Tj Jefferson

Stevon, this is a really great concept. I guess I'm not understanding the motor linkage. Is this belt driven concept? Just to use a general-purpose motor? Mine is directly driven from the motor, which of course takes some proprietary pieces.

There are some good sites that might give you some starting points. I read endless sphere and some others. Almost always someone has done something similar. Saves a bunch of work.

I am mostly on there since its more technical. I just happened to check this out of a couple time s a year!

John Weiland wrote:Thanks for your helpful response, Tj.  Yes....a bit strange about the "controller" since he mentions both in the text and the video that he upgraded to a "400 amp controller".  I'm left assuming he meant the motor controller that would be coupled to the 'accelerator'  pedal.  The Genasun is a charge controller and not 400 amp from what I can see.  Given the limited use such a machine would see on our property, we could easily stay under 2-3 miles traveled per day and would only be using it in the summer months.  Certainly something to consider and I continue to scout for used local deals on electric carts.  Thanks again, TJ!

I'm sorry was not clear. There MUST be a motor controller. I just don't know which this uses it isnt in the diagram. The one on the Polaris is very nice. It is programmable, but requires special software and even hardware. I think there are some alternatives available at this point. Most people use one from golf carts, but those tend to be for one motor. I think for the majority of small farms that would be fine. I have not used the 4 wheel drive in a couple years, and I tow skidded structures and trailers. Knobby tires are a must IMO.

That website is actually very practical.

John-

His setup does not include a motor controller from what I see. He just installed a 300W panel through a MPPT charge controller/Voltage regulator into the battery. Its low tech and thats good.

300W x 5 hours sunlight (estimated average sun per day) = 1500Wh.

300-500 Wh per mile is reasonable estimate of efficiency (not run-time) so about 3-5 miles charge per day if battery is 100% efficient. Lead acid is maybe 90% RTE (round trip efficiency) lithium is upper 90s.  

I use sand in my misting beds. Or under mushroom logs. Thats a great find.

I did a yard at a time. I would recommend making a big pile of clay/soil at the beginning for a fresh cap each burn. Maybe two...link here

I have 10 acres fenced high tensile to 7' with 9 wires (every 6 inches at the bottom). i have some fluttering stuff on it so they see it. Above 3' it alternates hot and ground. I get a deer inside a couple times a year, mostly because they were scared and ran through it. Any deer that figure it out have to be culled. I never have it off for more than a few minutes. The foxes definitely dont see it as a barrier, I've seen them jump through it. We have bears and had bees, and it suited both deer and bears. It is very very hot, at least 8kV.

This way my tender orchard is not getting obliterated every two weeks. more innovative deer would probably figure it out ours are pretty tame. I could add an attachment on the top with something fluttering as well, but so far so good. They have a hard time seeing it up high, and cant judge the height. I think its almost better not giving them a good look at it. I have seen them bounce off it, it is pretty tight (about 150lbs tension).  

Sounds like chestnut blight to me. Is the bark on the main split? It’s not as obvious in European chestnut.

I am not sure if the new trunk is likely to be affected if it is blight. In the US it’s a death sentence for the tree, but the roots can re-emerge in new trunk attempts for decades.

It’s kencove. Recommend getting the remote turn off if you can afford it- I wish I had done so.

For cheap and decent ground rods I got some 1/2” rebar, drive it in when wet, and use double clamps from the plumbing section to hold the ground on from the charger.  Cost is pretty modest. Make sure you mark them so you don’t mow them!

I have a 24 joule charger. That runs a perimeter fence and I use jumpers to run nets. So yeah grass pressure isn’t a big deal. I would recommend 0.5j per 100’ net for sheep to keep it spicy. They will not respect anything under about 4kv. If it’s dry double that, which most nets are not really designed for. Hot/ground alternate should be effective in dry climates, when it’s dry I dump water around the ground rod, and I drive two rods down with the portable setup (which is still 6j). With my alley setup I also have a couple of 8’ ground rods in permanently in strategic areas. Most of the issues with electric fencing I have seen are lack of grounding.