Winter Storage Hack: Battery Wraps

Winter is coming.

It’s approaching that time of year for many of us – where the machines are going to hibernate for a few months of muck and ice.

While it’s fairly common practice to run a battery maintainer (trickle charger) to keep your machine’s battery good and charged through the frigid months, we’ll let you in on a little secret from the ATV Connection workshop – consider using a battery wrap in addition.

Not only do they trap and neutralize battery acid should some escape, they encapsulate heat generated by the trickle charge. Chemical reactions responsible for charging slow as temperature decreases while discharge speed increases. A wrap eliminates some of this cold weather wear and makes your charger have to work less.

We opt for Thermo Tec’s Heat Barrier, which, thanks to a self adhesive enclosure allows you to secure a battery of just about any size and includes the base pad, though the science behind this hack holds regardless of which make you choose.

Backyard engineers have successfully adapted titanium exhaust wrapping and even water pipe aluminum/ wool insulation in a pinch.