Big Buddy 6 volt battery mod for Fan

[CaptainMusky]

As it has been mentioned many times earlier it is possible to convert your big buddy heater from using the annoying 4 pack of C cell batteries to a more friendly 6 volt rechargeable scenario.

I purchased a 6 volt battery from Scheels, but you can find them at many other locations.

Remove the 4 screws holding the back cover in place. Once the screws are removed you can now remove the cover. There are little "hooks" that hold the top of the back cover in place so you need to actually slide the cover up a bit toward the handle to remove it.

Once the cover is removed you will see the two wires going to the battery compartment. unplug both wires. I spliced mine and added about 6 inches of wire to make things a bit easier.

The 6 volt battery fits neatly into the side 1# propane cylinder compartment.

I put some velcro in there to hold it in place a bit better and here is a pic of the finished product.

It took about 25 minutes of my time and that includes multiple trips into the garage for beer.

[Wolffy]

Neat. Any clue as to how long the battery lasts? Oh and how much for the battery?

[Pleasant]

that is a good idea, will have to do that to mine one day

[CaptainMusky]

I havent used it too much and dont have a digital readout to determine how much battery left, but I used it for 3 hours the other weekend and it still was going strong.

The battery I bought at Scheels which came with a charger for $24, but I am sure places like Mills and Batteries Plus have them, but you will likely have to purchase charger separately.

The nice thing is you can return it completely to stock if you want by just plugging the wires back into the original location.

Another thing is you wouldnt have to splice the wires (cut the ends off) you could get a short length of wire put a male end on one side and female on the other. This way you could plug the male end into the existing wires and the female end into the battery.

A little more connections, but the wires on the existing setup are VERY tiny so this might be easier for you to do. If I had prepared in advance or had male connectors at home this is what I would have done instead.

[mnguy152]

well i know that with the reg size d batteries they last me all winter. thinking this would that and some more.

[Pleasant]

well i know that with the reg size d batteries they last me all winter. thinking this would that and some more.

Agreed they do last a long time

[CaptainMusky]

They last a long time provided the switch isnt left on by accident. Which is what frustrated me. So now I take the battery out and recharge after each use and no worries about the next time on the ice.

I suppose I could have just done this with the other batteries, but I just cant leave things alone. :-)

[mtwalleye]

Thanks for the posting Captain. I just finished wiring my heater to a 6 volt battery. Very easy to do.