Winter maint suggestion for battery

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

Two years in a row I found that batteries left in atv that is stored outside and seldon used can easily fail. I mostly just plow which is a huge drain on the battery. Since the plow must run from battery you need a full charge. When left in super cold weather with low charge they freeze. I have gotten into the habit of taking the battery in the house when not in use and making sure it is full with trickle charger. No big deal but two years in a row I have went out to plow only to find the plow would not work becasue of this scenerio.

[Dave]

Make sure the fluid in the battery is up to level. Check into the Battery Tender. It's a small charger that you leave connected to the battery when not in use.

[BobT]

You are correct that a battery low on charge will freeze and this can irreparibly damage it. Taking it inside and making sure it is charged is probably about the best method you could use although just maintaining the charge without taking it out of the wheeler would also work.

I'm thinking a couple possibilities.

1. Is the charging system on your wheeler functioning properly? If it isn't your battery could be getting discharged enough that it is beginning to freeze while in use.

2. Is your battery fully charged when you put it in your wheeler to use it? If not, see item 1.

3. Are you using your winch so much that the battery is getting over-used? Again, see item 1.

One thing about starting batteries is that they are not very good at handling a lot of charge cycles. Charging, heavy discharging, and recharging again over and over will take its toll and shorten the life of the battery. If your wheeler's charging system can't keep up to the demand you are putting on it, the battery will take up the slack but will not be recharged by the system because it is already overtaxed.

Are you using the largest capacity battery you can fit in the wheeler? This could help because you wouldn't drain the battery to such a large percentage of its capacity under heavy use.

Just some things to consider.

Bob