newb - replacement battery help - Worksman Trike

[Creakyknees]

Hi all,

Bought a Worksman e-trike for my dad, back in 2012. Got many happy miles from it but it's been sitting for a while and so the battery is dead.

I've emailed Worksman support, no reply yet.

Can someone maybe hold my hand a bit and tell me what I should be looking for, to get this thing running again? I suspect it just needs a new battery.

thanks
Creaky

 

[Balmorhea]

Those trikes came originally with both lead-acid batteries and lithium ion batteries, and in at least a couple of different voltages. You’ll need to figure out what you have before we can help you. Pictures would be useful.

 

[Creakyknees]

thanks - finally got a pic of the label. it's sealed lead acid, 36v, 9 amp

So can I replace with anything matching that?

 

[Creakyknees]

ok found the answer on e-bikekit.com

The E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ are both offered without battery packs.
Kits purchased without batteries include a battery wire harness for connecting a 3rd party battery to the controller.

The E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit are both compatible with any 36v or 48v battery pack.

The chemistry of the battery does not matter. You can use any battery type (lead-acid, NiMH, Li-ion, Lipo, LiFePO4, etc.).

People often ask if the size (ah) of the battery used matters. The size of the batteries does not matter as long as the voltage is 36 or 48 volts.

 

[Balmorhea]

People often ask if the size (ah) of the battery used matters. The size of the batteries does not matter as long as the voltage is 36 or 48 volts.

That's assuming the battery in question is treated [rated, I meant to say] to deliver as much current as the controller and motor use. Not all batteries of applicable voltage will do that.

Maximum motor speed will vary in proportion to battery voltage. For a granny trike like Worksman, it's treacherous to go too fast, so that's an important consideration.

 

[AlexT2020]

You might wanna consider a different kind of battery for your replacement. There are a lot of different kinds of batteries that you can buy and use for your replacement. You can check this article from Dig My Ride for a quick guide on the different kinds of batteries, there are also tips for newbies over there so I think that may help you.

 

[Drchachacha]

Hi. I hope some of you will still be notified of new posts on this thread.This is the only reference I could find on the internet which “matches” my situation. So, thank you in advance.
My now deceased husband purchased a Worksman Side-by-side Tricycle (Model SBST-3CB-WE) WITH the optional eKit and battery back in 2014. (He was disabled from a stroke and sadly found it more challenging to ride than expected. Thus it has spent most of its life in the garage!) After only a year, the battery pack, which at that time only used the “old” lead acid batteries, had to be replaced. At that time, Worksman still sold the replacement (presumably the one pictured above by Creakyness, which I wish hadn’t been distorted). After my husband’s passing in 2020 and getting through the pandemic, I then revisited the trike and hoped to get it in working order. Alas, the second battery was no longer charging. On top of that it had a flat tire! Calls to Worksman revealed that, not only had they revamped the entire eKit option to the more efficient Lithium Ion technology, bu they no longer offered the replacement battery (custom configured for “plug and go”) any longer. If I wanted to take advantage of the newer technology, I would have to upgrade the entire electric motor kit for over a thousand bucks! Customer service told me that I should be able to get a generic replacement to work with my current kit at a battery or auto parts store.
So, again, this project went on the back burner again until now.
So, now I am in the same boat as Creakynesss, as I am not sure where to find a battery pack set up to be compatible with my trike. Specifically, I am afraid I will not find one with compatible connectors. It doesn’t help that, although I thought I had the last battery pack at hand to compare specs, it turns out I as wrong! (The one I found is actually a spare for my husband’s electric wheelchair!) So I don’t even have the reference like Creakyness finally found.
My hope is that he DID actually get his Dad’s operating again. If so, could you advise where you acquired the compatible battery and/or upload a photo that shows what the wire connection and terminals on the pack look like.
Alternatively, if anyone has a link to written instructions and/or video that shows how to connect a new battery pack to the controller IN DETAIL, I would be very grateful. Thank you in advance to anyone kind enough to respond.

 

[A-DamW]

From Creakyknees ~2020:

ok found the answer on e-bikekit.com

The E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ are both offered without battery packs.
Kits purchased without batteries include a battery wire harness for connecting a 3rd party battery to the controller.

The E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit are both compatible with any 36v or 48v battery pack.

The chemistry of the battery does not matter. You can use any battery type (lead-acid, NiMH, Li-ion, Lipo, LiFePO4, etc.).

People often ask if the size (ah) of the battery used matters. The size of the batteries does not matter as long as the voltage is 36 or 48 volts.

Sounds like nearly any battery at 36-48 volts that can supply enough current would work.

I don't know of any plug-n-play batteries specifically for this trike.

Depending on your, and/or the skills of those around you, it is entirely possible to get the trike operational again.

Starting a thread and posting pics of the motor, controller(w/lable if possible) battery connectors, etc. is a good way to get started.

P.S. This appears to be the newer equivalent model:
Worksman SIDE-BY-SIDE