alexpops
Platinum Member
How old is the battery in the tractor? Have you load tested the battery to see if it'll put out the amps needed? even the cheap HF carbon pile load testers will give you a decent view of the output capability. wet cell or sealed battery? If wet, hydrometer tested each cell? topped off electrolyte? Are you bench testing with the same battery as in the tractor? What kind of amps are you pulling when trying to start in the tractor? On the bench? Do you have a good spare battery you can try in the tractor? (even if your just temporarily using jumper cables with the battery from your bench test -- eliminate the existing tractor battery from the equation) Jumping from another vehicle through a bad battery isn't enough, since a shorted cell can take all the input juice. If your wires are good/clean connections/tight and the starter works with a different battery, you could have warped plates/internal short in the battery. I've gone through 5 batteries, an alternator and 3 starters in different vehicles after flooding drained batteries or shorted starter windings/solenoids & froze up the bearings on an alternator after Ian. Assuming all worked fine before your son left the key on, I'd bet the battery is shot.