How do I charge a 24 volt battery

[hesutton]

Be careful that you don't smash any of your highly trained sensitive fingers and it affect your real job.

Any time Dad needs to change batteries on the loader or the dozer, guess who he calls. Even with two guys, it still feels like I'm going to get a serious hernia. Steel toe boots are always a part of that chore as well.

Heath

 

[OLDBULL8]

Yeah; those 8D batteries weigh 145lbs. A 4D weighs 81 lbs. You buy them all the way up in cost to $750.

 

[OLDBULL8]

If both batteries are the same size, have the same output, and are in roughly the same condition, that shouldn't be a problem at all. However, if one battery's significantly different from the other, you'd probably be better off disconnecting the batteries from each other and charging them separately...otherwise one battery may end up taking most of the charge, and you'll essentially find one happy battery and one that hardly has any charge at all.

Hope that helps some...good luck!

..".otherwise one battery may end up taking most of the charge, and you'll essentially find one happy battery and one that hardly has any charge at all."

That is not possible, batteries will equalize to there charged voltage. Whether they are hooked in series or parallel. Now if you have ~1 or more batteries with ~1 or more bad cell(s) hooked with good batteries, the bad battery(ies) will discharge the good battery(ies) after the charging unit is disconnected. ie: Alternator or Portable Charging unit.

Two batteries of different AH (Amp Hour) capacity hooked together in series or parallel, the lower AH battery will discharge at a higher rate.

That is why batteries when changed for what ever reason should all be replaced with the same Brand and AH rating. Even flashlight batteries. Never mix batteries, they are not all the same even when designated so.

 

[drinkypoo]

batteries will equalize to there charged voltage. Whether they are hooked in series or parallel.

Batteries in parallel equalize. Batteries in series can cause reverse charging. Try this little experiment: Replace three of four batteries in a device that takes 4xAA. When it stops working check the voltage on the old cell. You'll wet your kecks.

Since 12V is the discharged state for a lead-acid battery which is fully charged at 12.6V, you don't have to go very far to be reverse charging an auto battery.

 

[OLDBULL8]

drinkypoo
Welcome to the OB. This is a much better forum than the TDS.

TDS = aka Bill1013

 

[drinkypoo]

heh, thanks! I imagine there's something to be gained from each.

 

[dennis]

Like he said, if I am reading the description right, that is a 12-volt set-up.


I am not saying they don't exist, but in all my years of using 24-volt equipment, I have never seen a 24-volt battery.

I have seen plenty of multiples of either 12-volt or 6-volt batteries wired to yield 24-volts, but never a single 12-cell 24-volt battery.

They use 24v batteries on aircraft.

 

[bike-maker]

The buses I work on use 4 group 31 batteries (guess where mine came from). 2 wired in parallel (like our trucks) for 12v, and the other 2 wired in series for 24v.

And a little diagram just to avoid confusion.....

 

[typ4]

Just while we are on the subject, often especially older equipment and some big trucks will have a 24-volt system.

Sometimes, even in rather smallish trucks or farm-tractors, they will be wired to START on 24-volts and RUN on 12-volts.

In nearly every articulating loader that I have ever operated, the batteries will be immediately under the seat and usually wired for 24-volts.

It can get quite exciting when something goes haywire and melts away the posts and cables of all four batteries at once and you sitting right on top of them.

Those seats burn fast dont they.