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:11 pm
Location: Truckee, CA
Contact:

Postby GrizzlyGuy » Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:18 pm

Yeah, since I lost my pull-start capabilities when I upgraded from the 660's to the 700's, I've been sweating that too. Powerwerx makes good stuff and you could get one of these:

Jumper/Booster Cable for PWC & ATV, 10GA cable 12ft. in length

Since I already have both Grizzlies wired with a Powerpole cable going directly to the battery (for powering video cams, connecting to battery maintainers, etc.) I carry this PPL-6 alligator clip cable and a Powerpole extension cable:

Image

Although everything is 12 gauge instead of 10 gauge, I figure that will still allow me to get a jump from someone if needed.
TV For Thrill Seekers: http://AdventureWorld.TV
More Videos: http://GrizzlyGuy.TV
Some More Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATVGrizzlyGuy
Photos: http://www.GrizzlyGuy.com/ATVs
My quad: Grizzly 700, 25" Bighorns, Bash Plates,
Warn 2500 Winch

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Postby hemingray » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:37 pm

Powerpoles! You ham, you!

Since I thought working portable HF would be fun, I thought of taking the FT-897 and a tossable dipole - with a 2nd battery to operate from. If I got really fancy, I would put an isolater on it too, and charge from the ATV and have a 2nd battery with me. Best of all worlds.
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

User avatar
GrizzlyGuy
Forever On The trail - RIP
Posts: 1411
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:11 pm
Location: Truckee, CA
Contact:

Postby GrizzlyGuy » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:16 pm

Yeah baby, Powerpoles rule! Every time I get a new gadget that runs off of 12V, I cut the cable in half and install Powerpoles.

Having a second battery for the radio is the way to go. My portable radio pack has a built-in 9 AHr battery, but when I operated field day from Sardine Peak I hauled a gigantamous 110 AHr battery designed for off-grid solar power use. That sucker weighs about 80 lbs, and I thought I was going to collapse the front rack on my Grizzly every time I hit a bump. :shock:

I ended up operating CW the entire time with the transmitter set below 50W. Completely overkill, but no way did I want to have a dead ATV battery when it was time to pack up and come home.
TV For Thrill Seekers: http://AdventureWorld.TV
More Videos: http://GrizzlyGuy.TV
Some More Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATVGrizzlyGuy
Photos: http://www.GrizzlyGuy.com/ATVs
My quad: Grizzly 700, 25" Bighorns, Bash Plates,
Warn 2500 Winch

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Postby hemingray » Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:02 pm

Wow - 50W. I was figuring QRP at 5 or 10 watts. All my old 75AH AGM batteries are dead (I scored them for free a few years ago from a UPS cell replacement) so I am stuck for awhile until I can afford a decent sized battery of some kind.

I'm all PowerPole on the mobile and some of the base radios. Love 'em.
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

User avatar
GrizzlyGuy
Forever On The trail - RIP
Posts: 1411
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:11 pm
Location: Truckee, CA
Contact:

Postby GrizzlyGuy » Fri Jun 04, 2010 8:16 pm

Here you go Dave: UB12260 12V 26Ah. Nothing fancy, but it will probably run your radio for most of a day and it's only $53. I've got a couple that I keep charged as part of my EMP attack survival gear. :shock:

Here is another nifty gadget since you're a fellow Powerpole junky:

Super Whatt Meter with Powerpoles

Connect that in series with your rig and it will tell you how many Ahr's you've used from your battery so you'll know what you have left. I wish I had logged my battery usage on the field day trip so I'd know what the rig is really doing, but I forgot.

Yeah, 50W was a little overkill for CW. My backpacking rig is only 2W and I've worked JA's with it from my campsites. But it was a contest, and I wanted to get in on my first call as much as possible. Still, 50W is only 1/20th of the power I used to run on CW in contests back when I was a kid. :)
TV For Thrill Seekers: http://AdventureWorld.TV
More Videos: http://GrizzlyGuy.TV
Some More Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATVGrizzlyGuy
Photos: http://www.GrizzlyGuy.com/ATVs
My quad: Grizzly 700, 25" Bighorns, Bash Plates,
Warn 2500 Winch

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Postby hemingray » Sat Jun 05, 2010 10:32 am

Nice price on that battery. One issue is the '897's minimum operating voltage, which turns out to be 11.7v or so. I'm thinking an AGM cell would be better for that reason since they have a bit higher voltage thsn SLA.

Anyway, I would be forced to be QRP - or have only one contact on a charge! I hope by the end of the summer I can get things together for a field trip - Field Day is too soon.

