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Battery life, regulator setting, etc


donmoore1904

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The talk about batteries got me to thinking that the battery in my 7010, which has a starter/gen, has worked flawlessly since I bought the tractor 12 years ago.

So I searched for "battery" and came across one thought-provoking thread on battery construction and starter/gens and regulators:

http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=130179&SearchTerms=battery+life

And in that thread, it references what is evidently a thorough treatment done by a deceased member named Al, contained elsewhere.

This was a bit eye opening, and exposed me to what I *might* have to deal with if something as "simple" as my battery dies.

What kind of life spans do you see on your tractor batteries? If I go out today and buy a battery, am I going to find I can either get a lead-acid or lead-calcium battery, or maybe just the latter? It sounds like if I get the latter (I assume the battery will state the electrode/electrolyte?) I will have to do some adjusting.

Just musing here. It's great to go along with everything working, and not so great to find out you didn't know something, too late.

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I'll have to read up on the battery life issue. I have had no problems with battery life in my tractors, EXCEPT for 3 of the 4 RBT's I have had.

Despite buying new batteries for them, my 716-6, 7117 and T-16S all drain the battery, regardless of season. If they sit for a week, they are dead. Each charges well when running. My 7790 has had no battery issues whatsoever, nor any of my FDT's or the Legacy.

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quote:Despite buying new batteries for them, my 716-6, 7117 and T-16S all drain the battery, regardless of season. id="quote">
id="quote">

Unless you are talking about sitting for months and months, then you have other issues with each of those tractors. I have only had a few FDT's the rest are/have been all RBT's, and I have not had an issue as you are speaking of, without a short find it, fix it) or something left on (my fault). My tractors can sit for weeks, and battery power has never been an issue.

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Originally posted by RickS

Careful Josh you may have just invited Murphy to visit with you. Get ready to jump all of your tractors. OORick.........

id="quote">Unless you are talking about sitting for months and months, then you have other issues with each of those tractors. I have only had a few FDT's the rest are/have been all RBT's, and I have not had an issue as you are speaking of, without a short find it, fix it) or something left on (my fault). My tractors can sit for weeks, and battery power has never been an issue.
id="quote">id="quote">That's what I'm agraid of. Nothing of mine sites for months. The show machines will sit for 3-4 weeks during the off season sometimes, but I fire everything up throughout the winter, many times. They always start. The RBT's were mowing machines, and used weekly. The issues have continued since passing the 917 and 716-6 on. The 716 is finally out of sight, out of mind. The 917 is still a real irritation. During winter here, my buddy plows his drive with it daily, and has since replaced the new battery I put in it with no improvement. His daily routine is:-get home from work-pop hood on the car-jump 917-park car-plow-park 917It will start fine the rest of the day/evening, but will not start the next day. A couple slow cranks, and dead. I dropped off my 22NF 7790 battery to him earlier this week, since it's out for the PS install, and he killed that in one day too. It's the cleanest, unrestored 917 I've ever seen, but needs to stay on a trickle charger 24/7 to start reliably. He wants to sell it, and get a push mower, but I need to resolve the charging issue first...I may even buy it back.I run my T-16 a time or two each week, whether to just shuffle it around in the shop and warm it up, or to blow snow. The battery is dated 2013. I think it's a 22NF also...I'd have to look. I jump it every time. That engine cranks hard though.I did forget that I had a DA912, and sold that to another friend. He's had no issues at all, and it has a small LT battery in it.
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Josh, unless you replaced that new battery I hand in that 7790 it is a 24 group and will not fit in a 917H It is a bigger battery and not the correct one for the 7790.

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I did replace it. I needed a battery in a pinch for the 920, and pulled the 7790 battery for that machine when I was running that one for a bit.

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Is that an AC-Built T-16 with an electric PTO or a Simplicity built model? Are the batteries you're having trouble with the same brand or different brands?

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Any tractor or car that I know that I am not going to use for several weeks or more, I disconnect the neg cable. My batteries now last 8 to 10 years. Before anything that was not used at least once a week the battery would last barely 4 years.

I keep a battery tender on my 917 (snowblower tractor) during the winter and it cranks and starts right up. If I didn't, it would crank slow if the tractor has sat for just a few days.

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It Is funny you mention that 920h battery, the starter went out on the 920 and then the battery goes out on the wifes pt cruiser so in a pinch it went in the cruiser temporarily :D

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Pull the positive battery cable off the battery and hook a 12V test light from the cable to the battery. With the key off, if the light turns on, you have a power draw. My money is on the rectifier in the charging system. With the battery disconnected, unplug the engine wiring harness from the chassis, and check the battery with the light again. If it stays off, you found the problem.

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