Post by PeterPost by BurgermanPost by PeterPost by s***@googlemail.comPost by s***@googlemail.comPost by s***@googlemail.comMy Hubby just bought me a Booster Town & Country Scooter, we too would
like to know if it is possible to switch to Freewheel and also did
you manage to get hold of a manual ? If so please can you tell me
where from ?
Betty- Hide quoted text -
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Sorry I forgot to say that the one I have has Golf Caddy
batteries...don't know if that is any help to anyone.
Betty
Hi Betty, firstly concerning freewheeling the scooter. If you look around
the back there should be a lever which you either pull up or push
down
to
make it freewheel or drive. About a manual all I can suggest is that you
simply google the internet for the manual for your model. Hope this is
useful, have fun.- Hide quoted text -
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Hi Peter, thanks but I found a Lever which goes side to side, we
have tried this lever every way it can possibly go and it doesn't
actually change anything...as for the Manual, I have spent hours
looking and haven't had any luck at all.
I did reply yesterday but it seems to be floating somewhere in
Cyberspace.
Hello Betty.
I didn't find a manual anywhere, but rang one of the dealers I found
on the internet and although he didn't know much about the town and
country he did give me some general advice. Looks as though Booster
gave up making scooters around 1997. I tracked the company which I was
told had moved to the Netherlands, but didn't find it. There is a
company with the same name now located in China, making similar items,
but not scooters I think.
When my freewheel lever didn't work, I put a few drops of oil at the
place where the levers seemed to connect with the motor section. That
has worked and the lever is free and works well now.
Re batteries. The batteries I had in my scooter were done for. One
round the garden and they had had it.
I discovered that the batteries were deep cycle 55 amp hour. They
seemed horrifically expensive to buy, so I hunted round ebay and found
two deep cycle batteries with a little less capacity, new with a one
year warranty, for about a third of the price of the new ones. By the
way, gold caddies also use deep cycle batteries I understand.
Happy wandering.
Peter
Good deep cycle batteries are very expensive.
Cheap ones are generally less deep cycle than you expect!
Smaller ones get a hard life and die soon because the average depth of
discharge is higher.
Personally I use Otima or Hawker Odyssey, or othe quality batteries like
Sonnechien Dryfit 500 like most OEMs fit.
These also have lower internal resistance and so when your battery does get
low they can still propel the scooter...
I cant afford to use "cheap" batteries. As you are likely to find out
unfortunately.
Just wondering how much you pay for them and what sort of Ampere
Hours you get?
Peter
Amp hours only tells you the capacity or size of a battery.
Internal resistance tells you the ability to deliver the required current
without voltage drop when you need it say on a ramp or when turning on grass
or whatever.
In a typical powerchair for eg the stock factory fit deep cycle batteries
will be Sonnechien A500 dryfit (GEL) 57ah batteries or similar
These are the rolls royce of "deep cycle" type tractive or wheelchair /
scooter batteries as used for powerchairs. Average powerchairs and average
users.
They typically give good service and average to good service life to the
average user.
Most deep cycle batteries are not too good at big currents though. EG the
battery in most wheelchairs will not start a car. They have the capacity
(range) but no big amp capability.
The voltage drops under load especially when say half discharged - so when
you need to drive up a steep ramp into a van or something they give little
power...
So the full 57ah you think you have is only available or accessible under
light loads.
So a fat user (like me!) or a user that lives in an area of hills, uses lots
of ramps, uses chair on grass etc get bad steering responce and sagging
power, and cany pop wheelies up curbs etc needs something better. Something
that can fit the same space but has the power (not the capacity or range) to
still deliver when half discharged.
This is where expensive batteries like the OPTIMA or the HAWKER Absorbed
Glass Mat batteries come in.
These too are DEEP CYCLE and have the same capacity as the stock batteries.
Where they differ is that they can also start a big diesel truck in the
middle of winter. They have huge amp capability with almost no voltage drop.
That means range on the flat isnt improved. Same capacity. But when half
used up after a hard day at an airshow on grass with a 20 stone me in a
tuned up powerchair with tall gearing the remaining capacity is actually
accessible. When I try to drive my chair up a steep ramp into my van it does
so with the same enthusiasm it did 12 hours previously.
If you dont need extra amps and have a low geared (slower) powerchair, live
in a flat area seldom use ramps and grass, then you would be better off with
high amp hour batteries than high current oners.
Group 24 is a size. A physical size. Its the size that my wheelchair
accepts.
You can fit 55ah Optimas deep cycle 4.2L batteries. Best for good cycle life
and heavy currents.
Or
Hawker Odyssey http://www.odysseyfactory.com/
http://www.odysseyfactory.com/battspecs.html
68 ah and can start a truck and truly deep cycle.
100 ah wet acid deep cycle, but only if you are light! 100 amp hour in a
battery the same size. So theoretically nearly double the range. Big
currents? No chance though. They claim engine starting capability, 400 deep
cycles and no sulphation from this carbon plated battery. And they are
cheap! At half the price of a stock OEM Sonnechien.
But for me as a fat person in a tuned powerchair that actuelly uses and
abuses it the current delivery capability wasnt good enough. No wheelies.
Stalled trying to go up steep ramps etc. If you want cheap large capacity
deep cycle batteries (100 each) for big range and you weigh about 8 stone
then these are for you!
Personally I use the Odyssey 65 amp hour ones at about 200 each. They do
what I need, have more capacity than stock, allow me to actually "use" that
capacity, and can feed the big amps a fat bloke with modded motors with
taller gearing and usage attitude that I demand. I get about 9 months from
stock sonnechien ones, 3 weeks from "cheap" internet so called mobility
batteries and Halfords leisure batteries (they have 2 year warranty but
refused to honour it after 4 sets...).
They give more range, more cycles and more power than all the rest at a
cost.
Horses for courses. But you need to know the differences and the
requirements.
For most people the standard Sonnechien OEM ones or whatever the
manufacturer fitted are the best option. Cheaper alternatives seldom are.