It all depends on where you live and how much sun you get. Many so-called solar battery maintainers are only 5-15 watt which is very little.
Here in New York, a 5 watt solar panel can make about 1/10 th of an amp at 14 volts under normal sun conditions. Obviously, if you want even 1 amp, you need a 25-50 watt panel.
I have solar battery chargers on two of my old backhoes. Both have 80 watt panels and regulators. That's a bit overkill, but they work very well. Keep in mind that panels are sold by max ratings - and in reality, it rarely happens. An 80 watt panel is apt to make 40-50 watts at the best time of day when the sun is out. That comes to 3-4 amps of DC charge current.
A 15 watt panel is about the useful minimum in the northeast. It will make 1/2 to 3/4s of an a amp at 14 volts charge. If you live out west with a lot more sun, something smaller will work.
A big battery needs near a 1 amp charger just to offset the normal self-discharge rate. A smaller battery can be maintained with less.
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Today's Featured Article - A City Guy's First Tractor - by Fred Hambrecht. After living in apartments in Atlanta for more years than I care to remember, the wife and I decided to move to the country. Humming "Green Acres is the place for me..." we purchased a 29 acre tract about 60 miles south of Atlanta. Next came the house, I could talk about that ordeal for another two weeks... But, I want to talk about my tractor! We didn't even own a lawnmower, and all of a sudden we had enough grass to feed all the starving children of the bovine world. Naturally, I talked
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