Lets say you have no mag & no generator. Just running on 6v bat. How long do you think a fully charged 6v battery would last you? 3hrs 5hrs? trying to figure this one out for a friend.
Mike Hageli
Elmhurst IL.
I went days that way years ago. I didn't drive much at night though.
Michael Hageli;
Hardly anyone on the Montana 500 uses generators just run on their mag and starts on the battery. I have gone weeks without charging my battery. Of coarse I use interstate batteries in all my cars. I have 9 interstates now.
Tough to say without knowing the amp-hour capacity of the battery. I'm guessing its around 80 amp-hours. If it's not brand new count on 40 amp-hours if fully charged.
The T ignition system uses about 1 amp (average) so theoretically your good for about 40 hours of running your car's ignition assuming you don't use the lights.
Cheers
schuh
Bud Holzschuh:
I can get way more than 40 hours with an interstate battery, however that is running on mag. I took my Montana 500 car to a race in Arizona one time and after the race we spent some time around Arizona including a trip with the T through an all day at some CACTUS National Monument. After arizona we went to Mesa Verde National Monument. We used the starter time after time at each interest point. Remember most Montana 500 cars do not run generators.
I know its dumb to argue over which is the best battery but it gets tiresome to be caught with a dead battery at some stop. Spend a little money and gets the best battery you can. Don'try to get by with a cheap battery.
Michael has no magneto. He is running on battery all the time.
Years ago, I bought a 6 volt batterie off the shelf in wallmart, it was labeled everready, I am unsure who made it. I dropped in my 1942 Ford GPW and drove 60 miles to a meeting, and then back home with a detour after dark. I noticed the lights were getting a bit dim as I pulled in the driveway, and the next morning I started the jeep and drove around to the shop to check everything, that was when I noticed that I had forgotten to reconnect the generator wire. I drove about 4 hours altogether, and two of those were with the lights on, and it was still strong enough to turn the engine over. I suspect that if you were to drive with only the ignition drawing from the batterie, you would have to fill the gas tank a couple of times, the radiator about 8 times and add a couple quarts to the crank case as well. For touring, you might get a solar recharger to attached to you batterie.
Best
Gus
Why would there be a limit to how long you could run on mag?
We all know a T will run fine on mag without a battery.
If you have to run on battery I'd put a charge on it after 10 hours of running just to be safe, better yet carry a small extra battery.. Ten hours would be about every two days of the average tour.
I know a guy who ran a 13 touring on battery three days on a 12 volt because he forgot to charge it every night. Did not go dead.
If I can leave my headlights on 4 hours and still start my modern car.............
And it wasn't even an Interstate Battery!
About once a month I leave my lights on a little over two hours and it always starts. That's on two different cars and not new batteries.
As for carrying an extra batterie, I always carry a 9 volt transistor batterie with me when I am traveling in the GPW. It always shocks people when they see an automobile started with a radio batterie. I do not know how long it would run on one, as I usually start the vehicle and then switch on the ignition when I figure the generator has started charging.
Best
Gsu