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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. |
Winter sucks
On 1/25/2014 11:44 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
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. Cool.... so you think the cells are ok, battery saved? |
Winter sucks
On 1/25/2014 3:00 PM, True North wrote:
I keep it in my boat gear/exercise room in the basement over the winter. Pumpin up to get ready for the big brawl with Slammer? |
Winter sucks
On 1/25/14, 3:30 PM, Hank wrote:
On 1/25/2014 3:00 PM, True North wrote: I keep it in my boat gear/exercise room in the basement over the winter. Pumpin up to get ready for the big brawl with Slammer? You just can't stop, can you? Sad. |
Winter sucks
On 1/25/2014 3:25 PM, KC wrote:
On 1/25/2014 11:44 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote: 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. Cool.... so you think the cells are ok, battery saved? I think it's due for replacement but it has no problem starting the tractor with temps in the 30's. I run the glow plug for about 15 seconds and it fires up within two revolutions. It's when we have a deep freeze with nights close to zero that it has problems. It's not a huge battery to begin with and diesel engines, even small ones, take quite a bit of current to turn over, especially when it's that cold. |
Winter sucks
On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:03:12 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:
On 1/25/2014 3:25 PM, KC wrote: On 1/25/2014 11:44 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote: 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. Cool.... so you think the cells are ok, battery saved? I think it's due for replacement but it has no problem starting the tractor with temps in the 30's. I run the glow plug for about 15 seconds and it fires up within two revolutions. It's when we have a deep freeze with nights close to zero that it has problems. It's not a huge battery to begin with and diesel engines, even small ones, take quite a bit of current to turn over, especially when it's that cold. Sounds like a good place for a nice warm incandescent light bulb. We used to hand a trouble light with a 60 watt bulb alongside the tractor engine. Worked pretty well. |
Winter sucks
On 1/25/2014 4:18 PM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:03:12 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 1/25/2014 3:25 PM, KC wrote: On 1/25/2014 11:44 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote: 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. Cool.... so you think the cells are ok, battery saved? I think it's due for replacement but it has no problem starting the tractor with temps in the 30's. I run the glow plug for about 15 seconds and it fires up within two revolutions. It's when we have a deep freeze with nights close to zero that it has problems. It's not a huge battery to begin with and diesel engines, even small ones, take quite a bit of current to turn over, especially when it's that cold. Sounds like a good place for a nice warm incandescent light bulb. We used to hand a trouble light with a 60 watt bulb alongside the tractor engine. Worked pretty well. I thought about that but at zero degrees in a battery compartment open to the elements, I don't know how much a light bulb would help. I was thinking of making a battery box using the 1/2-inch aluminum foil covered Styrofoam panels sold at Lowes and the Home Depot. I have a bunch of it left over from another project. I could install a 100 watt light bulb inside of it and it would probably do the trick. Or, I could just buy a battery blanket. They are inexpensive and effective. |
Winter sucks
"Mr. Luddite" wrote:
On 1/25/2014 4:18 PM, Poco Loco wrote: On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:03:12 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 1/25/2014 3:25 PM, KC wrote: On 1/25/2014 11:44 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote: 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. Cool.... so you think the cells are ok, battery saved? I think it's due for replacement but it has no problem starting the tractor with temps in the 30's. I run the glow plug for about 15 seconds and it fires up within two revolutions. It's when we have a deep freeze with nights close to zero that it has problems. It's not a huge battery to begin with and diesel engines, even small ones, take quite a bit of current to turn over, especially when it's that cold. Sounds like a good place for a nice warm incandescent light bulb. We used to hand a trouble light with a 60 watt bulb alongside the tractor engine. Worked pretty well. I thought about that but at zero degrees in a battery compartment open to the elements, I don't know how much a light bulb would help. I was thinking of making a battery box using the 1/2-inch aluminum foil covered Styrofoam panels sold at Lowes and the Home Depot. I have a bunch of it left over from another project. I could install a 100 watt light bulb inside of it and it would probably do the trick. Or, I could just buy a battery blanket. They are inexpensive and effective. Buy a heat lamp for a bird incubator. Heat and little light. |
Winter sucks
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. Where did you learn that is a good thing to do to maintain a battery? |
Winter sucks
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Winter sucks
On 1/26/2014 10:32 AM, BAR wrote:
In article , says... On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 19:35:31 -0600, Califbill wrote: Or, I could just buy a battery blanket. They are inexpensive and effective. Buy a heat lamp for a bird incubator. Heat and little light. Or just a garage sale heating pad. Just put an incandescet bulb near the battrey, oh wait, incandescent bulbs are now illegal to buy and sell except in Texas. They aren't illegal to sell. They are illegal to manufacture new ones for sale in most states. I was in a Stop and Shop grocery store yesterday and they had two big pallets of 60 watt incandescents for sale. Same with Home Depot, Lowes and the local hardware store. I don't live in Texas, BTW. |
Winter sucks
On 1/26/14, 10:44 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 1/26/2014 10:32 AM, BAR wrote: In article , says... On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 19:35:31 -0600, Califbill wrote: Or, I could just buy a battery blanket. They are inexpensive and effective. Buy a heat lamp for a bird incubator. Heat and little light. Or just a garage sale heating pad. Just put an incandescet bulb near the battrey, oh wait, incandescent bulbs are now illegal to buy and sell except in Texas. They aren't illegal to sell. They are illegal to manufacture new ones for sale in most states. I was in a Stop and Shop grocery store yesterday and they had two big pallets of 60 watt incandescents for sale. Same with Home Depot, Lowes and the local hardware store. I don't live in Texas, BTW. Be thankful for that. |
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