UTV and Side By Side Dead Battery Explained - Solar Charging Maintaining
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UTV, side by side (SxS), and ATV 12v battery charging systems are very different from cars and trucks. Due to how much these vehicles are unused it is not common to experience a dead battery unless you are religious about trickle charging or disconnecting the connections completely.
A lot of owners blame the factory battery and its lack of Ah or Amp Hour capacity. Most of the time the battery is not the root cause of the hard start issue. Unless it becomes permanently damaged if allowed to run below 50% of its Ah capacity. This problem is made worse if the vehicle is in a cool place as the battery will lose a significant about of charge when stored below freezing.
While the vehicle is traveling at speed with all the nonessential accessories off the battery will be charging. When running with the lights on and or the stereo playing there are not many extra amps of charging electricity making it to the batteries as they are consumed by both the motor and the accessories.
Based on our own experiences we worked with our engineers to develop a solar solution that would prevent us from being stranded or unable to get a job on the ranch completed. The first product we developed was a compact Zamp Solar OBSIDIAN SERIES 25 Watt solar charger and battery maintainer that could be fixed on the hood or roof of most UTV's and SXS off-road vehicles. This system consists of a high quality monocrystalline made in North America, a smart charge controller, custom wiring and easy to install mounts.