You can also charge your ATV at the workplace if you work somewhere where you can plug in your vehicle and leave it there until you need it next. Just make sure you remove as much clutter as possible and keep the space as clear as possible. For example, a Li-Ion battery at 12.9V is only at about 25% SOC, while a GEL-cell battery at the same voltage is considered fully charged, or 100% SOC. How to Charge & Maintain ATV/UTV Batteries - MotorcycleZombies.com Hi, Im Haavard, the guy behind Boost ATV. 2023 ATV Legion. These include but are not exclusive to a standalone battery charger, trickle charger, bench-style charger, automatic charger, and intelligent charger. Your first step should be to visually examine the battery for any signs of damage. Its definitely worth the money to get a decent charger, and youll be glad you have it when you need it. Charging an ATV battery at 10 amps would overheat it and damage it permanently. If your ATV is going to be sat still without being used for a prolonged period of time, especially in colder weather, it is worth investing in a smart charger/battery charger to maintain your ATV battery life. Begin by connecting the positive (red) lead to the positive battery terminal. Use the table from step 5 as guidance. Some batteries only need a couple of hours on the charger to reach a full charge, while others may need a full day or more. The typical ATV battery charge time is about 5-10 hours, but the exact duration depends on the batterys state of charge, battery size, charging current, battery type, and outside temperature. Before you hook up the charger, you need to identify what type of battery you have. Place it directly away from the battery. The caps are either threaded or pull-out style. Make sure you have enough time to charge the battery to full charge, or it will sulfate. And, it has a fuse to protect from power surges. They have a flat top with no filling ports or caps. You will then need to fully charge the battery. They are also one of the more common types of batteries used in ATVs, dirt bikes, and ATV military vehicles. 7 Warning Signs of a Bad ATV Starter Solenoid, A Beginners Guide on How to Ride an Automatic ATV, Preparing Your ATV for Storage: The Ultimate Checklist. The charger needs to be apart from your battery. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this article, please feel free to contact me. Make sure your ground connection is clean as well. It will have some vital information on what to do and not do when charging your battery. You can use a specially formulated battery cleaner to help you get it off. You should monitor it as it charges, switching off after approximately six hours. This charger will turn itself off when the battery is full saving you costly damage that can occur from leaving a battery on a charger for too long. Ensure that the charger is in the correct setting for your battery. Step 1: Locate the Battery on Your ATV I'm an ATV and offroad-enthusiast, an engineer, a farmer, and an avid home-mechanic. Lead batteries are one of the oldest types of batteries to exist. If left to sit, there is a certainty of the battery becoming drained and flat. You should be able to easily see where the battery is at this point. The charge time will vary depending on the manufacturer and model of the battery. The average ATV owner should charge the battery to a full charge using an external battery charger once every 1 to 2 months. The charge rate determines how fast the battery is charged. A good battery will have clear indicators for the positive terminal and the negative. Whether this is for a full charge or float mode, you can avoid jumping-start batteriesaltogether. All the charger is doing providing a small maintenance charge to keep the battery fully charged. 2- During the winter or long periods of no use. Some people prefer the Battery Tender 1.25 amp found here on Amazon, which is fine, they work great too. After connecting the head clips of the cables properly, it's time to plug in the charger to a socket. When you have made this mistake once, you will never leave the house without a fully charged battery again. Attach the jumper cables to the battery. However, this doesnt mean you can increase the charge output indefinitely to speed up the charge time. You could use trickle charger for this as well, just make sure you get one that shuts off when the battery is charged or you could damage the battery. How does an ATV charge its battery? - BoostATV.com It also helps if you charge it in a well-ventilated area, so the battery does not overheat and shortens its life span. Can you charge an ATV battery with a car battery? Once you have determined that your charger is compatible, then its time to connect them. Then you need to do some troubleshooting to identify what is draining your battery. There is one individual cap for each cell or a strip that ties several caps together. Switching the car on is dangerous because a car battery is much stronger in voltage and output than an ATV battery. How To Charge the ATV Batteries [DIY Guide] - RiVud The battery could die from leaving the key on or maybe a power wire is shorting somewhere draining the battery. Never use a constant current manual charger to charge a GEL-cell battery, only a GEL-cell compliant intelligent charger. This has made charging the battery so much easier for me. If you are in a rush to get out, you will need to know how long it takes to charge your ATV battery. If you have a kick start or pull start, this wont be as important. AtvHelper.com also participates in affiliate