Have you ever *tricked out* your kids toys?

[legacycontinues]

I ask this because my son has one of those *BIGFOOT* powerwheels. We bought it used for $5.00 because it needed a battery. We picked the bat and charger up at wally world...no problem. I get it home I decided the crappy blue wasn't working so I painted it gloss black and chromed out the grill.

My sone loves it but I felt it needed more so while I was out garage "sailing" I found a set of brand new fog lights in the box for $3.00 so I figured what the heck. I get home and bust out the tools. I mounted one light in the front on the grill (easy) and one light in the rear on the bumper (where the trailer hitch would go...thats next). I have (2) sealed batterys that came out of UPS's so I put them on there in serial but they draw waaayyyyy too much.

Now I am going to build a trailer to hold a full size battery I have kicking around in the garage. I have these big lawn mower wheels (inflatable) I am going to use and the rest will be made from wood to keep it light. I think I might install a marine type stereo and speakers on the trailer as well just go go over the top.

His race car bed is getting neons and strobes too.....


So I ask...... Ever pimped out your kids toys??

[vrg3]

You put two UPS batteries in series? Aren't they already 12 volts?

Is the full-size battery sealed? You probably don't want your kid hauling an unsealed container full of sulphuric acid around.

Maybe you should see if you can put lower-wattage bulbs into the fogs. What type of bulb do they use?

[legacycontinues]

The full size battery is a lead acid but it will be in a battery box on the trailer.

To my knowledge the lights are 55watts each.

I am running the (2) batterys in this config:

negative of lights to neg of battery 1

pos of battery 1 to neg of bat 2

pos of bat 2 to pos of lights

[vrg3]

The full size battery is a lead acid but it will be in a battery box on the trailer.

I wouldn't trust an unsealed lead-acid battery in a battery box... But that's just me.

To my knowledge the lights are 55watts each.

But what type of bulb do they use? Maybe you can find some 35-watt bulbs that'll reduce the current draw.

I am running the (2) batterys in this config:

negative of lights to neg of battery 1

pos of battery 1 to neg of bat 2

pos of bat 2 to pos of lights

Right -- why did you wire the two batteries in series? Are they 6 volts or something?

Actually, if they were 6-volt batteries, I'd still say to wire them in parallel. That way they'd last twice as long, at the expense of decreased light output.

You could even wire the lamps in series to halve their draw again.

[legacycontinues]

I was trying to do this on a low-budget, no-budget. I only ran the batteries in series because that is how they came out of the UPS. I think I will try running the lights in series and see if that helps any.

[G-reg]

There was a big recall on power wheels wiring a few years ago because people "juiced" them. Running a few motorcycle batteries or the stock ones in series caused them to burst into flames. This happened enough that Mattel (I think) offered to upgrade the wiring for some good PR. Unless people were mod'n them the wiring was fine.

[legacycontinues]

I haven't touched the stock wiirng. Although I did hook up one 12volt battery to the truck last night and hit the peddle with my hand... That thing took off like it had a shot of NOS...I couldn't stop laughing.

[THAWA]

Since the wiring is stock, you are greatly endangering your child.

[legacycontinues]

So you are saying that the ones that are stock are faulty. I haven't touched the wiring on the truck. I ran my own wires for the lights.

There are no markings on the vehicle anymore to determine the date of manufacturing. The peole that had it before us had no problem and I am yet to have any problem and I have had it for 6 months or so and my son rides it almost every day. I will inspect the wires tommorow but I think it is pretty safe.

Thanks for looking out though. I will drop the makers an e-mail and see what they say. If they feel it is one that is recalled I will be more than happy to send it in...or get a new one.

[G-reg]

The stock wiring is bad if you put 12V through a 6V system, and enough people did this that the company had to do something to save face. I was working at Toys 'R' Us at the time and had to rewire a bunch of them.

[vrg3]

Oh, if the batteries were in series in the UPS then they're probably 6-volt batteries. You still might consider doing what I suggested about wiring them in parallel. They'll last about twice as long. And if you wire the lights in series, you'll again get about twice the battery life. The light output will decrease, of course, but that's not really important for the eye candy effect.

If the stock Power Wheels batteries are 6 volts, Hardy's right that it's dangerous to put a 12-volt battery on, even if you remove it afterwards. The amount of heat radiated in the wires increases with the square of the voltage. Like G-reg says, this heat can damage insulation even if it doesn't immediately melt it. You should inspect all the wiring on the vehicle to make sure the insulation is in good shape (intact and flexible). Replacing the wiring with new heavier-gauge wires ought to be pretty easy.

And again, if you can tell me what kind of bulb these lights take, I can help you choose a lower-wattage replacement bulb.

[legacycontinues]

The UPS bats are 12 volt each. I only ran 12 volt thru the 6 volt system for about 5 seconds so I don't beleive I did any damage.


I thank all of you for the advice but I started this thread to find out if anyone else has ever tricked out their kids toys..

[vrg3]

I wouldn't just assume things are okay. Inspect the wiring.

We're just trying to help and keep your kid safe...