Hi everyone,

I bought my daughter a 350W electric ATV 2 years ago for Christmas. It's not a bad little machine, but it does have a problem... sometimes it just will not go. The problem is intermittent and random, with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes she can ride for 5 minutes with no problem, and then it dies and will start going again whenever it wants to. Other times, I'll roll it out of the garage and it won't go. Sometimes all the lights go off when this happens, sometimes they don't and you can hear a "click" but it doesn't go.

When this started the company was good enough to send me a new ECU, but that only solved the problem for a while. It's way out of warranty now.

Anyhow, here's the point: I want to bypass all of the electronics and make it just a straight battery to switch to motor connection. IOW, attach the positive cable directly to the motor positive connection and run the negative through a switch and then to the motor negative connection. Push and hold the switch button, and it goes. I'll lose lights and reverse, but that doesn't really matter. At least it will go. I would use a button that you have to hold to keep the circuit closed, like the starter button on an old truck. It will be full throttle or nothing with this setup, but she never uses anything but full throttle anyhow.

What are the issues with this? I'll have to use appropriately sized wire to handle the amps. I'll probably mount the switch on the foot rest so her thumb doesn't get tired. Maybe I'll put in a toggle switch too so it has an on/off switch for when she's climbing on the thing. For charging, I'll flip the on/off switch and just charge it like normal.

It just occurred to me that the motor might ground through it's metal housing. Not likely, but I'll be sure to check that before wiring anything. Maybe it's a one-wire (positive) only setup. I'll see.

Thanks for reading!

 

Toy John Deere Gators are all or nothing on the accelerator, however the shiny plastic "tyres" slip like mad when the child does press the accelerator, giving a more gentle set off than grippy tyres would give. Fitting a solenoid in the circuit, as petrol quads have in the starter circuit, would make life easier, as press buttons which will stand the high ampage of direct connection to the motor, are not easy to find.