LiFePO4 Batteries

Ordered a Li Time LiFePo4 battery and charger in mid-May for use with my trolling motor. I made sure the order was shipped from a US location so I did not have to worry about the tariff situation. I received the battery in less than a week. It took another 3 weeks to receive the charger. Li Time was responsive to emails and customer service was very good. One thing I did not like was the credit card charge was through a Singapore, China bank. No where is that noted on their website. Only after the order was placed did I get an email stating that. Had to coordinate with the bank to get it approved.

Looking forward to using the new battery more...
 
Triggw said:
I have that very device on my travel trailer. Shows state of charge, charge remaining, amps currently being drawn (or charging), total amp hours used, as well as volts and a few other things. It replaces an earlier system that failed, so not a lot of time on this one yet, but it's great so far.
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One other note... The battery I'm monitoring on my trailer is inside a metal box. (Too big for a regular battery box.) I was worried that the Bluetooth wouldn't work with the thing sealed in the box with the battery, and some experimentation proved that to be so. Since it just has to be inline the negative lead of the battery, I installed it under the box in an area with the metal box on top and steel beams on 2 sides. Cut the neg battery lead and installed lugs to connect to the shunt. It gets some protection from the elements there (although it is IP65 certified). Was worried about Bluetooth connectivity with it surrounded by metal beams, but it's working well. Shouldn't be a problem on a boat, but I'm impressed with how well the Bluetooth connectivity works in my situation. Hopefully it holds up long term.
 
Piscihound said:
I have used my battery with both a 30lb thrust and my 40 that has an internal PWM and the infinite speed adjustment and both are Minn Kota. The issue happens with both motors. Is it possible that my 50 amp breaker is the problem and not the higher voltage of the LI battery?
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I had a similar problem with my 24v minkota. I ended up tracing it down to insufficient cable size from the back of my boat to the bow. Upgraded the wires and it seems to work fine now. Also I recently upgraded to the Wattcycle 100 AH batteries with Bluetooth and have no complaints. The reviews were good and the price was the same as a AGM so it was hard to say no!
 
I do want to give a bit of a "review" on the batteries I purchased last year for my 36v Minn Kota:

I ordered three of the Weize brand 100ah batteries to run in series. They worked great for me last year, and picked right back up where they left off on my first trip out with them in May this year. But on my 2nd trip, I unplugged my charger and went on my way without checking the status of each battery on my NOCO charger. Got out on the water and my Minn Kota wouldn't turn on.

Back home, 2 of my 3 batteries showed full charge, but the third was showing an error on my charger status. I did all the troubleshooting I could and eventually contacted Weize customer service. After a few more rounds of troubleshooting, they said they'd send me a replacement and didn't even need to send the old one back.

I asked if I could receive the same battery, but the bluetooth version so I could check charge while in use, and they even agreed to upgrade me at no charge.

Was really happy with how they handled it. Definitely worth letting others know about the good experience.
 
Ok so I was thinking of adding a trolling motor to my watermaster kodiak.

I have a old minkotoa trolling motor I used when I was a kid it is probably 30-40 years old. We used to just attach it to a car battery.

Can I get these lithium batteries and just attach it the same way or do I need to do something different?
 
TheFlyFishingFilmmaker said:
Ok so I was thinking of adding a trolling motor to my watermaster kodiak.

I have a old minkotoa trolling motor I used when I was a kid it is probably 30-40 years old. We used to just attach it to a car battery.

Can I get these lithium batteries and just attach it the same way or do I need to do something different?
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With an amp fuse or breaker like shown above, you should be good to go. I'd find out what the amp draw is on that particular motor and get the appropriate breaker.
 
TheFlyFishingFilmmaker said:
Ok so I was thinking of adding a trolling motor to my watermaster kodiak.

I have a old minkotoa trolling motor I used when I was a kid it is probably 30-40 years old. We used to just attach it to a car battery.

