Electric Polaris Ranger

[PRCWI]

Thanks, we live in central Wisconsin, not unusual for us to have temps reach -15 or lower in winter. Last couple of years we even had nights quite a bit colder than that. We've got a land pride treker that is gas but we keep having issues with gas getting into the oil. Thought it was fixed after we put a new carb on last year but it sat for a couple months this summer waiting for parts to repair the drive train. Now after its fixed the gas in the oil issue has reappeared. I going to have the carb cleaned again but no idea if that will fix it. It's a great vehicle when it runs right. I wonder how hard it would be to convert it to electric. Right now it's a 20hp Honda v-twin gas.

Well tore apart the carb today and couldn't see anything obvious but cleaned everything and reassembled it. Changed the oil and filter as well. We'll see if that helps. If not I'll be looking for a "new" utv.

 

[PRCWI]

If you are talking about the Ranger EV, it is a 48V system with a 30 horsepower three phase AC induction motor.

It has more than enough torque from the 650 Amp Sevcon Gen IV controller to spin all 4 tires if chained to a tree!

P.S. Edit worked earlier today for me in another thread.

Not sure on your 2013 model but the current EV rangers are rated to tow 1500lbs That's pretty **** good. If they had a bigger box on them they would be very high on my priority list when we replace our Land pride Treker.
Polaris Ranger EV box LxWxH = 32x42x11.5
Land Pride Treker box LxWxH = 48x52x12

Losing 16" of box length and 10" of width would really hurt, especially considering our primary use is hauling hay around for the horses. I wonder how hard it would be to fabricate my own box for it? It would be great for the wife and kids to never have to worry about gas, oil etc...

Xfaxman, one question about the tires, is there a difference in the smoothness of the ride with the different tread? Also any issues with sinking in worse on softer/wetter ground since the tires are narrower?

 

[Xfaxman]

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Xfaxman, one question about the tires, is there a difference in the smoothness of the ride with the different tread? Also any issues with sinking in worse on softer/wetter ground since the tires are narrower?

The R1 tread is rougher on concrete, can't tell much difference on dirt or the gravel driveway.

I can say it has never been stuck, but I don't have to use it in the mud. Haven't noticed any ruts on softer/wetter ground.

I have thought about making a bed extender, using the receiver hitch, but it is pretty far down on the to-do list.

 

[PRCWI]

I was trying to think of ways to extend the existing bed but I'd want it to still be able to dump.

Our ground here is primarily dry and firm/hard but when we get rain our clay content means it can turn into a real mess, so much so that even our light footprint treker can have issues getting through some areas. I've had to use the winch to get it out several times.

 

[4570Man]

You could pull a trailer (or two). I think the EV will out pull any other UTV, due to it's power and weight. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/atvs-utility-vehicles/445587-electric-polaris-ranger-p9190081-jpg"/> :thumbsup: For those that didn't see the drawbar pull test, click this: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/287792-electric-polaris-ranger-post3544626.html#post3544626

Did you ever hook up to a bigger tree? If so what was the draw bar pull? The ranger weighs 1,700 pounds. A Kubota RTV weighs more, so with equal tires should be able to out pull it.

 

[aczlan]

I have thought about making a bed extender, using the receiver hitch, but it is pretty far down on the to-do list.

What about making an extension for the sides of the bed that goes up (to the top of the bed), then out 6-12" then up another 6-12"?
One of those for each side (made from 10ga steel?), and a piece to go across the front to tie it together could make your bed 1-2' wider.

Aaron Z

 

[Xfaxman]

Did you ever hook up to a bigger tree? If so what was the draw bar pull? The ranger weighs 1,700 pounds. A Kubota RTV weighs more, so with equal tires should be able to out pull it.

No, it is still on the to-do list. The crane scales have to have the weight steady for a minute to lock in the reading, so I will have to have my wife drive with me in the back watching the scale readout. With the shutter lag on my camera, I might not get the max pull in the picture, but it would be close enough.

What model RTV? The one that showed up when I searched "RTV" was under 1400 pounds and a 16 horsepower engine.

Our EV has a three phase AC 30 horsepower motor with tremendous torque in low range.

The best way to find out which can pull more would be to chain them back to back. :thumbsup:

 

[4570Man]

No, it is still on the to-do list. The crane scales have to have the weight steady for a minute to lock in the reading, so I will have to have my wife drive with me in the back watching the scale readout. With the shutter lag on my camera, I might not get the max pull in the picture, but it would be close enough. What model RTV? The one that showed up when I searched "RTV" was under 1400 pounds and a 16 horsepower engine. Our EV has a three phase AC 30 horsepower motor with tremendous torque in low range. The best way to find out which can pull more would be to chain them back to back. :thumbsup: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/atvs-utility-vehicles/447541-electric-polaris-ranger-rtv-jpg"/>

The RTV900XT weighs 1863 pounds without a cab and 1,995 pounds with a cab. I doubt the electric ranger is 30 hp continues. There is 745.7 watts in a hp. That is 22,365 watts for a 30 hp motor. If my math is correct the batteries are going to have to produce at least 466 amps continues. The hp on either rig really doesn't matter as long as they are both capable of spinning the wheels in 4x4.

 

[Xfaxman]

Yep, it will definitely spin the wheels.

The Sevcon motor controller is rated at 650 amps. The advantage of the electric motor is it develops max torque from zero RPM.

So I think the EV would drag the RTV backwards until (and depending on the transmission) it got the RPM up into the power band.

 

[blin]

Can your electric Ranger handle water crossings. It's obvious with combustion you have air intake and exhaust issues. Is there a fully water proof compartment to hold the batteries? If not, how deep can you get before there is shorting or worse?
I saw another post about your ranger dealing with ease of access. Do you still recommend this unit in general, and for those not so young?