I often use my King Quad to retrieve mail and the newspaper, maybe 5-minutes of running time at different RPMs. Is that enough run time to recharge the battery from starting it?

 

Hey, hows it going? I miss those old threads, and your words of wisdom.


Depends...on temperature, how long the motor had to crank,condition of the battery, whether or not lights are on and how much idleing.
If you have a voltmeter, you could keep an eye on the resting voltage(and depending on air temp. it should be 12.6 volts or better), and cranking voltage(which should be above 10 volts). Then leave the volt meter hooked up, and make sure the volts from the charging system get to 14.5 volts or so at 3000 rpm.
You could get a battery tender, keep it hooked up, and not have to worry about the battery til it dies. Ive seen them advertized for 19 bucks, so they arent that expensive, and itll work on all 12 volt batteries,like the car and truck too.

 

I have a trickle charger, but that involves removing the seat and accessory wires & reverse procedure to ride it. Guess I'll just play it by ear and if it runs down, recharge it.

 

The best way to solve any issues with this in the future is to just get out and ride a little more when your out picking up the mail etc. If the quad sits and idles it wont charge either, you need to have it under a load driving etc.

 

I use it primarily as a utility machine, firewood and clearing slash. I normally do that one day a week with exploring on a monthly basis due to other priorities. If it does run down from inactivity, a spare battery may be in order.

 

I'd recommend getting a battery tender. They come with a quick connect cord which is really nice. One end stays connected to the battery at all times, and all you do when you are ready to ride is unplug the ends of the quick connects. When you are done riding, just reconnect the quick connects to start charging your battery again.