dead battery

[Boulter]

Hi:

I went to use my DK40SE last Thursday and found the battery dead. Last used it about 2 months ago, and there have been plenty of two month intervals between usages. I charged the battery and got the job done later in the day.

Any thoughts as to why this might have happened? It is out in the open, so maybe just a short by dirty snow and water.

I won't get back to it until Wednesday at the earliest to see if the problem repeats.

Boulter

 

[carhartt56]

I think the first question would be , how old is the battery? I think if you are talking about a battery older than 2 or 3 years old you are asking alot of a battery to sit 2 months with out a battery tender . It could be a bad cell dragging it down . First thing I would do is have the battery checked .

DK40SE

 

[rekees4300]

The older a battery gets, the less time it will hold a charge. Not good for a battery to let it sit for extended periods of time. I start my tractor at least once a week just to keep the battery fully charged.

 

[PoorMansCat]

not sure if its possible in your situation, but if possible, a Battery Tender will really help your battery last a MUCH longer time.
I used this one, but there are many others available....
Waterproof Power Tender Plus 12V @ 5A - Marine - Batterytender.com

 

[MikeD74T]

I had several dead battery occasions with my DK45S until I changed the positive battery clamp. Original was so thin it would stretch, loosen, oxidize, & not charge. MikeD74T

 

[duanekeys]

The real question is why oh why would you let your poor tractor sit for two months without use?!

 

[Patches]

My tractor(3054xs TLB) often sits for a couple months not being used and I've yet to have a battery problem; original battery and unit purchased April 2005 :thumbsup: It does rest indoors in my unheated garage, however. Now, I've probably jinxed myself

 

[PoorMansCat]

My tractor(3054xs TLB) often sits for a couple months not being used and I've yet to have a battery problem; original battery and unit purchased April 2005 :thumbsup: It does rest indoors in my unheated garage, however. Now, I've probably jinxed myself

:laughing::laughing::laughing:
YEP!!!.. You're buying a battery NOW!!!..

 

[EddieWalker]

Winter is the killer of marginal batteries. As they age, they loose their ability to hold a charge. Every year, it's a little bit, until it just can't make it through the cold temps. I've replaced two batteries so far this spring, and had to jump the two batteries on my dozer. I had one of the coldest winters on record here, and my equipment sits all winter long.

Eddie

 

[grsthegreat]

if i were to leave mine sit that long in colder climates (as i do with my jet ski batteries, trailer battery, lawnmore battery) i put them on my 1.5 amp trickle chargers. You can get the Stanley 1.5 volt automatic trickle charger for $19.00 at Lowes. they work great, but arnt waterproof. i guess you could place it under the hood???

my equipment all resided under a shelter of some kind. i wont let my money sit out and rust (im weird like that).

 

[Highbeam]

Assuming the battery is not just wore out or dead. I had a common problem that will kill a battery dead quickly. A sticking glow plug relay. On the CK30 this little relay is on the firewall. It would glow the plugs until the battery died. Easy to diagnose, just unplug it after the engine starts and the battery would stay charged. I plugged/unpluuged it as a manual glow plug circuit until I got the new relay installed.

 

[MikeD74T]

Assuming the battery is not just wore out or dead. I had a common problem that will kill a battery dead quickly. A sticking glow plug relay. On the CK30 this little relay is on the firewall. It would glow the plugs until the battery died. Easy to diagnose, just unplug it after the engine starts and the battery would stay charged. I plugged/unpluuged it as a manual glow plug circuit until I got the new relay installed.

Did you find this by way of an indicator light that stayed on? MikeD74T

 

[BobRip]

I check the leakage current from the battery. With the engine and everything off pull the negative cable off of the negative battery terminal. Then check the current between the negative cable and the negative terminal. It should be less than 10 ma. Be care with this and get someone who knows how to use a current meter if you don't know how to do this. It is easy to blow a fuse in your meter or worse. Ge a float charger as many have suggested. I have one for each low usage piece of equipment.

 

[Boulter]

hi Guys:

Thanks for the tips. Battery was not dead yesterday when I fired up the tractor.

The battery is 3 years old, but the tractor is not used extensively, about 85 hours. I am inclined to think that something took it down, not that it is excessively aged.

I have left a dumb 1 amp trickle charger on a truck battery and it just destroyed the battery over the winter. I believe one needs a temperature compensated unit that shuts off the charge when the charge is full. Said full charge voltage is variable depending on the temperature. I don't imagine such a device exists in the consumer realm, so where does one get one?

Does anything run without the key? Could I have left the hazard lights on or something? I also had the key slot frozen up earlier in the winter, so perhaps something gummed up in there.

I certainly have the equipment and skills to check the quiescent draw off the battery, so that is the next step. I should probably get to it this afternoon while it isn't raining. Weather is looking dodgy for days.

I hate babysitting batteries!

Thanks.

Boulter

 

[Highbeam]

No indicator light when the GP relay sticks on. It was intermittent too. I could start the tractor and load it up on the trailer for a job the next day. Get to the job and have a dead battery. Great fun to unhook the truck from the trailer, flip it around and jump start the tractor, then reattach to trailer so that you can unload. I didn't shut the engine off until that job was done.

I found an easy way to check for amp draw is to disconnect the neg terminal and then touch it again. Looking for a spark. Our machines should have no spark at all. If the GP relay is stuck on you can expect a pretty huge spark.

The relay was intermittent. When I replaced it I gave it a good smell and there was a pretty sttrong burnt smell to it. Pretty cheap and no problems since. The optima style battery recovered very well and is still alive despite the total drains.

 

[Boulter]

Hi:

Well, I went out and checked the current when all is off. A whole 6.5mA so no obvious problem there. I then started the tractor and watched the battery voltage climb towards 14 volts over a few minutes until I got bored, so there is charging happening.

I think at this point, I've done about all I can do. I'll just keep my eye on things over the coming months in case there is something itermittent going on.

I will keep a stuck relay in the back of my mind.

Thanks again guys.

Boulter

 

[BobRip]

hi Guys:

Thanks for the tips. Battery was not dead yesterday when I fired up the tractor.

The battery is 3 years old, but the tractor is not used extensively, about 85 hours. I am inclined to think that something took it down, not that it is excessively aged.

I have left a dumb 1 amp trickle charger on a truck battery and it just destroyed the battery over the winter. I believe one needs a temperature compensated unit that shuts off the charge when the charge is full. Said full charge voltage is variable depending on the temperature. I don't imagine such a device exists in the consumer realm, so where does one get one?

Does anything run without the key? Could I have left the hazard lights on or something? I also had the key slot frozen up earlier in the winter, so perhaps something gummed up in there.

I certainly have the equipment and skills to check the quiescent draw off the battery, so that is the next step. I should probably get to it this afternoon while it isn't raining. Weather is looking dodgy for days.

I hate babysitting batteries!

Thanks.

Boulter

There are plenty of cheap smart chargers out there that work. I have been using Sure Care. I have one battery on my generator that is over 10 years old. I got it at Northern. It stays in a little shed attaché to the house, insulated, but not heated.

 

[grsthegreat]

ive left trickle chargers on all my batteries over the winter. none have been fried. all mine are so called smart chargers that stop charging when fully charged. there only about $19 at lowes.