Encouraging look at the high country from here - Snow Mountain is looking very snow-less as well as Quartz and Black Mountains (which are in my fave FR-19 area). Maybe another week or two and I can go up and try things out (I'm sure the north slope roads will still be drifted....)
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

User avatar
GrizzlyGuy
Forever On The trail - RIP
Posts: 1411
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:11 pm
Location: Truckee, CA
Contact:

Postby GrizzlyGuy » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:38 pm

Given the cutoff voltage of your radio, you may need one of these gadgets inline with any non-gigantic battery: MFJ-4416B Battery Voltage Booster, 12V. Or you can get a different model from this guy, but you'll have to wait until he gets done with fishing, camping and riding his quad. :lol:

Yes, it was warm today and the snow is melting fast. I was going to do some scouting tomorrow but Kodiak thinks he can ride on Monday. We'll see what we can see and hopefully we won't both get stuck at the same time trying to hot dog it through a drift. I know I'm in the minority around here, but sorry, winching just ain't no dang fun.
TV For Thrill Seekers: http://AdventureWorld.TV
More Videos: http://GrizzlyGuy.TV
Some More Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATVGrizzlyGuy
Photos: http://www.GrizzlyGuy.com/ATVs
My quad: Grizzly 700, 25" Bighorns, Bash Plates,
Warn 2500 Winch

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Postby hemingray » Sun Jun 06, 2010 8:49 am

Ouch, maybe two batteries and a 12v regulator - those boosters are expensive!

I think I will go up next weekend and see where I can go. FR-19 is very shaded with a lot of north side roads, so I bet I won't get far there. Someone said the gate at Cisco is still closed, but maybe the Bowman gate is open.

I was also thinking Moonrocks - haven't been there since my skillset got a lot better.

I assume that probably Treasure Mt Rd and the other side towards Verdi Peak area are probably OK now? Where were you and Kodiak heading?
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

User avatar
GrizzlyGuy
Forever On The trail - RIP
Posts: 1411
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:11 pm
Location: Truckee, CA
Contact:

Postby GrizzlyGuy » Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:44 pm

Yeah, they are surprisingly pricey for what they do. I can always stick to my 40m QRP rig. It's happy to run off of a 9V battery, but you get a whopping extra few tenths of a watt if you feed it 12V.

I can see Verdi Peak from here. A few days ago there was snow on it, now I don't see any. My guess is that there would still be drifts in the shady spots on the road. We're going to head over that way tomorrow so will report back then.

I'm thinking that Treasure Mtn Road will still have plenty of snow. A lot of it is shady and north-facing. Who knows, maybe we'll take a speed run over to Bear Valley OHV/Little Truckee Summit and check it out. Angelo says he wants to ride in snow until he's stuck and has to be winched out. Been there/done that so I think I'll watch and be the designated line thrower and winch operator. :)
TV For Thrill Seekers: http://AdventureWorld.TV
More Videos: http://GrizzlyGuy.TV
Some More Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATVGrizzlyGuy
Photos: http://www.GrizzlyGuy.com/ATVs
My quad: Grizzly 700, 25" Bighorns, Bash Plates,
Warn 2500 Winch

User avatar
hemingray
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1898
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Auburn, CA

Postby hemingray » Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:24 pm

Those Powerwerx guys have some cool stuff. Check these little lockers:

http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-power ... clips.html

That's better than the homemade Velcro strips I use to keep them together!

And this: http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-power ... -boot.html has ATV written all over it, but they need a plain end cap for it so that you can weather seal it when not plugged in.

This weekend I literally saw the snow melt off of Black and Quartz Mountain. Granted, it's the south and west facing slopes though.

Hope it worked out being the winchER instead of the winchEE out your way.
Wherever I go, there I am

Paynes Creek 2016!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Yamaha Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE
09 Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI 4x4 EPS

ATVUtah
Just realized teal ATV clothes are lame
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:41 pm
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: Battery monitor

Postby ATVUtah » Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:41 pm

I made a simple jump start cable for ATVs that has worked great on several occasions.

It is simply 2 male cigarette lighter plugs with 10 foot of 14ga wire between them. Both plugs have a 15 amp fuse for protection of both the cable and the ATV. It is very compact and coils up in a small pocket sized camera case I found.

You simply plug it into the cigarette lighter/accessory socket on a running ATV and into the accessory socket on the dead ATV (with it's key on for most makes) and then run the good ATV for 20 to 30 minutes. It's not the fastest but is the most compact option I have found. I got the idea from a few commercially made products that are supposed to be able to do the same for a car. I thought they were much larger and more complicated than needed so I made my own with parts from the local auto parts store. I think I spent $3 to make mine.

The commercially made versions are theBlack & Decker BBC2CB Vehicle to Vehicle Battery Booster or the Wagan EL9796 Easy Quick Jumper In-Car Jumpstarter
Have fun, ride safe, keepem wheels down, and see you at the Jamborees,
[url=http://www.atvutah.com/catalog/index.php]Buy my Paiute ATV Trail Guide book I need beer money[/url]

User avatar
Ghost Rider
Just opened an account at Cabelas
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:27 am
Location: GrangeVille, Idaho

Re: Battery monitor

Postby Ghost Rider » Tue Nov 23, 2010 12:13 am

I have a tip that might help that most people don`t think about. If you have a cordless drill that uses a 12 volt to 19 volt battery charge it up and take it with you on your next trip, if you get a dead battery you can use the cordless drill battery to jump start your bike. You need to use a meter to find out witch terminals are positive and negative, then mark the battery so you know, and your set.
2011 Sportsman 550 EPS

Front/Rear Rack Extensions, Rear Lock And Ride Box With Back Rest, Fender Extensions, Heated Grips, Winch, HID Lights, Low Lock And Ride Windshield.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests