[John Taylor]

With unusual weather in Louisiana this past Friday night I woke up to my 610 Mule covered with snow and Ice. Drove with it trailered about 60 miles. When I got to my destination it would not crank, not a click or anything. Pushed it off of the trailer and used the boaster cables on it and it cranked immediately. Left it idleing a few minutes and started all day with plenty stop and starts. Started all day on Sunday with plenty stop and starts again. When I returned home I put the charger on the battery and it showed it had a full charge. Has anyone experienced this??? What would be the largest battery I can install to avoid problems in the future. If I had to have a complaint about the Mule it would be the small battery. Besides that it acts big in every other way.

John

 

[RCW]

The problem with no response to the starter at all is not likely the battery, but more than likely the starter solenoid or the starter bendix picked up enough moisture to freeze. The larger battery with more amperage would generate a stronger electric field in the solenoid coil, resulting in enough magnetic force to trip the frozen plunger.

As far as the size of battery, you are limited only by your ability to modify the battery compartment and holder.

 

[DrPeeb]

... or you could add a larger battery under the passenger's side seat. There's room there. Unfortunately it's right next to the battery, so a very good divider would be wise. I'll post picture of mine ASAP.

 

[okieduc104]

... or you could add a larger battery under the passenger's side seat. There's room there. Unfortunately it's right next to the battery, so a very good divider would be wise. I'll post picture of mine ASAP.

You could just add another battery if your original is oK, just connect it in parallel to the originaal with some 10 or 8 gauge stranded wire (parallel is hooking the two positive terminals together and the two negative terminals together), the results is more storage for amps (You will add to your amps and the voltage will remain the same 12 volts.

 

[John Taylor]

Thanks, I might try adding the extra battery if I can find a place for it. I have a storage bin under the passanger side, might be able to expand the place where the original battery is to put another one of the same size Parallel as Okieduc104 said. I would prefer one battery but no one has been able to tell me what exactly will fit. Someone on another post said they installed a lawn mower battery but I am not sure of how many amps they carry. I would like the most amps I can get in a battery to fit so I have no problems when I use my winch. Original battery just will not operate the winch for any time with the original battery if put in a bind.

John

 

[John Taylor]

Thanks, I might try adding the extra battery if I can find a place for it. I have a storage bin under the passanger side, might be able to expand the place where the original battery is to put another one of the same size Parallel as Okieduc104 said. I would prefer one battery but no one has been able to tell me what exactly will fit. Someone on another post said they installed a lawn mower battery but I am not sure of how many amps they carry. I would like the most amps I can get in a battery to fit so I have no problems when I use my winch. Original battery just will not operate the winch for any time with the original battery if put in a bind.

John

 

[ivarraven]

I'd say two in series, so that you have plenty of cold crank amps. The 2nd advanttage is that you will still have some starting power if one reaches its point of absolutely no power, when it gets about -10 for an old batttery. I don't know how much space you have, since I use a good old trans to pull people out of ditches and plow, along with being a neighborhood kid "taxi." Reliability is a big deal. Also, with icing, watch for a sticky throttle. Slam it down and back a few times before starting the engine. That's been my biggest problem. Just some advice from my experience with the trans. Sorry about the randomness.

 

[okieduc104]

I'd say two in series, so that you have plenty of cold crank amps. The 2nd advanttage is that you will still have some starting power if one reaches its point of absolutely no power, when it gets about -10 for an old batttery. I don't know how much space you have, since I use a good old trans to pull people out of ditches and plow, along with being a neighborhood kid "taxi." Reliability is a big deal. Also, with icing, watch for a sticky throttle. Slam it down and back a few times before starting the engine. That's been my biggest problem. Just some advice from my experience with the trans. Sorry about the randomness.

Caution!!!!!!!
You do not want to wire TWO 12 volt batteries in SERIES (Positive to negative) and then tap off or the positive on one battery and the negative battery. This will not increase the AMPS but will double your voltage to 24 VOLTS!
This will blow your ignition electronics starter , fuel relays, and your starter relay and solinoid!!!and burn our any 12 volt accessory that is turned on!!!!!

 

[MFolks]

6 gauge Welding cable (or even 4 gauge) will be more than enough to handle the wiring needs. Welding supply stores sell it by the foot, and some might be able to crimp the correct wire terminations for you. If not, try a battery store as they usually have dedicated crimpers or machines that swage/crimp terminals.

 

[DrPeeb]

I think the problem with adding a 2nd battery without a relay switch is that batteries connected together always try to level out their charges, i.e. the lower one draws from the charged one. Taken further: The DEAD one draws from the GOOD one. So, if one dies you don't necessarily have a 2nd good one, because the dead one may very well have already (and quickly) discharged the good one. They need to be separated/ isolated to really actually have two separate batteries, where one can be totally dead and your feel pretty darn sure the 2nd one is still good.

I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure about this. Can anybody confirm?

You can try this in a boat with a manual dual battery switch. Connect a charged battery and a discharged battery. Crank the motor with the charged-up battery isolated (so only it is cranking the motor), then crank it again with the switch in the "both" or "all" position so both batteries are trying to crank it. The cranking speed should slow down, since the poor ol' charged battery is having to crank the motor while also trying to charge the dead battery.

(I'm sorry, been travelling, but I still have a note at home to take a pic of my car battery in my Mule 610 to post up; In fact I tried to take it the other nite but it was already dark and cold, and the whole area under the seat was so dusty you couldn't really see the battery and wires very well. A dust-off and then a pic is forthcoming ...)

 

[okieduc104]

I think the problem with adding a 2nd battery without a relay switch is that batteries connected together always try to level out their charges, i.e. the lower one draws from the charged one. Taken further: The DEAD one draws from the GOOD one. So, if one dies you don't necessarily have a 2nd good one, because the dead one may very well have already (and quickly) discharged the good one. They need to be separated/ isolated to really actually have two separate batteries, where one can be totally dead and your feel pretty darn sure the 2nd one is still good.

I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure about this. Can anybody confirm?

You can try this in a boat with a manual dual battery switch. Connect a charged battery and a discharged battery. Crank the motor with the charged-up battery isolated (so only it is cranking the motor), then crank it again with the switch in the "both" or "all" position so both batteries are trying to crank it. The cranking speed should slow down, since the poor ol' charged battery is having to crank the motor while also trying to charge the dead battery.

(I'm sorry, been travelling, but I still have a note at home to take a pic of my car battery in my Mule 610 to post up; In fact I tried to take it the other nite but it was already dark and cold, and the whole area under the seat was so dusty you couldn't really see the battery and wires very well. A dust-off and then a pic is forthcoming ...)

You should never use a good battery together with a bad battery or a marginally usable battery, chunk the bad battery! If you need more amps than you can get in a small, or short battery compartment, then connect another original sized 12 volt battery IN PARALLEL with the same size wire as the original battery cable. I won't even mention that you can connect two 6volt remember 6 volt batteries in series to get 12 volt output with somewhat more amps. Don't worry too much about two batteries that are about the same condition going dead together than you would worry about a good original battery. Truckers have been doing this for 60 years. Please note that Kawasaki specifies the size and even brand of a replacement battery for your mule, If you wish to really get the best battery for the buck, try a new red top Optima new tech, high amp hour battery.