Lt 4000 won't hold a charge

[Paul wolf]

My tractors battery loses charge after 15 or 20 minutes running then I have to recharge. The battery is new beginning of this season. Suggestions?

 

[5030]

Bad alternator or generator. You can test them with a multimeter but I just use the 'hand method' If it's charging properly, the case will be warm. If not the case will be cool to the touch.

You might also have a bad battery. Just because it's new means little. Happened to me last year, new battery, shorted cell.

 

[Roadworthy]

Charge the battery. Have it load tested. If it's fine put it into service. Start the tractor. Check battery voltage. If the tractor is charging it should read something over thirteen volts. You may have an extra load somewhere dragging the battery down, such as the glow plugs running all the time. It's a pretty heavy load if it drops your battery that far in fifteen or twenty minutes.

 

[tacticalturnip]

There isn't much I can add, so I'll bump the post for ***** and giggles.

Good advice has been offered; from here someone will be along to offer the same advice, just with considerably more detail.

 

[tomplum]

Welcome to TBN. That tractor isn't equipped with anything that could drain a good battery to the point of recharge in 20 minutes. A nasty short? A horribly bad PTO clutch? Maybe some updated trouble shooting procedures could help? Let us know. A minimum 250 CCA battery should be used, 300 better.

 

[Topzide]

With the magneto charging circuit, a magnet could have come under glued under the flywheel. Have seen that quite a few times. That type of charging circuit doesn't produce a lot of amps anyway. If it's been damaged, then the electric pto will take the charge out of a battery pretty quick! Like others have mentioned, check battery voltage with charged battery and you should see 13+ volts at battery terminals. If the stator has been damaged, that's a pretty healthy repair. Pull flywheel, check magnets and stator. If magnets have come loose, new flywheel and stator! Also check the diode in the charging circuit. Those can fail and cause this issue. It's just a diode soldered in with shrink wrap over it.