programs with other sites. Once done charging, disconnect all wires and re-check your ATV or UTVs battery performance before using it again. If they feel wobbly, it might be time for you to take them off and tighten them correctly, so there is no issue with gas escaping from the ATV itself. It has to be connected directly to the battery and should only be used when there are no other options. Overcharging is one of the leading causes of AV battery damages. Locate And Identify The Battery 3. This task will need doing before usage. Connect the red cable to the positive terminal of your battery and black to the negative. What Setting Should I Charge My ATV Battery At? An AGM battery averages out to between three and five years. A quick google search will tell you exactly what battery you have if you enter this number. |. To charge the battery, you will need a compatible charger for your battery, like the one that comes with your ATV, and a good connection. If you hook up the charger, but it fails to initiate its charging cycle, the battery voltage may have dropped below the minimum threshold recognized by the charger. There are different types of batteries for an ATV. The temperature at which you charge the battery significantly impacts the charging process. Allow some time for the battery to acclimate before connecting the charger. Step 3: Disconnect the Battery Cables. While often neglected, ATV batteries require periodic recharging to maintain their performance and life expectancy. If the lights on your ATV will not switch on and the engine does not start, this indicates that your battery needs to be replaced. Use the table below to determine the approximate charge time, given normal charging conditions and using the recommended charge rate. Important Tips. According to Optima (https://optimabatteries.com), a high-quality AGM compliant charger may improve battery performance and lifespan, but most battery chargers and maintainers will work just fine on Optima brand batteries and other AGM batteries. It is not the most efficient mode, but it is gentle on your battery and makes sure that you do not damage its cells. Each charge mode will have a specific set of parameters that are optimized for different types and different sizes of batteries. Some ATVs require that you remove the seat first, sometimes when you remove the seat, the battery is easily accessible right from there. A lot of the time the price is just too high. This can be achieved with a bench charger or a standalone charger. Their batteries are not powerful enough to become fully charged while using, as most of their power is directed to running the ATV. The charging process described at the top of this post will work both for doing a deep charge on a new battery as well as doing a refresh charge to top off a battery where the voltage has dropped a bit too low. When a battery is charged, it causes a chemical process inside the battery. Also, the battery must be somewhere well-ventilated to vent out any gases from the charging process. An ATV should be charged until its full. Do not plug the charger to a wall socket yet. With a gel cell, silica is used to convert the battery acid liquid into a gel. That way, you can guarantee you are using the safest charging method available. You can use jumper cables to jump-start an ATV battery from a car battery, but it is not a suitable method for doing a full charge. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. How to Charge ATV Battery? - Battery Gist Though, this may not always be possible. Its sold at a good price (around $60-70) and has all the connections for any brand of battery your ATV has. Related: 3 Common Reasons Why Your ATV Battery Is Getting Hot. This is true for all battery types except lithium-ion batteries. The charger should be able to provide a low amp charge rate, typically 1-3A. Last Updated on June 17, 2022 by Ellis Gibson (B.Sc. You will also need rubber gloves and eyewear to keep your eyes safe. So sometimes, it is necessary to charge batteries through different means. An ATV battery can come in different forms. To solve this, you can use a fully charged battery to trick the charger into starting the charging process. Learn More. Instead, you may use an external battery charger. Step 1: Park the ATV or UTV somewhere dry and well-ventilated, Step 3: Identify what type of battery you have, Step 4: Make sure you have the right charger, Step 5: Check the battery voltage with a voltmeter or multimeter, Step 6: Make sure you have clean connections, Step 8: Set the correct charge current or charge mode, Step 10: Monitor the battery during the charging process, Step 13: Make sure the battery holds a charge. A battery with a rated capacity of 20Ah needs to be charged twice as long as a 10Ah battery to go from empty to fully charged, given were using the same charging current. It is essential to monitor the battery as it charges so that you can switch the charger off when it is fully charged. When putting your ATV on a charger, it is essential to be gentle and not lift the vehicle yourself. Damages can be hazardous and cause several problems with your battery. Charging up can be a forgettable task, but it should become a habit. The ideal power output from the charger should be 1.5 A. But instead of being a liquid, the electrolyte is in gel form. A dead ATV battery can be a major roadblock. There are two main types of ATV battery chargers, manual and automatic or so-called smart chargers. GEL-cell batteries are the most sensitive and require a very specific charge profile. An ATV battery