Bolen (ISEKI) TX1500F (G174) electrical issue, no current

[jimfrank]

I did not have a battery in my little tractor & wanted to move it. I thought I would just hook my JUMPER CABLES directly to the BATTERY CABLES. Remember, there is no battery in the tractor.
Hooked up the cables, turned the key on, but as soon as I turned the starter switch I heard a "click" & my gauge lights went out. It's like I blew a fuse (or something), but I can not find a fuse.
Can someone help me?? Either where to look, or what to look for, and/or tell me how to test it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Most consumer grade (Wal*mart, etc) jumper cables are inadequate to provide the necessary current to start an engine (at least these engines) by themselves - hence why sometimes they are referred to as "booster cables" because they can only assist a partially charged battery. The alligator clip teeth provide small points of contact that cannot pass a lot of current without a significant voltage drop across them. That coupled with the additional length of insufficiently sized wiring robs the circuit of the necessary voltage needed. It is best to take the battery from another piece of equipment and install it in the tractor to get it going. If your gauge lights do not work after disconnecting and reconnecting the jumper cables (before trying to start) then something else happened. In theory they would come back on after trying to start the engine but I've also seen where the cables actually lose electrical contact after trying to pass a lot of current during a starting attempt. They kind of burn at the points of contact and this can break the electrical connection until you reattach them.

If you want a set of "good" jumper cables expect to pay at least $75 for them. They should be at a very minimum of 2 gauge, copper, and under 12' long. Even at that you still have to deal with the alligator clip loss though.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Incidentally newer automotive gasoline engines can actually inject fuel into cylinders and fire the spark plugs multiple times at any point in the cycle (where it can help of course) so you'll find you need much less power going to the starter. In this case, you can get by with a significantly lower energy starting system where lesser jumper cables work effectively.