Where to locate a battery cutoff

Discuss all things Model T related.
Forum rules
If you need help logging in, or have question about how something works, use the Support forum located here Support Forum
Complete set of Forum Rules Forum Rules
User avatar

Topic author
dr1960
Posts: 122
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:45 pm
First Name: David
Last Name: Ruedy
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Model T Runabout
Location: Yukon, Oklahoma
MTFCA Number: 50076

Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by dr1960 » Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:11 am

Just curious where folks locate their battery cuttoff. Was hoping to see some ideas to avoid crawling under the car to switch the battery feed off. Right now I have mine in the back corner of my turtle box, but I'm going to put on a wood truck bed. Thanks.
David - Yukon, OK
1915 Model T Runabout

User avatar

Charlie B in N.J.
Posts: 647
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 7:40 am
First Name: CHARLIE
Last Name: BRANCA
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: "27 Tudor / "23 Touring
Location: Brick N.J.
MTFCA Number: 28967
Board Member Since: 2010

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Charlie B in N.J. » Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:16 am

Between your legs on the upright metal portion of the front seat. Just reach down.
Forget everything you thought you knew.


Cap
Posts: 84
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 3:05 pm
First Name: Cap
Last Name: Weir
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 24 & 25 C Cab
Location: Atascadero,Ca

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Cap » Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:33 am

Mine is in the center of that bulkhead.. right behind the Worford shifter up at the top. The holes for it were already there.. I put my Disconnect on the Negative side of the Battery, as its right in front of the Gas Tank, and I did not want Spark Issues with errant tools causing sudden excitement events.

Cap


MWalker
Posts: 475
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:49 am
First Name: Mike
Last Name: Walker
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1916 Roadster Pickup
Location: NW Arkansas
MTFCA Number: 314
MTFCA Life Member: YES

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by MWalker » Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:11 am

I put my shutoff in the hole in the floor where the starter button was. I use a later-style starter button and solenoid, with the button on the seat riser. It all works great like that.


TXGOAT2
Posts: 6443
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:08 pm
First Name: Pat
Last Name: McNallen
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926-7 roadster
Location: Graham, Texas
MTFCA Number: 51486
Board Member Since: 2021

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by TXGOAT2 » Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:27 am

It needs to be as near the battery as is practical. Use top quality connections. It needs to be out of plain sight, but readily accessible.


tom_strickling
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:31 am
First Name: Tom
Last Name: Strickling
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 11 Torpedo, 18 Touring, 21 TT Huckster, 24 snowmpbile Staude and Shaw tractor conversions, Model T powered sickel bar mower
Location: New Philadelphia Ohio

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by tom_strickling » Sun Nov 07, 2021 10:44 am

My touring car has one under the back seat.
“The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.” – Abe Lemons.


JohnM
Posts: 589
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:22 pm
First Name: John
Last Name: Michaelree
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring 1927 Tudor
Location: st louis
MTFCA Number: 50389
Board Member Since: 2010

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by JohnM » Sun Nov 07, 2021 10:56 am

TXGOAT2 wrote:
Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:27 am
It needs to be as near the battery as is practical. Use top quality connections. It needs to be out of plain sight, but readily accessible.
DITTO. Mine is also on the seat riser between my legs. When the cheap starter button welded itself in the on position, I could quickly disconnect the power to the starter. I then removed the lead on the starter, switched power back on, hand crank started and merrily went on my way. Without it, there would have been untold damage to the starter and ring gear.

User avatar

TWrenn
Posts: 3419
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:53 am
First Name: Tim
Last Name: Wrenn
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: '13 Touring, '26 "Overlap" Fordor
Location: Ohio
MTFCA Number: 30701
MTFCI Number: 24033
Board Member Since: 2019

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by TWrenn » Sun Nov 07, 2021 11:13 am

Main thing is , as close to the battery as possible.

User avatar

TonyB
Posts: 663
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:15 am
First Name: Tony
Last Name: Bowker
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1914 touring
Location: La Mesa, CA
MTFCA Number: 32
MTFCA Life Member: YES
Board Member Since: 2005

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by TonyB » Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:27 pm

My location on top of the battery meets some of the desired criteria except easy accessibility. This applies to all three Ts. Never had to have great accessibility in the 45 years I’ve been driving the cars but I can see it might be desirable.
Tony Bowker
La Mesa, California
1914 Touring, 1915 Speedster, 1924 Coupe.

