Flying Lead for Trickle Charging

[brewdexta]

I think I may make up some leads with Anderson Powerpole 30 amp connectors.

Some decent ring crimps on one end 10awg/6mm2 cable then one of these. They are used for golf buggy batteries amongst other things do sound good enough. I just need to hang a sign in the bobcat to stop me setting off with the charger still connected.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Use the 50a rather than the 30a andersons.
They have holes in the body.
Bolt the car side firmly in place.
Tie a bit of paracord onto the charger side and fix it to the wall at the same height as the car socket and adjust the length so the cord pulls the plug out before the wires get strained.

 

[brewdexta]

Use the 50a rather than the 30a andersons.
They have holes in the body.
Bolt the car side firmly in place.
Tie a bit of paracord onto the charger side and fix it to the wall at the same height as the car socket and adjust the length so the cord pulls the plug out before the wires get strained.

NIce one. I see you can get a bulkhead version too, I can put one somewhere on the bobcat, possibly the rear engine cover, the lead should slip out nice and easy if I forget.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I permanently wired the 12v leads in the boot. The charger lived in the boot and I just plugged it into the mains as required.

Fine, except some vehicles advise charging/jump starting at the underbonnet points, something to do with clever onboard electronics and not the fact that the battery lives in the boot..

 

[rtcosic]

Fine, except some vehicles advise charging/jump starting at the underbonnet points, something to do with clever onboard electronics and not the fact that the battery lives in the boot..

True. Just check the handbook. Mine was quite vociferous about earthing the charger via the body earth point and not the battery. Presumably for some such reason. A rebadged CTek was an OEM accessory and recommended wiring that way.

The previous car had a positive terminal under the bonnet for jump-starting and the handbook was silent on earth points for charging.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

True. Just check the handbook. Mine was quite vociferous about earthing the charger via the body earth point and not the battery. Presumably for some such reason. A rebadged CTek was an OEM accessory and recommended wiring that way.

The previous car had a positive terminal under the bonnet for jump-starting and the handbook was silent on earth points for charging.

Mine has dedicated points for both +/-, besides which the battery is a pain to access behind the boot trim .

 

[Brad93]

Have literally just been thinking about this today and here there is a thread on the very subject!

 

[Prajna]

I thought about using the sort of connector you often find on wall-wart power supplies for doing this. They cannot be short-circuited and the polarity cannot be got wrong. I think you can get sockets with a rubber cover to keep them clean and dry; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112511902234?hash=item1a323b621a:g:gpcAAOSwpB5etDcJ
If the socket doesn't have a rubber cap, just leave an un-connected plug in there to keep out the dirt. It would be wise to put a fuse in the line between battery and socket.

The solution I finally went for is that I fitted a home made "volts alarm box" (cost next to nothing) and when the battery volts falls to about 11V, a buzzer goes off and I nip out with the battery charger. I think it benefits the battery to always keep it above 10V volts or the life expectancy declines.

12.2v is a lead acid battery that is 50%, i.e FULLY discharged and already deteriorating due to sulphation. Lead acid batteries like to be fully charged at all times and begin to sulphate whenever they are less than fully charged. Obviously we can't have our cake and eat it but lead acid should be recharged as quickly as possible, deteriorating more quickly the deaper the discharge and the longer it is left before recharge.

 

[Prajna]

True. Just check the handbook. Mine was quite vociferous about earthing the charger via the body earth point and not the battery. Presumably for some such reason. A rebadged CTek was an OEM accessory and recommended wiring that way.

The previous car had a positive terminal under the bonnet for jump-starting and the handbook was silent on earth points for charging.

The reason to earth to the body rather than the battery is so that any spark from disconnecting the lead will not be close to the battery where it might ignite the hydrogen evolved from the charging battery.