Ion Sport not making it 42 lanes on battery

[discobrian]

Howdy guys, got a refurb Ion Sport about 3 months ago. When we first got it, it would run all 42 lanes on a single charge. As of the last few weeks however we can only get between 33 and 36 lanes oiled before we have to charge it for about 15 min. The fastest speed we run is 22. Could changing the speeds use more battery??

How many lanes are you guys getting before having to charge??

Brian

[8270king]

What is your pattern?

Slow speeds are what chews up the batteries.

There could be another underlying issue....

[discobrian]

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Here is 1

[discobrian]

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[8270king]

Your pattern is not the issue.

Call Kegel.....800-280-2695.....you will need to get your meter out and take some readings

[Mechanick]

maybe one of the motors has a problem and is draining the battery. This can happen with the vacuum motor if cleaner is allowed to get into it or if the recovery tank filter is really clogged and the vacuum motor draws more amps than it should normally.


I had an issue where the oil from the gearbox of the drive motor leaked into the electrical housing of the machine eventually i found out about the issue because the fuse started to blow..when the problem was fixed i got 8 laned back in total # of lane it could do on a charge.

[Marty Murphy]

You said it was refurb machine but did they replace the batteries?? I have gotten 72 to 76 lanes on a full charge with both of my walkers. I replace the batteries on a yearly basis - batteries plus can get the same battery if you have one near you)
Also, are you charging the batteries correctly? You MUST plug the charger into the machine first, wait (I wait about 60 seconds)(this lets the charger read the battery condition) then plug the charger into the wall outlet.

Marty - Pro Bowl West

[8270king]

I actually keep the charger unplugged from the wall.

I then plug the machine into the charger....and let it read the battery condition.

No reason to keep the charger plugged in at all times.

[shamefowjze]

Marty ask a good question. Were the batteries replaced when it was rebuilt? Also Marty may be off with the number of lanes per charge. If you have the 925's you won't get close to 70 lanes, the 1200's that a different story.

If you bought the machine from a reputable company, their tech should be able to help you out.

[Marty Murphy]

I have the 1200's in both my machines. We played around one day and tried to kill the batteries and it made it 76 before it shut off on the lanes. It does matter what kind of pattern you are running to an extent on how far you can get, but I have not had an issue doing my 56 lanes on a single charge.

My newer walker was a refurb from Kegel (machine came out of the 2011 USBC tourney) and came with a new set of batteries in boxes. They left the originals in and said to run them till they are dead and that was 9 months ago.

Marty - Pro Bowl West

[discobrian]

Yea we have a second set of batteries in boxes, not the 1200s I think they are the 925s. I told the bossman we should change them out and send the others back. We shall see. We always plug into the machine first then wait a minute or so then plug it into the wall after it reads.

[shamefowjze]

Put the new batteries in and keep the old ones for a trolling motor or something. You don't want to ship them anywhere. The weight will cost you a fortune in shipping. If the company that rebuilt it gave you a new set of batteries, that's their way of giving you a warranty on the existing batteries. Put the new batteries in and be done with it.

[discobrian]

Correction, we have the 1200 batteries. I believe we also have a 1 or 2 year warranty on the batteries we have, thats why I said ship them back. We are gonna wait til the season is done before we go messing with it.

[shamefowjze]

The battery warranty is usually pro-rated. The longer you wait the less warranty you get. You could probably get this done quicker if you just contact the company you got the machine from. But to answer your original question, you're speeds are not killing your batteries. Knowing that you have 1200's is clearly apparent that the batteries are reaching the end of their life (for your center).

[Wookie8662]

I replaced the 1200's with 925's in our Walker.
We only have 32 lanes, and the 1200's were overkill for our size house.
We still get around a year with the 925's and they are way cheaper than the 1200's.

We have a split house (yeah, we actually need a stair walker).
When the batteries start going flat (end of life) you can do a quick charge of about 10 mins and get alot of voltage back into the batteries to finish.
Then again, if all my lanes were in a row, I would probably think it more of a problem, when it stops mid-house.