New Toy 'Red Rider'

[Windpower]

Here's the new "Low Speed Vehicle"  $2500 after the tax rebate.

This is going to make riding around the farm alot easier

[ChuckinVa]

Looks Good ! With that color it shouldn't be hard to find in the snow !

[Redoverfarm]

I guess that is what they call an AT Golf Cart.  With it being only 2WD I would say that it will hang up pretty easy in some situations.  It would be a real fuel saver vs a standard sized vehicle to run here and there though.

[Windpower]

I have 200 watts of solar panels and a charge controller on order to mount on the top

On sunny days they should kick in about 1 Kw-Hr per day or about 3 % of the recomended useful discharge

The manual says the cart is good for about 45 miles per charge - I assume that is to dead batteries --

So, according to my calculations, that should give me at about 1  mile per day from the panels -- more than enough on average.

That seems like a lot from 1 Kw-Hr but may be from the recharging circuit - when you let off the 'gas' pedal the motor dumps energy back to the batteries --it will be interesting to see how it works out



The first thing to go  is the dam backup beeper --loud and obnoxious

so far, seems like a good piece of equipment

Red wasn't my first choice but the only color available -- it might grow on me though--

and the price was too good to pass up thanks to our generous government stimulus package --hey we got to keep those Chinese companies crankin'

actually  the only thing that makes sense is the batteries -- the rebate size depends on how many Trojan batteries are installed on the vehicle. Maybe this a hand out to Trojan battery company -dunno

[Windpower]

Just got the charge controller (Xantrex C-40 for $119 )
and four 50 wattt panels from Sun Electronics $450

the good news

the charge controler was way cheap -- cheaper than a home brew

the bad news

one of the panels generated only 0.6 volts open circuit  and  no current

Called Sun Electronincs

"send it back we will credit you "

"No I cannot use 3 panels I'll send them all back"

yadda yadda yadda

bottom line ..still waiting for a call back (from last Wednesday)

So I started to look into it -- maybe the blocker diode is bad

HHhhmmmm    yep lift the diode and the volts go up to 16.2 open circuit

cool---   bad diode

off to radio shack -- they don't have an exact replacement but close -- only 3 Amps not 10

but wait the original diode checks out ok


HHHhhhmmmmm

what I finally figured out was that the solar cells were wired backwards compared to the other 3 panels

Huh ?!?!

I cannot figure out how they did this but the actual cells were a 'mirror image' of the other cells causing the plus to equal the minus and vice versa

so the diode was just  shorting the panel

weird

so I swapped the diode polarity and the connectors and I am back in business

still waiting for a call back from Sun Electric......


at least the panel works

checked out all the panels today in winter sun and 22 degrees F

they started at about 3.7 amps --pretty much rated power

then as the panels warmed up the current dropped to about 2 A

still cheap power -- I am glad I can troubleshoot and fix factory screwups

Sun Electronics --CHEAP

service

well.....

[glenn kangiser]

Cool toy and good sleuthing, Windpower.

My Bushhog was run into by an 18 wheeler before I got it.  Now after a couple years I find that it broke the transaxle case and the locking differential went out- but just the 2 wheel drive part.  Ordered the transaxle and will put my 4 wheel drive parts onto it as the trans is the same.   

It was already recently discontinued by Bushhog but they still have parts ...for now....

[Windpower]

Thanks Glenn

I looked into Bush hogs too but the price of this after tax was just too good to pass up

even though it is not 4wd it should do the job at the farm -- just grass and woods trails

the ground clearance is impressive with the oversize 'knobby' tires and lift kit

I next need to get some kind of box for the back. The rear seat folds down into a flat deck -- I think I might just make a box out of plywood -- for carrying tools and gardening stuff

[Redoverfarm]

Thanks Glenn

I looked into Bush hogs too but the price of this after tax was just too good to pass up

even though it is not 4wd it should do the job at the farm -- just grass and woods trails

the ground clearance is impressive with the oversize 'knobby' tires and lift kit

I next need to get some kind of box for the back. The rear seat folds down into a flat deck -- I think I might just make a box out of plywood -- for carrying tools and gardening stuff

Might check into ATV boxes or even a basket.  I find that a basket is better suited to my needs where I can put larger big objects, 5 gallon buckets and the like.  Shoot I usually load all my tools when working on fences in a 5 gallon bucket anyway.

[glenn kangiser]

Yes - good price - a whole vehicle for less than the price of a Bushhog transaxle. [ouch]

I often do the bucket thing too, John - works great.

With my land, being so steep, little gets done without the Bushhog or an equivalent or better vehicle such as one with tracks.

[Windpower]

Well I got the panels on and they work

Used a C40 charge controler and mounted the 4 50 watt panels in the roof with an aluminum angle frame

This project took A LOT longer than I thought it would

here are some pics

notice the downward angle to apply aerodynamic pressure so this thing won't get airborne








Here I was getting over 1.6 Amps at 52 Volts later in the day with some clouds



The switch on the right selects the panels or the on board 120 VAC charger

[Windpower]

and now to complete the project a nice Red Ryder "BB" gun like this mounted behind the seat

[MountainDon]

I'd say it's a darn good thing you had the foresight to angle the installed panels.   Looks 

[Windpower]

Oh yeah, MD

This thing GPS's out at 21.5 MPH -- really needs the down force to keep it on the ground

darn good thing indeed

Thanks for your well wishes I'll no doubt need them

[StinkerBell]

Sweet! Looks like fun and room to put a gun rack on it

[Windpower]

Thanks Stinker

Yesterday on a cloudless day I was getting just under 3 amps

not bad, but a little shy of the 200 watts rated on the panels

It was a fun day at the airport

Doug did a couple fly bys with smoke on in his Edge 540

I asked if he exceeded the under 10,000 foot speed limit -- he just smiled

[Windpower]

Got the new display for the charge controller


about 50 watts on a overcast day




I mounted it on the dash near the steering column




It was a fun day at the airport

Here is Doug doing a flyby in his
Edge (video is not speeded up) 

https://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g135/Crockette/?action=view&current=MVI_5538.mp4

[peternap]

Boy I like seeing projects like this.
IMO, this is a window to the future. It's a darn shame you have to go through so much red tape to do it for road use.

If I ever run across a Smart Car with a blown engine...I have my new electric rural commuter vehicle.

[Windpower]

It has been fun so far, Peter

I think it will be an updated version of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFYpNrbyKCA&feature=player_embedded

[Windpower]

Peter,

This is a pretty good read about converting an old Porche 924 into an electric car -- lots of good links too

http://www.geopathfinder.com/Porsche924.pdf


this site has lots of components for Electric vehicles

http://www.evolveelectrics.com/index.html

[Windpower]

Almost done

got the 'pick up bed' installed

Next the radio and gun rack

[ScottA]

Yup. That's pretty cool.