Can I get these lithium batteries and just attach it the same way or do I need to do something different?
Click to expand...
You'll also need to get a LiFePo4 compatible battery charger.
 
_WW_ said:
Yup. That looks like a good one. Pair it up with a 100ah battery and you'll be set for all day.
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I bought an Eco Worthy 100ah LifePo4 (with bluetooth) - I can actually pick this battery up one handed. I've spent the best part of a day moving my pram around with this battery (30 pound thrust motor) with 84% battery charge remaining.
 
Thanks for all the help understanding this stuff. I ended up getting the whole setup on the water this weekend to fish for pinks on the Duwamish. It was perfect for that. I can definitely see getting a trolling motor with a bit more thrust, but even still it got me around just fine ... I then went down the rabbit hole of electric outboards lol. One mistake I made (thanks amazon) was to buy the charger they recommended ... 1 amp charger ... ug ... will have to return it and get something a bit faster :D

 
TheFlyFishingFilmmaker said:
Thanks for all the help understanding this stuff. I ended up getting the whole setup on the water this weekend to fish for pinks on the Duwamish. It was perfect for that. I can definitely see getting a trolling motor with a bit more thrust, but even still it got me around just fine ... I then went down the rabbit hole of electric outboards lol. One mistake I made (thanks amazon) was to buy the charger they recommended ... 1 amp charger ... ug ... will have to return it and get something a bit faster :D

Click to expand...

I purchased the Eco-Worthy 10A LiFePO4, 12V smart charger for my 100AH battery. I can get distracted and forget that I have the charger hooked up so it's nice to have the smart function that stops charging.

(I also have the same charger you bought but I park my truck outside for the winter and used the 1A chargers as a battery tender.)
 
Ok so doing a little more looking, looks like I need to convert my alligator clips to more lithium battery appropriate connectors ... any suggestions? Anderson clips look convenient, but I don't want to buy a bunch of crimpers and stuff for just one time use. And then how do I know the appropriate wire gauge to use?
 
ffb said:
I've heard of issues with the generic breakers. First thing I would do is pick up a name brand breaker. I have both Egis and Blue Sea Systems breakers on my boat without issue.
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I just realized that I never posted an update after getting a name brand breaker. I bought the Blue Sea breaker and hooked it up. NO MORE ISSUES!!!!
Thank you for setting me straight.
Rich
 
TheFlyFishingFilmmaker said:
Ok so doing a little more looking, looks like I need to convert my alligator clips to more lithium battery appropriate connectors ... any suggestions? Anderson clips look convenient, but I don't want to buy a bunch of crimpers and stuff for just one time use. And then how do I know the appropriate wire gauge to use?
Click to expand...
I use these:

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Buy SPARKING [ 2Pack] 3FT 10AWG SAE to SAE Extension Cable 2Pin Bullet Quick Connect Heavy Duty Wire Harness with Waterproof Cap: Accessories - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
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They are three feet long. You'll notice that one end fits into the other, which means if you cut them in half you can splice one on your cable in place of the alligator clips and the other half onto your battery with some Home Depot ring terminals. Take the second cord, cut it and splice the proper half onto your battery charger.

Alternatively, You can use the Anderson connectors and crimp them with a hammer and a flat screwdriver. One of my batteries actually has both types of connectors attached to it for multiple uses.
 
dialing in the charging set-up means less work from then on.
I replaced the spade connectors on my Mk with Anderson power connectors (requires solder) , as well as on the 8 gauge wire I ran to the battery located under the forward seat, and made a simple charging harness with yet another connector that ends in spade terminals for my Noco charger to clamp on to:
-end of day unsnap the MK-battery connection
-snap on the charging harness to the battery and light up the Noco (excellent charger)
-battery charged, unsnap the harness and snap the MK-battery back together.
I've done this set-up on my last four boats, it's bulletproof and turns charging hook-ups into a matter of seconds.
IMG_20250910_091807306.jpgIMG_20250910_091851002_MF_PORTRAIT.jpg
 
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