KU Gator
Platinum Member
If you do not have a multimeter, mention to the folks that it would make a good Christmas gift. A decent digital one can be bought for about $50. I personally like analog better, but they are harder to find and less fool proof to use. Learning to use a multimeter can be a good diagnostic tool.
A 1st step on checking a battery with a multimeter is to measure the voltage with the engine off. It should read about 12.5 volt. After you start the tractor, it should read about 14 volts. That tells you that the alternator is running. If it doesn't read more voltage with the engine running, it can't be charging. If the engine is on and you turn the lights on, you should see a little dip in the voltage, but it should come back up again.
When you have problems like that, it is also a good time to check the connectors. Are they clean and tight. You can get a little wire brush to clean the insides of the connectors and the terminals on the battery. Spraying a little WD40 on them once and a while will help keep down corrosion.
If you go long periods without using it, you might want to get a battery charger with a float function. I have several "Battery Tenders", mostly for the motorcycles, but I also put one on the garden tractor when I put it up for the winter. I put one on the Kubota during the winter if I haven't used it for a few weeks or sometimes just before they are predicting snow to make sure the battery is topped up for a cold start the next morning. A float function allows you to leave it on the battery without over charging it. It will charge the battery, then stop and until it reads that it needs to charge again. A regular charger will overcharge the battery unless you take it off.
Maybe this was just a weak battery from the start, but learning to do a little troubleshooting will be a great help for you down the road. If you go to one of the big book stores or good old Amazon, you can find one of those "Dummies" series books for learning basic electricity. Those books are easy to read and understand without bogging you down in a bunch of theory.
A 1st step on checking a battery with a multimeter is to measure the voltage with the engine off. It should read about 12.5 volt. After you start the tractor, it should read about 14 volts. That tells you that the alternator is running. If it doesn't read more voltage with the engine running, it can't be charging. If the engine is on and you turn the lights on, you should see a little dip in the voltage, but it should come back up again.
When you have problems like that, it is also a good time to check the connectors. Are they clean and tight. You can get a little wire brush to clean the insides of the connectors and the terminals on the battery. Spraying a little WD40 on them once and a while will help keep down corrosion.
If you go long periods without using it, you might want to get a battery charger with a float function. I have several "Battery Tenders", mostly for the motorcycles, but I also put one on the garden tractor when I put it up for the winter. I put one on the Kubota during the winter if I haven't used it for a few weeks or sometimes just before they are predicting snow to make sure the battery is topped up for a cold start the next morning. A float function allows you to leave it on the battery without over charging it. It will charge the battery, then stop and until it reads that it needs to charge again. A regular charger will overcharge the battery unless you take it off.
Maybe this was just a weak battery from the start, but learning to do a little troubleshooting will be a great help for you down the road. If you go to one of the big book stores or good old Amazon, you can find one of those "Dummies" series books for learning basic electricity. Those books are easy to read and understand without bogging you down in a bunch of theory.
