(ET) Bio and intro of new member

[John Gislason <zoo_keeper_johng yahoo com>]

Hello group,

My name is John G, I have been refered to this list by
Keith Stieg, and I recently purchased an E12 from the
East Coast and had it shipped to MN.

I'm SHORT on money, I spent pretty much everything I
have for the tractor and shipping.  I was fortunate
enough to meet Keith before I agreed to the purchase
and he has offered some very valueable advice.  He
also helped me out with a snow "thrower" that I am
VERY pleased to have even if it's not the ideal snow
tool.

I have read most posts thru page 13, and a smattering
of those forward.  I have a few questions and
expierences to share.

My "new" E12 will replace a 15 year old Lawn-Boy and a
22 year old John Deere 826 Snowblower that I converted
to 230Vac about six years ago.  I have read on this
list that 1 electric Hp ~= 3 gasoline (IC), well
that's VERY optomistic.  My John Deere WAS 8 Hp IC,
and it is now 5 Hp electric.  I would say that it
performs more like a 10 Hp IC than anything more, and
I have used the 1032 models.  This thing just works,
and very well.  I never run out of fuel, need to
change oil, or have trouble starting it.  I will still
retain my B&D 18" 24Vdc electric rotary mower for
those "tight spots" in my yard.

My biggest issue is batteries.  I know that 6 new
Trojans or similar, would be optimal, but that's just
not an option for the forseeable future due to budget.
 I have bodged in 3 12V Gp 31 batteries as a stop-gap
"get it working" solution.  I found the charger
shorted due to a bad timer (Thanks Larry E.), and am
about to check the open crkt output both with the cap
in and out of the circuit.  I had to jump the
disconnect because they had obviously used it for a
"kill" switch and burned it up.  I will order a
replacement from Bill when I get funds.

My biggest concern with batteries is charging and
battery life.  I have found listed on a yahoo groups
list for the "Corbin Saprrow" (an EV with a dedicated
following) that if you can control the max voltage
applied to a batteries termnals from some form of
regulator attached accross the terminals, you can far
more safely and effectively "equalize" the string. 
With multiple "taps" the ET's have, I would think this
is of paramount imortance.  I have found many
referances to series, shunt, and a combination
regulator using a Zener diode, resistors, and a dump
load to control the terminal voltages and hold them to
under 15.2Vdc (for a 12V nominal battery).  Would this
be possible to make for our E-Traks?

I also don't like the idea of this charger running
when it's not necessary using resources for nothing
basically. I use an appliance timer that has a
stand-by draw on the order of a few watts, which is
FAR better than the charger itself.  I can also turn
the charger on and off up to 6x/day, at varying
lengths, to allow for a full charge and equalization.

Is there any way to check or fix my battery gauge? I
have the Homeowner's Service Manual, but I don't see
anything about the gauge itself.

In closing, I have found much valueable advice on this
list.  I continue reading thru it, and Bill Gunn will
get ALL my money for parts as I feel it is critical to
support the small buniness person, and not the
mulit-billion corporation(s).  Not to mention, I
respect what he has done for us.

JohnG
'74 E12, mower & thrower


        
                
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th
http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html