Solar Battery Maintainer

[Greatwhitewing]

Want to install a solar powered battery maintainer on my unpowered shed in southern New England. Panel on roof and wires routed conveniently.
If it matters the mower is Cub Cadet ZT1-42

Strong preference for not made in China, very strong...

 

[Ken22]

Want to install a solar powered battery maintainer on my unpowered shed in southern New England. Panel on roof and wires routed conveniently.
If it matters the mower is Cub Cadet ZT1-42

Strong preference for not made in China, very strong...

I live off grid and I use solar panels a lot. I buy the 40 or 50 watt Coleman Canadian Tire ones that are quite often on sale. I have some that are 20 years old. Never looked where they were made. Your idea of having one dedicated to your lawn mower is a good one.

 

[Farnerwarren]

Did you succeed? I also want to install the panels and don't know what to start with

 

[StarTech]

One needed is a good voltage regulator. 13.8-14.5 for 12VDC lead acid batteries. As even the 60 watt panel I use hit up to 25 vdc @ 5 amps. Personally I perfer a linear voltage regulator but there are good switching ones out there too.

 

[ellabond]

That's a big pro for supporting local businesses and avoiding the shipping of goods from overseas. Regarding your solar battery maintainer, have you considered checking out Yenex? They have a wide range of solar products, including solar battery maintainers, that are made in the USA. Plus, using a solar-powered battery maintainer will be an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to keep your Cub Cadet ZT1-42 mower in good shape. If you're not looking for a battery maintainer specifically made in the US, other brands offer solar battery maintainers that might fit your needs and budget.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Nice sentiment for local & like you I try to support local.
The USA & Canada have 14 plants that make solar cells but very few are for retail sale as they a 3 to 6 times more expensive than those imported from China.
So anything you see in the cheap retail stores ( Wallys, HF, Lowes etc ) will be sourced from China .
To recharge a mower battery you can make one yourself from old CD's & DVD's
worth looking at .
The problem will be the controller as agin just about all of them will come from China again.
China aims to destroy all Western economies and to dominate the world and they are well on their way to doing it by using personal & in particular company greed and to date it is working perfectly .

 

[Warmirlock]

Hey there! I stumbled upon this thread and thought I'd chime in. Supporting local businesses is definitely a great idea. As for the solar battery maintainer, there're many good options for those who prefer products made in the USA.
However, if you're not particular about the origin of the product, there are other brands out there that offer solar battery maintainers at different price points. On another note, I came across a post about using solar plants to remove snow. It's a pretty interesting read. If you're interested, you can Get More Info about it. As for me, it's more important to care about the maintenance of the product.

 

[StarTech]

Bert right about our actual USA made stuff is a lot higher. Many factors are involved. China wages are a lot lower for one thing so nearly all other factor there are lower. Now I also USA made items when I can afford and find them. But because local business is sell the item does mean it is produced locally. Even supporting our Southern neighbors is a plus as if they have work there they won't be trying to come here.

It is one the reason I haven't added to my small solar system as many of the panels are China made with cheap plastic trim. I need the trim to be metal for I will be transporting the panel to job sites for especially battery charging. The 60W panel is fairly good at charging but take half a day to do it. I am personally interested in a system I found for the shop that is 600W that can handle my day needs of the shop lighting which is under 400W Led light strips. The rest I will still need the local utilities to provide but it would be nice not have hunt the light switch every I need see in my cabinets.

Nearly all my tools are made here but sometimes the cheap ones are needed as they disposible if I screw-up designing a new version. But it help that I had a machinist friend but he is now retired so I must buy my on small lathe for tooling new tools. Still I can get him to show how to operate the unit.