Re: (ET) Bio and intro of new member

Hi John and welcome to the group. I don't post much, but am mostly a reader. I've had my E-20 for two years now and am still pleased with it. I also had a DOA charger in it when I got it, although mine had a bad transformer. Given the technology of that charger, I opted for an automatic charger from a golf cart. I left the old stuff intact and simply made up a service cable --- connected to the same terminals that the orginal charger went to ---- and put an anderson connector on both the service cable and the charger. Its really simple to connect, charge, I don't have to watch it. I couldn't be happier with the results. Just wanted to tell you about this option.

Darryl

John Gislason <zoo_keeper_johng yahoo com> wrote:

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

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