needs charging. A battery for an all-terrain vehicle will take anywhere from 3.5 to 10 hours to charge completely. It is possible not to access it when you need it in a hurry, but this method will ensure that your battery is charged. Some types of batteries require a specific type of charger to charge properly, or that you add a few additional battery-specific steps to the charging process. With a jump wire, you can start your ATV within a few minutes. A large quantity of build up can also prevent a good connection forming between the leads and terminals meaning your ATV will not switch on. If you can wait a couple days for shipping, just get yourself an ATV battery on Amazon. Check a table like thisoneto determine the meaning of the reading that you are shown. In the case of Fast Charger Modes, allow your ATV or UTV to remain connected with its power source turned on for a maximum of two hours. Regarding battery charge time, the critical factor is the Ah rating which indicates how much electric charge the battery can deliver without dropping below the batterys rated voltage. Attach the positive connection from the charger to the positive terminal on the battery (red cable). Remember that the gas you see forming is flammable, and the fluid is acidic. ATV batteries should be charged any time the battery voltage drops below 12.4 12.6 volts. A smart charger goes beyond this and can show you how much charge your battery is holding and how fast it can charge. A lower amperage at the final part of the charging process will give you a slightly higher final charge rate, as well as reducing the risk of overcharging the battery. You would not want to select an environment that is too hot or cold. On top of the battery, there are removable caps, one for each cell. Multiple market options include trickle charger, bench-style charger, automatic charger, and standalone battery charger. Hooking up a high current booster charger, however, may cause a voltage spike that may damage your bikes electronics. Hey there! When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. 2012 - 2021| Atvaonline | About Us | Contact | Affiliate Disclaimer. You can hook up your cord and leave it there until you need to use your ATV again. How do you know if a solenoid is bad on an ATV? You can charge the 110cc ATV battery by either the slow or fast charge mode. Now plug the charger to a wall socket, but make sure it is not charging yet. The range should not be below 9.6V 10.5V (depending on the CCA rating and temperature of the battery). A smart charger with maintenance mode can be left connected to keep the battery healthy while the ATV is left sitting for long periods. One would think it would take 20*50%/2 = 5 hours to charge this battery, but that is incorrect. Connect the other end of the negative lead to frame ground. The positive lead will have a red clamp and the negative lead clamp will be black. To fully charge, leave the charger connected for about 4-5 hours. Batteries, whether that is a dead battery, car battery, UTV batteries, or ATV, need to be taken out before connecting them to each other. There are so many different types of chargers. Overcharging or even just charging a battery causes a chemical process that releases explosive hydrogen gas. This will avoid the need for a new ATV battery and ensure you can avoid finding a dead ATV. Look for a bare, solid metal part of the frame or engine. If you are in a rush to get out, you will need to know how long it takes to charge your ATV battery. The car must stay off as long during the whole process. Grab your multimeter and measure the voltage when it is not under any load. Their most distinguishable feature is fiberglass layers in the lead plates of the battery. This is usually not necessary. The Fast Charge speed charges at higher currents that effectively charge batteries quickly but can potentially damage cell structures if used for too long. As long as the charger is unplugged, it doesnt really matter which lead you to remove first. Switch the engine back off and check the readings. You should use a compatible external ATV battery charger and not just any that fits into your vehicles cigarette lighter charging port. Its one of the worst feelings when your ATV wont start because of a dead battery. Red lead to the positive terminal and black lead to the negative terminal. So, what are your options when you find yourself with a dead battery or a dying battery? Yes. This way you wont be buying a new battery every year. Some of the electricity is used to power the bikes different electrical components. Wait a minute or two before trying to start your ATV. It is recommended that you charge the new battery before you put it in the ATV to reduce the risk of damaging your bike. Refer to your specific batterys safety instructions to verify whether the caps need to be removed or not. Familiarize yourself with the battery terminals in the same way as you would on the charger. Charging times will vary depending on various factors: If you have a smart battery charger, it will stop charging automatically as soon as the battery is fully charged. I also got a similar setup for my motorcycle I liked it so much. Your chargers user manual will tell you more details about each charge mode your specific charger offer. How to charge a deeply discharged or dead ATV battery. They need a lower voltage charge. If youre using an automatic smart charger, it will automatically terminate the charging process and switch to a maintenance charge as soon as the battery is fully charged. If it does, great!