Winter sucks
 

Gotta go buy a new battery for the JD tractor I guess.

Went to start it up yesterday to do some clean up work from plowing and
I think the battery was frozen. When it's as cold as it's been lately I
can usually get it to fire up by putting a small battery charger on it
for five or ten minutes to warm it up a little. This time however the
charger displays "Full" after about 1 second of trying to charge and
automatically stops trying to charge. Battery voltage is low though,
about 11.8 volts, so I know it isn't charged.

Hate this cold. I can deal with the occasional snowstorm but the cold
is getting to be too much.

Winter sucks
 

I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45 minutes in advance.

Winter sucks
 

On 1/25/2014 10:28 AM, True North wrote:
I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45 minutes in advance.



I'd be a little concerned about running your battery down too low
between chargings. A fully charged battery won't freeze (well, to a
point). A battery that is not fully charged is more prone to freezing
in the kind of single digit or below temps we've been having here.

I think that's what screwed me up. I started and briefly ran the
tractor the day before the storm just to move it about five feet.
I didn't let it run long enough to recharge the battery from that start.
It takes a lot of amps to turn over a diesel in cold weather.

Winter sucks
 

On 1/25/2014 10:41 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 1/25/2014 10:28 AM, True North wrote:
I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the
two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery
charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's
block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension
cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45
minutes in advance.



I'd be a little concerned about running your battery down too low
between chargings. A fully charged battery won't freeze (well, to a
point). A battery that is not fully charged is more prone to freezing
in the kind of single digit or below temps we've been having here.

I think that's what screwed me up. I started and briefly ran the
tractor the day before the storm just to move it about five feet.
I didn't let it run long enough to recharge the battery from that start.
It takes a lot of amps to turn over a diesel in cold weather.



Surprised you tried to put a charge on it...

Winter sucks
 

On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 10:19:00 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

Gotta go buy a new battery for the JD tractor I guess.

Went to start it up yesterday to do some clean up work from plowing and
I think the battery was frozen. When it's as cold as it's been lately I
can usually get it to fire up by putting a small battery charger on it
for five or ten minutes to warm it up a little. This time however the
charger displays "Full" after about 1 second of trying to charge and
automatically stops trying to charge. Battery voltage is low though,
about 11.8 volts, so I know it isn't charged.

Hate this cold. I can deal with the occasional snowstorm but the cold
is getting to be too much.

I've had the same thing happen with my digital charger.

Yesterday I went to the doc about a pain in my butt, which he diagnosed as ishiogluteal bursitis.
Then he asked me if I'd been sitting a lot more lately. I've been able to get out and play golf
twice in the past month. Yesterday I took the dogs out and we'd not gone two blocks when one started
licking at her paws. Just too damn cold for them.

Winter sucks
 

On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 07:28:00 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45 minutes in advance.

Reminds me to go put the charger on the truck. Thanks.

Winter sucks
 

On 1/25/2014 10:48 AM, KC wrote:
On 1/25/2014 10:41 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 1/25/2014 10:28 AM, True North wrote:
I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the
two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery
charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's
block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension
cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45
minutes in advance.



I'd be a little concerned about running your battery down too low
between chargings. A fully charged battery won't freeze (well, to a
point). A battery that is not fully charged is more prone to freezing
in the kind of single digit or below temps we've been having here.

I think that's what screwed me up. I started and briefly ran the
tractor the day before the storm just to move it about five feet.
I didn't let it run long enough to recharge the battery from that start.
It takes a lot of amps to turn over a diesel in cold weather.



Surprised you tried to put a charge on it...

There's no danger in trying to charge a frozen battery with the charger
on low current (2-6 amps). The danger is when jump starting and having
a hundred or more amps available.

I could tell it was frozen because it wouldn't even take a slow 2 amp
charge.

I just went outside and tried starting it for kicks. The temp is up
about 38 degrees right now. Tractor fired right up.

Winter sucks
 

On 1/25/2014 11:10 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 07:28:00 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

I bought an led side marker type unit and put alligator clips on the two wires.
I attached them to my boat battery to put a small constant drain on it.
Then at the first of each month u til spring, I'll attach the battery charger to bring the volts back up.
Also bought a battery blanket for the Highlander to supplement it's block heater.
When I hear it's going to drop to 15F or lower, I attach the extension cord.
If I plan on going out I'll throw the outside plug switch about 45 minutes in advance.

Reminds me to go put the charger on the truck. Thanks.



Yeah, I bought a block heater for the tractor but I should also get a
battery blanket.

I think it's about due for a new battery anyway. May as well bite the
bullet.

Winter sucks
 

Re my boat battery..
I keep it in my boat gear/exercise room in the basement over the winter.
Temp down there is a toasty 13 - 14 C except when I'm there using the treadmill and BowFlex machines.
Then it gets jacked up temporarily to 16C.

Winter sucks
 

On 1/25/2014 3:00 PM, True North wrote:
Re my boat battery..
I keep it in my boat gear/exercise room in the basement over the winter.
Temp down there is a toasty 13 - 14 C except when I'm there using the treadmill and BowFlex machines.
Then it gets jacked up temporarily to 16C.


Ah ... smart.