User avatar

Retro54
Posts: 547
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 4:40 pm
First Name: Andrew
Last Name: Blaydon
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Cut-down touring
Location: Middletown
Board Member Since: 2018

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Retro54 » Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:49 pm

I know my RPU makes it easy for me, but I've recently placed a post type cut-off on the battery. The piece of mind it provides is very welcome.
Attachments
IMG_20211107_184349590.jpg
_IMG_000000_000000.jpg


Professor Fate
Posts: 690
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:39 am
First Name: Dan
Last Name: S
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: '23 and '26
Location: Taxachusetts
Board Member Since: 2015

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Professor Fate » Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:46 pm

I faced this with my '26 build. I ended up running the (+) to the heavy cut off switch Lang's sells. Then ran another cable to the starter heel switch.
I placed the switch on the metal seat base between my legs for easy and quick reach.
________________
**FATE**
---------------------------
PM me if you have any Indian Motocycle parts!

User avatar

Craig Leach
Posts: 1464
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:22 am
First Name: craig
Last Name: leach
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1919 Firetruck/1922 Speedster
Location: Laveen Az
MTFCA Number: 26647

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Craig Leach » Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:25 am

On a improved car with the gas tank in the cowl makes the seat frame a safe place to install a battery cutoff switch. With the gas tank under the seat I'm concerned about this location. Even disconecting the ground is not necesarily safer. When the switch is open and there is any load applied to the circuit. If the not grounded terminal is inadvertently connected to a ground ( like the gas tank that is grounded ) that circuit will be completed.
A loose connectionat this point can cause those pesty electrons to escape in the form of sparks in a compartment that may be full of gas vaper.
Personaly I put mine on the frame ( yes it is a pain in the a## to get to ) its out of sight and safe.
Craig.


TXGOAT2
Posts: 6443
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:08 pm
First Name: Pat
Last Name: McNallen
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926-7 roadster
Location: Graham, Texas
MTFCA Number: 51486
Board Member Since: 2021

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by TXGOAT2 » Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:49 am

The fuel tank location is a significant issue, and any short or hot connection could lead to a nasty fire under the seat, whether gas or gas vapor was present or not. The underside of the seat is a fine mess of kindling. Locating the switch outside the underseat compartment and rigging a linkage to operate it from an accessible area is one option. Another would be to locate the switch in the seat riser panel, but enclose it in an air-tight metal box that is vented outside the underseat compartment. Yet another would be to to add appropriate fuses to the generator feed and body feed circuits and put a starter solenoid under the car near the battery, in series with the starter cable, with the start wire attached to a push button located in reach of the driver. That would prevent problems with a stuck foot starter switch and would provide some protection from theft or meddling, and would prevent inadvertently activating the starter with the engine running. The starting procedure would be: (1) Press down the original starter switch on the floor and hold it firmly. (2) Use the added starter button to crank the engine via the solenoid. The solenoid arrangment will generally provide better control of the starter than the original type foot switch by assuring positive connection and disconnection.


MichaelPawelek
Posts: 705
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:01 pm
First Name: Michael
Last Name: Pawelek
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1919 Touring, 1925 Coupe
Location: Brookshire, Texas
Board Member Since: 1999

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by MichaelPawelek » Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:56 am

1925 Coupe

Image

Image


TXGOAT2
Posts: 6443
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:08 pm
First Name: Pat
Last Name: McNallen
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926-7 roadster
Location: Graham, Texas
MTFCA Number: 51486
Board Member Since: 2021

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by TXGOAT2 » Tue Nov 09, 2021 11:09 am

That's similar to the way an older Cat dozer is set up. Opening the switch kills everything.


Mikey1968
Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 9:08 am
First Name: Michael
Last Name: Jewell
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Mikey1968 » Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:32 pm

Location on my 26 Touring.
Attachments
20201231_150331.jpg
20201231_150447.jpg


Mikey1968
Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 9:08 am
First Name: Michael
Last Name: Jewell
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: Where to locate a battery cutoff

Post by Mikey1968 » Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:35 pm

I forgot to mention I can reach through the rear wheel well and easily switch it on and off. Switch the ground.....

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic