I have a lawn tractor question relating to my battery.

[eseemann]

Good Afternoon Folks,
I am using (maybe mis-using) my bottom of the line Poulan PRO Lawn tractor to haul limbs that I have cut in the back yard to the curb.
(PP19A42 42 in. 19 HP Briggs & Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Lawn Tractor)
From here on I am calling this device a "mower" since that is really how I think of it.

On Friday I started up the mower to mow the back yard and the engine died (grass WAY too high) so I needed to restart the motor.
The battery did not have enough juice to start the motor. I checked the battery with a multi meter and saw the voltage was just over 12 volts.
I was able to hook up a charger and get enough juice to get the motor to start.

I think my problem is that I have been starting the mower, driving from back to curb, turning off the mower to unload the cuttings from my cart, start the mower, drive back to the back yard and turn the mower off.

It is worth saying that just getting off the mower to add or remove things to or from my cart would kill the motor since the seat safety switch is still in place.

So here is what I think I know. The mower and battery were spec'd out to crank the motor, have the mower run for 30 min or longer to recharge the battery.
I am guessing that I have over using the battery's cranking amps but I wanted to run it past you good folks to check my uneducated guess.
Please let me know if you think that is what is going on before I spend more money on another battery I will ruin this way.

Thanks

 

[Diggin It]

Yes, they should stay running if you're only stationary for a short time.

Why does it die when you get out of the seat? Most don't do that as long as the PTO isn't engaged.

 

[tomplum]

Set the parking brake, deck disengaged and it will stay running. Best have the battery load tested. Many retailers do this for free. Welcome to TBN!

 

[eseemann]

Tom,
I had not even thought of trying that.

 

[Lnk]

Check the voltage of the battery before starting, then again while running. Should be higher when running. Lower when running means not charging.

 

[RandyT]

Depending on charging system on the mower it could take 3-4 hours of running to recharge the battery to pre-start charge condition. Most manual pto mowers actually run at a slight charge deficit and run down over time since they use more to start than what the charging system can recharge between mowing uses. Draw 80-100+ amp while cranking for 3-10 seconds and then try to recharge at 3 amp.

Check battery voltage before starting and while it is running at full throttle, and the running should be higher than the not running. Normal off is 12.5-12.7 and after running for a few minutes should be 13-13.5 while running.

 

[fried1765]

Check the voltage of the battery before starting, then again while running. Should be higher when running. Lower when running means not charging.

These little mower batteries are cheaply built to sell for a very low price.
They generally last only 3 or 4 years.

 

[4get gto]

These little mower batteries are cheaply built to sell for a very low price.
They generally last only 3 or 4 years.

And 3 to 4 years is pushing it on the cheap ones. There's a reason they only give you a 30 day warranty.

 

[Diggin It]

A few local stores used to sell them starting in the $25 range with no core. That has changed. They're now usually $35 or more with a $10-15 core.

 

[CobyRupert]

....
Check battery voltage before starting and while it is running at full throttle, and the running should be higher than the not running. Normal off is 12.5-12.7 and after running for a few minutes should be 13-13.5 while running.

^This!

Other topic: So a safety switch turns it off if you get out seat so the mower deck doesn't cut your toe off? Do you even have a mower deck on it?