Need a small(er) true deep cycle battery

[troy]

I have to run two electric fences that are not convenient to grid AC.

At the moment, I am using some 6V golf cart batteries, in series for 12V.  The problem is they are heavy pigs, it takes two of them, and the self discharge rate and cold weather make it so my amorphous harbor fright panel can't keep it charged.

So, are there smallish, true deep cycle batteries that would be suitable?

I know there are small electric fencers with integrated solar cells and built in batteries, but it doesn't have the grunt to do my fence against the deer.

Thanks in advance,

troy

[terry5732]

I've seen a badly injured (car hit) deer easily clear an eight foot fence

I doubt it would have cared if it had current in it

30-06 is fairly portable

[hiker]

what about a marine batt.

arnt they simular to a deep cycle batt?

[tanner0441]

Hi

You havn't said how big you solar panel is, if the fence is pulling more than the panel can output then it wont keep pace, I have a 12V halogen torch with a 4.5AH battery in which I keep topped up with a little 2.5W panel but thats about all the panel could cope with even though they are sold for campers and cars....

I would think a bigger solar panel would be cheaper than a new battery.

Brian

[m8e]

Or just add a smaller one...

[zeusmorg]

 Sub-c cells stacked appropriately may solve your problem.

Sizing is important. The solar cells must provide enough "oomph" during the daytime, to carry you through the night.

 If your batteries aren't fully charging, you need more solar cells,if they go full, more battery would help.

 Where are you located? I've got some sub-c spares doing nothing right now.

Zeusmorg

[ShadeTree]

I got one of those Harborfreight solar fence chargers in a box of junk, didn't expect it to be any good at all.  WRONG after leaving it set for 3 years it still had a charge, so i set it out in the Sun to top off.  It did and then damned near burnt my finger, it has a bite.

What i'm get'n at is,  They are cheaper than a battery or solar panel, completely self contained and Work Well..

ShadeTree..

.

[Tritium]

In rural Texas we have solar fence chargers in 6 and 12 volt styles. They are not cheap, $150 to $300 or more but they are classified as weed burners. They will kill a weed that grows into the fence. They typically will electrify 5 to 20 miles of fence and will keep a 2000 pound fence jumping bull inside with no problem. They are available at farm and ranch and feed stores. You might try somewhere like Tractor Supply or Gebos. They use small sealed lead acid batteries and work rain and shine 24 by 7 by 365 with no user interaction. I have 2 that are over 15 years old and have never needed a battery change. They do work at night as someone has accidentally urinated on the fence wire at night without knowing it was there. It did knock him in the dirt. As others have said a deer is a very good jumper and a fence would have to be 12 foot tall and multi-wire to stop them and I don't think that would stand long since they would jump into it and tear it up.

Thurmond

[troy]

At the time I bought my 12V chargers, the solar models were definitely not "weed burners".  The newer models apparently have that capacity in the higher end models.  Then it gets to be economics.  Is it cheaper to buy two whole new solar fence units, (~$300), or two small deep cycle units for my current fencers.

Further details:

My HF panel supposedly produces 5 watts, but I have never seen it.  It will make 3+ watts.  It's this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41144

It will easily run the fencer directly with no battery in the loop.

On 2-3 clear days, the panel will add some charge to the golf cart batteries.  In the summer, I'm fine.  The panel keeps up no problem.  In the winter, we often go 1-2 weeks with no significant direct sun.  I'm in Michigan, so we have temperatures to deal with in the 0F to 32F range for November through March.

Electric fencing vs deer:

Yes, deer can jump an 8' fence effortlessly.  But usually, they don't.  If you train them, a 6' fence is very effective.  To train them, you set up your fence, tie rags to it about every 10', and dip the rags in some fruity concoction every week for a month.  I put an apple in a blender and whizzed it up with water and used that as my attractant.  The deer know what apples are and recognize the smell.  They sniff the rag, get the snot shocked out of their tender noses and usually give the fence a wide berth after that.

The deer are pretty short on browse material and mast right now, so they are definitely hungry.  I can tell from the tracks in my field, they walk around the fenced orchard every night, but don't go inside.  

It's not that they can't, they just choose not to.

If that doesn't work, you can add a two foot bar to the top of the 6' steel post, leaning out at 45* and one more wire on top.  That will often spook them enough they won't try it.

Don't get me wrong, I like venison backstrap, venison jerky, venison/pig sausage, and have plenty of firepower to harvest several every fall.  But I can't kill them all, and they will decimate young fruit trees if given half a chance.

What battery chemistry are we talking about with sub-c cells?

Thanks for the info so far.

troy

[REdiculous]

Our garden has a 6' fence w/ a 2"x4" rail around the top and we've yet to have a deer get inside. Just sayin'

[ghurd]

I doubt the battery is the problem, unless you mean hauling them in for a grid charge.

With a smaller battery it will just need hauled in for a recharge a lot more often.

Might consider adding another 5W PV if HF is close.  They often have them in the store for $40.

Might consider a $120 30W ebay special if you can wait on slow shipping from China, and they most probably won't ship now until after the main part of Chinese New Year (about Feb 18).

Is it snowing?  A bit of snow will shut them off like a switch.

Helps at snowy times to mount the PV with the 'stripes' running vertical.

G-

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

Another way to keep deer out is to have TWO fences separated by several feet to make a narrow corridor.  Though they COULD hop them both in sequence (they can do a 12' sideways standing high jump no problem), they don't.  They don't like to be enclosed and the corridor looks hazardous to them.

[kurt]

if your not getting any solar for a week at a time you getting any wind?? if your getting any wind at all when the sun is not shining just something simple like a descent small pm dc motor like a treadmill motor or something with a descent volt to rpm ratio, some pvc blades a 21' stick of 2" galv water pipe some cable some wire a diod and one of ghurds dump controllers and some dump resisters that ghurd can fix you up with. you will be all set for when the sun does not shine for a week or two  you do not need to make allot of power just a little will do so just something simple and cheap on a well stocked farm you could probably whip something up out of junk you got floating around perhaps just have to scrounge the motor.

[kurt]

oops you will need a dump controller if you go with wind in your application but it is quite possible to scrounge everything else for a small 12v wind turbine for little or no money and has been done many times

[ghurd]

Might be able to go with something smaller too, with a limited output.

For example, one of my Mini-ECMs, when left wired Star, peaks / plateaus at about 1A, cut-in at about 320RPM.  560ma at 760RPM.

With 4" PVC blades maybe 2' diameter, should make a small amount of power in low winds, without any worry about overcharging a pair of T-105s.

Could pretty much just fasten a smaller pipe to a fence post.

Cheap and easy.

G-

(BTW- I have quite a pile of the Mini-ECMs that will be in my 'virtual garage sale' if I ever get organized, but willing to part with them earlier!)

[frackers]

I called into my local car battery plade and they do 2nd hand car batteries that are 'good enough' for an energizer for $5 to $10 each. The couple I got from a Honda Jazz car can be easily carried in one hand, rated at 35a/hr and hold a charge for weeks when not in use. I just alternate them every couple of weeks - half the price of even a 5w solar panel...

[don1]

A friend of mine used the same method that Troy described for keeping bear away from his bee hives. only instead of the apple juice he placed strips of bacon fat over the e fence. They go for the bacon and get there snot locker zapped. He claims it is doing the trick.      Don

[bracken]

With no information on your power requirement....

Hawker Cyclon are the best kind of lead acid battery for abuse and use! (my opinion) They come in every shape and size, but at a premium cost, as they are a premium battery.