JD5103 Hard To Start

[ShookFarm]

I purchased my 5103 in August. I've not had any trouble with it, yet. Had it out yesterday, temp about 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and it would not start. The battery would not even turn the engine over one full revolution. It seems like the CCA of the battery may be a little low for winter use. I jump started it off my Sierra and it fired right up, belching lots of smoke the first two or three seconds. The tractor is stored in a wooden, unheated, tin roofed out building. I don't live at the farm so there's no good way to use a block heater - that likely wouldn't help the battery in any case.

My question is should I contact the dealer about the battery or is this normal? Is it time for something with a little more kick to juice things up?

FWIW, I've been there every week or two for the last 3 months and started it up and let the engine run to keep a charge on the battery. I took it out (after bringing it up to temp) and took a ride through the field and down the road (I can appreciate you cab owners now!) at 2100 RPM's to try and get max current in the battery. Battery terminals are spotless and I put the little felt washers on the posts to help keep corrosion down.

 

[burnetma]

Sounds like a dead battery to me. I would suggest removing it and taking it to the dealer. They can test it and give you a new one. Or you could call them out on a service call since you are still under warranty. That avenue can get pricey post warranty.

FYI, I leave my 5420 for weeks at a time (in sub-freezing weather) and then start it up without any problem and my battery is 3 years old. Obviously if I take the time to plug it in, it is much happier about the situation.

Does your 5103 have cold start provisions? Air heater is what I have on my tractor. Check your manual. They give cold starting instructions that will minimize the blake smoke and fuss. No reason to have a cold start issue in Missouri...

 

[ShookFarm]

Mine is stock and the stock 5103 does not include the cold start package (and higher capacity battery with that).

Took the battery off, dealer says it's not fully charged. My 15 minutes of run time every other week is not enough to bring the battery up to it's full capacity. Guess it's time to drag a charger along to bring it up to snuff. Parts department says, it could take 1 hour of run time to bring it to a full charge. Anyone know if I'm being fed a line here?

Also noticed that in 4 months, the battery is showing some corrosion issues on the mounting plate. Time for a plastic battery box!

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Mine is stock and the stock 5103 does not include the cold start package (and higher capacity battery with that).

Took the battery off, dealer says it's not fully charged. My 15 minutes of run time every other week is not enough to bring the battery up to it's full capacity. Guess it's time to drag a charger along to bring it up to snuff. Parts department says, it could take 1 hour of run time to bring it to a full charge. Anyone know if I'm being fed a line here?

Also noticed that in 4 months, the battery is showing some corrosion issues on the mounting plate. Time for a plastic battery box!

An hour seems like a long time on a tractor that is equipped with an alternator. I have a 1961 John Deere 3010 that is equipped with a 24 volt 10 amp generator (equivalent to a 20 amp generator on a 12 volt system). It rarely takes more than 10 minutes at 1000 rpm for the ammeter to drop to the lowest charge after starting in cold weather.

Did you measure the voltage at the battery while the tractor is running? Should be around 14 volts if the charging system is operating correctly.

Another thing to do is to make sure that the battery is clean. Not just the posts but the surface of the battery. Dirt on a battery will sometimes conduct enough electricity to ground to partially discharge the battery.

Another thing that you can do is check for a draw. With everything switched off, remove the positive cable and check the amperage between the cable and the positive post of the battery. There should be no detectable amperage.