I show you how I upgraded a 12v 9.5Ah PowerWheels Graytop battery to a 12v 18Ah standard sealed lead acid type battery. Twice the range, half the cost!! The branded batteries are a bit of a ripoff, of course. (Note: the battery I used might not fit the best in your particular PowerWheels - They are all different sizes):
Link to the battery I used on Amazon
-- amzn.to/3i2DZgl (12v, 18AH)
Link to smaller 12v 12AH battery a lot of people are using:
-- amzn.to/3g8Ohdo (12v, 12AH)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. So please use the link above if you want to buy the battery! It won't cost you any extra, but I get credit for the sale.
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FAQ:
1Q. Where do you get the battery connector?
1A. As I show in the video, I removed it from the old battery! But you can but such a connector with a fuse holder installed at the link below. Just make sure it fits your battery charger; this is for 12v systems only:
-- amzn.to/2E2MaLo (battery connector with inline fuse)
2Q. Can I raise the voltage to make it go faster?
2A. Yes, you CAN put a 12v battery where a 6v was before -- Or 24v where 12v was before -- and the PowerWheels will go a lot faster, but it's also very likely to burn out the motor or transmission. The transmission is plastic and is designed to break under excessive load. If you are going to increase the voltage, you should put a fuse in to protect the motor and transmission. Get a slow-blow fuse. But you'll have to gradually increase the rating until it just stops blowing the fuse under normal use. It's very hard to measure for the right fuse value ahead of time because there's a large current rush as soon as you push the accelerator.
3Q. Is 18AH faster than 12AH?
3A. No, 18 Amp-Hours is a rating for how long the battery can supply a given current; for example 18 Amps for 1 hour (18*1=18), or 9A for 2h (9*2=18), or 3A for 6h (1*18=18) can be obtained from the same 18AH-rated battery. To go a given speed, the motor is going to draw a fixed amount of current, so the larger "AH" number really means it will last longer. So if your motor draws 9A, an 18AH battery would last 2hr, and a 9AH battery would last only 1hr. It never really lasts that long in reality, and it gets worse as the battery ages.
4Q. Should I let my kids run the battery down until it's dead?
4A. NO!!! Lead-acid batteries, like most batteries, become irreversibly damaged every time you allow it to drain completely dead. You should leave it on the charger after/before every use to ensure it's always topped up, even if they only used it 10 minutes. Do this and the battery will last YEARS. What's so great about this mod is all the neighbor's Powerwheels die first, so my kid's one never gets fully drained! Actually, not even half-drained. So it should last a really long time.
5Q. Can I charge my new 12v 10ah battery using the same charger as my old 12v 7ah battery?
5A. Yes, you can charge a 10ah battery with the same charger as the 7ah battery since they are the SAME VOLTAGE. It will just take a little longer to charge the battery with higher capacity (10ah).
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