Re: (ET) Alltrax, key switch, and charge/run switch

[Charlie <medievalist gmail com>]

Speaking from near-total ignorance, I personally would not want a
brake that used power.  I'm not organized and mindful enough for that.

I'd hop off to do something quick, some crisis would occur (probably
involving the missus or kids) that would pull me away, I'd forget
about the tractor, and then when the batteries finally gave out I'd
hear a big splash as the tractor rolled down the bank and flipped
upside down in the stream...

--Charlie


On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 2:02 PM, Steve Gaarder
<gaarder ecovillage ithaca ny us> wrote:
> I just installed an Alltrax in my NiCd-powered E15.  Nice and smooth!  I 
> do
> have a couple questions about how it is wired up:
>
> The Alltrax instructions, which I followed, have the controller powered 
> on
> all the time except when the charge/run switch is set to "charge."  I
> presume this is so that the anti-roll feature is active most of the 
> time. My
> concern about this is that if the tractor is on a slope and the charge
> switch is thrown, it could start rolling at a time when the user is not
> prepared to handle it.  I think it would be better to have the key switch
> shut off all power to the Alltrax.  THen, if it were to roll, the driver
> would still be on the tractor and can do something about it.  Are there 
> any
> drawbacks to doing it this way?
>
> I would like to replace the charge/run switch with a relay activated when
> the charger is turned on.  THe only downside I see to this is that the
> batteries will be connected back to the Alltrax while the voltage is 
> still
> quite high from the charging.  Is this likely to be an issue?  What is 
> the
> max voltage the Alltrax should ever see?
>
> thanks,
>
> Steve Gaarder
>
>
>
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