I do not use the tool box on the back of my machine so I was thinking of taking it out and building a support bracket to hold a battery. I have an extra deep-cycle marine battery (about the size of a standard car battery), that I want to use to run my winch off from. Someone told me that I should also install a seperate regulator, between the battery and the magneto. Does anyone know how to do this? Do I just install a second regulator for the extra battery and parallel wire it to the magneto?

 

I dont know if hooking up that big of a battery to your bike is a good idea, it may create too much draw and fry everything. I would just mount the batt. and wire the winch to it. After all it is a deep cycle.Its not like it wont last long enough just running a winch. Just charge it every couple rides

 

Battery cannot "draw" too much unless they are completly drained(or have a dead cell) and even then the system will only charge to it's specified limits. So I wouldn't worry too much about that.
The rule of thumb is " you can't have too much battery" . K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) Just run some heavy gauge wiring to it from your existing battery and you'll be fine. It's like a diesel truck they have two batteries that are just connected to each other.
If you want it a little more sophisticated then get a marine/boat style cut out switch. They are easy too hook up and water resistant. The advantage to this system is you can run the winch with no fear of draining you main battery. When you done with the winch switch it back to bath batteries and you'll charge both while your running.

 

I know someone who adds an additional battery curing the winter to operate the winches on his front plow and rear box blade. He claims it helps and it is bolted to a chunk of plywood that he straps to his rear rack.

The plywood had eye hooks to strap the battery down to and a battery isolator like an RV has so the main ATV battery is charged first and the second battery second. I think he even has a plug in so that he has a battery trickle charger to maintain the bateries.

I believe he just connects it to his other battery but the isolater is in there some how as well.

More battery is better, I just have too many tools jammed into that little box just in case so I would not want to take mine off.

SJ

 

Someone told me that hooking the batteries together was not a good idea, sence they are two different types (if both batteries were equivelent then possibly). They suggested to put a regulator for the second battery and spice into the wire that comes from the magneto to the regulator of the OEM battery. When one battery is fully charged it will stop charging that one (no fear of overcharging because of a second battery still needing some charge).

I just don't know how to do that and was wondering if someone knew how.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: buckaroo50

Someone told me that hooking the batteries together was not a good idea, sence they are two different types (if both batteries were equivelent then possibly). They suggested to put a regulator for the second battery and spice into the wire that comes from the magneto to the regulator of the OEM battery. When one battery is fully charged it will stop charging that one (no fear of overcharging because of a second battery still needing some charge).



I just don't know how to do that and was wondering if someone knew how.</end quote></div>

Buck,

A battery isolator is what you need. The 3 batteries on my boat and the 4 batteries in my RV are different makes and sizes and I have a battery isolator.

It makes one battery the "main battery" and as long as it needs a charge the second battery does not get one. When the main battery is fully charged then the isolator switches to the second battery (or batteries) and charges them.

This also works inreverse. Whatever yourun off your spare batteries it will not drain you main battery so you should, in theory, always be able to start off your main battery.

I beleve the charging wire would connect to the isolator and both or all of your batteries will connect to the isolator. There are mechanical isolators and Electronic isolators. I would reccomend an electronic one. Although a mechanical one (which looks like an old automobile starter relay) would be cheaper.

Try looking at a local marine or RV store. They usually come with wiring instructions. All you would need to know is what color is the wire that comes from the ATV's charging system?

SJ

 

Yea Swampy, something like the RV isolator. I don't want both batteries to intefer or work together. I want the AVT battery for ATV stuff and the second battery just for the winch, and maybe some extra lights or what have you. I want them seperate and to charge seperately but have the magneto take care of both but one at a time. Am I making any sense? The deep cycle marine battery should be plenty for the winch and any accesories that I may put on it. Not even sure if it will fit if I take my tool box out because of the vent that is there. If not then I will just put a smaller battery, even a lawnmower battery if I have too. But I know there is a lot of drain on the battery with the 3000# winch that I have. Just figured that an extra battery would help out, if I did it right.

 

If you put the batteries in parallel, meaning + to+ and - to - , all you're doing is effectively making one big battery. They're all compatible as long as they're 12VDC batteries. That being said, you'll have a lot more capacity, but they will only charge together, and once you run them down, it will take longer to charge them back up. I understand what you're trying to do, but I don't know if isolating the batteries is the way to go. You'll run the small one down while charging the big on and vice versa. Maybe google it and see what they use for dual battery charging in trucks. May be something you can apply to your bike.

 

Do you think if I put both batteries together in parallel (+ to +, - to -) and put a toggle switch between the two batteries to break the (+) positive line. This way with the circuit closed it would charge both batteries at the same time and with the circuit open it would only charge the main battery. Actually I can put a switch in that would break both the (+) and (-) lines with one switch. Then if I wired my winch to the second battery, I am always assured that I can keep the main battery fully charged to operate the ATV itself.
This way so to speak the main battery runs the ATV with the second battery as backup and when I use the winch the second battery is the primary source with the ATV battery as the backup.
What I was hoping to figure out was a way for the main battery to have priority about being charged. Once it was fully charged to allow the second battery to be charged, and the second battery to be the primary source for my winch, with the ATV battery helping (but having priority on the charging). I wanted to use a Deep-cycle Marine battery for the winch - I can always fully charge it at home on the charger.

 

Any boat store and some Walmarts carry a switch that is a 1,2,both manual battery isolator. Easy to wire and use.