Re: (ET) RE: Elec-trak Digest, Vol 2, Issue 97

["T Humphrey" <thumphrey mynra com>]

I have had good luck with Sams Club Stowaway GC-2 Batteries. (T-
105 equiv. built by Exide)

I have also had pretty good success *repairing* cracks in battery 
cases with hot melt glue. Still, though, you're going to need new 
batts soon. How about used batts from your friends golf course. 
Offer him ten bucks a piece, he only gets 5 for a core anyway.

I figure it this way, ten bucks each last for a year, or 50 bucks 
each, last for 5 years, same price either way. If the used ones 
last longer, then they are cheaper. As a point - I have NEW batts 
in my ET.


Stay Charged!
Hump


>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Klein Robert W NPRI [mailto:KleinRW Npt NUWC Navy Mil] 
>Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 12:47 PM
>To: 'elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu'
>Subject: (ET) RE: Elec-trak Digest, Vol 2, Issue 97
>
>
>Battery Choices Forced:  I did a really stupid thing the other 
night.  Used
>my very robust 0-150VDC Army issue battery charger to do 
a "gassing" charge
>to the Die Hard GC2 Golf Car batteries in my Wheel Horse C-185 
(AKA Elec
>Trak E-20) tractor.  These batteries had been grossly neglected 
(left to sit
>for two years with maybe a 10% charge on them).  I topped off 
cells with a
>combination of Distilled water and EDTA (a heavy metal chelating 
compound
>that reduces the strength between the lead sulfate and lead 
sulfide plates
>causing  the sulfates to fall free of the plates).  I was truly 
amazed that
>before the EDTA I could run the tractor about ten minutes of 
mowing before
>it became so sluggish it barely got back to the garage.  After 
the EDTA was
>added and the batteries run through a couple of cycles, the 
tractor would
>run for an hour.  That's where I made my mistake.  Got a little 
cocky with
>my little knowledge and tried to do a "gassing" charge.  The 
onboard charger
>puts out a!  round 42vdc.  I used my super duper Army charger and 
cranked up
>the voltage to around 50vdc (4-6 amps I think).  You could here 
the
>electrolyte bubbling away.  I figured the cap vents would take 
care of any
>pressure buildup.  BOY WAS I MISTAKEN.  There was a LOUD report, 
a brief
>flash of light and I was done!  Seems that I forgot the part 
about cracking
>open/removing the plugs.  The internal pressure cracked the top 
of one of
>the batteries half way around the top of the case.  Needless to 
say I shut
>everything down in a hurry.  Spent the next half hour 
decontaminating the
>area with baking soda and water.  Amazingly enough there wasn't a 
whole lot
>of acid sprayed about.  
>
>So now I've got a set of 5-6vdc lead acid GC2 batteries with a 
little life
>left in them.  I figure that just adding a new 6vdc battery is 
not going to
>be the best move here.  
>
>So now that I've finished practicing for my Mad Scientist merit 
badge I post
>this question:  What batteries do you recommend I replace them 
with.  A
>friend at the local golf course can probably get me a new set of 
Trojan
>T-105's at cost.  I'm leaning that way but wonder if now would be 
a good
>time to consider other types?
>
>Bob Klein
>Charlestown, RI
>WH C-185
>WH A-65
>York Rake
>Lifting rear hitch
>Snow plow
>Mower
>SPARE PARTS!
>Recently sold: Electrak E-20
>
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