How does everybody tend their battery while in storage? - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

jkust · 05-30-2008, 10:06 AM

Hey everybody, I am getting a handle on summarizing for the first time. One of my sleds (the wife's) has electric start but I really don't know what to do to tend the battery so it is not either dead or shot next season. I have always had bad luck with car batteries so I am a little worried. The battery is supposidly one season old and from the looks of it would be a huge chore to remove and you can't even reach the posts since it is inside a case under the dash. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

-Jason

dh700 · 05-30-2008, 10:52 AM

im guessing its your skidoo in your other post.somehow you need to unhook the negative terminal for now and then figure out how to trickle charge the battery.maybe find the other end of the neg. wire and unhook it from the motor/frame.just dont blowyourself up on my 2 cents.

dh700 · 05-30-2008, 10:54 AM

if you unhook the neg. wire wrap elec. tape around it so it doesnt touch metal.good luck,dave

**smallengineguy** · 05-31-2008, 06:20 AM

You won't blow yourself up messing with the negative terminal. That's the best way to do it though, unhook one side and leave it.

BC_Dan · 05-31-2008, 12:05 PM

It's been my experience that unless managed properly, snowmobile batteries and motorcycle batteries go bad really quickly. I would get a smart charger, a trickle charger that will keep the battery up to full charge. Some of them have wiring that you attach to the battery. There is a plug on the other end, when it is time to charge, just plug the charger in to the wiring harness left on the battery. You have to gain access one time only to attach the wires to the battery, then route the harness to a location convenient to you. You can do the same thing with a couple of wires, if you do that, make sure the positive end is shielded (the negative end won't matter) and that the wires won't get in the way of anything mechanical.

Smart trickle chargers are not horribly expensive and can keep that battery lasting for more than one or two years. Sometimes they can even restore a battery that has gone bad, depending on how bad it is.

jagermiester · 05-31-2008, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BC_Dan

It's been my experience that unless managed properly, snowmobile batteries and motorcycle batteries go bad really quickly. I would get a smart charger, a trickle charger that will keep the battery up to full charge. Some of them have wiring that you attach to the battery. There is a plug on the other end, when it is time to charge, just plug the charger in to the wiring harness left on the battery. You have to gain access one time only to attach the wires to the battery, then route the harness to a location convenient to you. You can do the same thing with a couple of wires, if you do that, make sure the positive end is shielded (the negative end won't matter) and that the wires won't get in the way of anything mechanical.

Smart trickle chargers are not horribly expensive and can keep that battery lasting for more than one or two years. Sometimes they can even restore a battery that has gone bad, depending on how bad it is.

X2, Have 3yrs on sled battery and 4yrs on bike battery and 5th year for lawn mower. Easy to use and was only 35 bucks

TCOLLINS · 06-01-2008, 10:31 AM

I put mine in the house and charge once every two months.

Octane · 06-01-2008, 07:03 PM

Just hook it up to a trickle charger over the summer.

ptrapper65 · 06-02-2008, 08:25 AM

^^^ Me too.

IndianRvrShiver · 06-02-2008, 09:13 AM

Take a look here....have been told it's a great product!!
Batterytender.com - Home of All Your Charging Needs