General Mcgregor
Member
- 980
- 24
- 18
- Location
- Dover, New Hampshire
Hey fellas!
Well I finally had enough of my rotted battery tray. The batteries were flopping around and the movement caused so much wear on the cable lugs that it started arcing when I went to start it. There wasn't enough material left to hook a ratchet strap or even a bungee cord!
So this spring I decided to do something about it! I yanked out the old tray and took it to my shop, first I should note that there was almost nothing left of the support braces on the bottom... or even of the bottom for that matter. It was so soft and full of holes that I almost trashed the whole thing. The sides seemed to be in good shape though, so I decided to cut off the entire bottom and replace it. I used the cutoff wheel and disk grinder to make a nice surface to weld on.
Next I started cleaning it up, it took HOURS of hitting it with the abraisive pad on the sander before finally throwing it into the sandblaster for a thorough cleaning.
Next I had the new bottom welded in. I built some new supports out of 1"x1" tubing and 1"x1/4" flat stock. The four flat stock pieces had holes drilled in them for the J hooks. I also drilled a couple drain holes in the bottom.
After that was all put together it was time for some paint, I think it came out pretty nice!
I bought two new Everstart Maxx batteries and a couple of universal hold down kits with J hooks and wingnuts. I also bought new marine grade terminals while I was at it.
I should also note that it was a bit higher on the bottom than the old box so I had to modify the existing wingbolt clips on the battery box tray mount to accomodate.
I know in New England, rust and rot is a common problem on the battery tray and I hope this helps anyone who may need to do this in the future![[thumbzup]](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_thumzup.gif "Thumbs Up [thumbzup]")
-GM
Well I finally had enough of my rotted battery tray. The batteries were flopping around and the movement caused so much wear on the cable lugs that it started arcing when I went to start it. There wasn't enough material left to hook a ratchet strap or even a bungee cord!
So this spring I decided to do something about it! I yanked out the old tray and took it to my shop, first I should note that there was almost nothing left of the support braces on the bottom... or even of the bottom for that matter. It was so soft and full of holes that I almost trashed the whole thing. The sides seemed to be in good shape though, so I decided to cut off the entire bottom and replace it. I used the cutoff wheel and disk grinder to make a nice surface to weld on.
Next I started cleaning it up, it took HOURS of hitting it with the abraisive pad on the sander before finally throwing it into the sandblaster for a thorough cleaning.
Next I had the new bottom welded in. I built some new supports out of 1"x1" tubing and 1"x1/4" flat stock. The four flat stock pieces had holes drilled in them for the J hooks. I also drilled a couple drain holes in the bottom.
After that was all put together it was time for some paint, I think it came out pretty nice!
I bought two new Everstart Maxx batteries and a couple of universal hold down kits with J hooks and wingnuts. I also bought new marine grade terminals while I was at it.
I should also note that it was a bit higher on the bottom than the old box so I had to modify the existing wingbolt clips on the battery box tray mount to accomodate.
I know in New England, rust and rot is a common problem on the battery tray and I hope this helps anyone who may need to do this in the future
-GM
