Another battery question

[Wheat47]

I see someone down the list asking about batteries. I've got 2 Deere MT's. I do use them off and on (more off than on!!) all summer. They are both 6-volt systems. The one has a No. 5 Deere mower on it. I use it to mow some tight spots, small plots, corners and so on. Right now, it's got an old weak 6-volt battery in it. I usually jump it with a 12 volt Jump Pack. For as much as I use it, that works.
I use them so little that I hate to buy a new battery for them. The other MT gets used even less. SO, any good ideas about what battery to put in one or both??
BTW, I'm near Billings Mt, so winters here can be tough on batteries just setting around. I suppose one option is to pull the battery's and put them inside
for the winter. The MT batteries are not too hard to take out, just the thought, I guess. My main mowing outfit is an IHC MD with a NH 9 ft. mower/conditioner. Yes, the MD needs a battery too!!! I've run it for several years with a bigger pickup 12-volt battery. But it's starting to show its age too. I'm thinking I might pull the starter and clean and lube it a bit.
I suppose if I pull the batteries, I should put a maintainer on them.
I'm open to suggestions!!
Jon

 

[super99]

Buy 1 6 volt and switch it between the MT's, take it out and put it somewhere warm for the winter with a maintainer on it.

 

[DaveBN]

Battery maintainers are not that expensive. Put a maintainer on each battery when not in use. That's what I do. I don't even disconnect them just put the maintainer on them.
Dave

 

[Wheat47]

Buy 1 6 volt and switch it between the MT's, take it out and put it somewhere warm for the winter with a maintainer on it.

Probably what's going to happen.....next spring when I get the new batteries.

 

[showcrop]

Maintainers are huge. Low use batteries that are maintained will easily last twice as long

 

[Texasmark]

I see someone down the list asking about batteries. I've got 2 Deere MT's. I do use them off and on (more off than on!!) all summer. They are both 6-volt systems. The one has a No. 5 Deere mower on it. I use it to mow some tight spots, small plots, corners and so on. Right now, it's got an old weak 6-volt battery in it. I usually jump it with a 12 volt Jump Pack. For as much as I use it, that works.
I use them so little that I hate to buy a new battery for them. The other MT gets used even less. SO, any good ideas about what battery to put in one or both??
BTW, I'm near Billings Mt, so winters here can be tough on batteries just setting around. I suppose one option is to pull the battery's and put them inside
for the winter. The MT batteries are not too hard to take out, just the thought, I guess. My main mowing outfit is an IHC MD with a NH 9 ft. mower/conditioner. Yes, the MD needs a battery too!!! I've run it for several years with a bigger pickup 12-volt battery. But it's starting to show its age too. I'm thinking I might pull the starter and clean and lube it a bit.
I suppose if I pull the batteries, I should put a maintainer on them.
I'm open to suggestions!!
Jon

I had a '79 4230 JD with cab. It had a 6 volt on the right side and the - was attached to a stud in the engine block on that side. About an "0" gauge wire went from the + terminal across the tractor, under the cab floor to the - terminal on another 6 volt battery mounted on the left side with the + terminal going to the starter solenoid. Starting was sluggish with a 3900 hour engine in a cosmetically restored tractor.

I had some 00 gauge wires made up at the OTR truck dealer and bought 2 12volt 1000 CCA 3/8" studded terminal batteries, mounting them in the provided battery boxes. I ran both + and - cables over to the left side wiring the batteries in parallel. Then short leads to the starter case mounting bolt and the solenoid input terminal.
All I had to do was think that I wanted the tractor to start and it jumped to life......more or less. grin.

I think that a lot of starting problems are the way the OEM hooks up batteries and the failure of owners to pay attention to these termination points. Every once in a while you need to back the bolts out clean up (wire wheel buff) the bolts, mounting surfaces, and cable tips, reinstalling with a bit of lube to aid in corrosion prevention. Would be amazed at how that improves starting. Have done that on my other tractors, never deciding to do what I did with the 4230.

 

[Wheat47]

I had a '79 4230 JD with cab. It had a 6 volt on the right side and the - was attached to a stud in the engine block on that side. About an "0" gauge wire went from the + terminal across the tractor, under the cab floor to the - terminal on another 6 volt battery mounted on the left side with the + terminal going to the starter solenoid. Starting was sluggish with a 3900 hour engine in a cosmetically restored tractor.

I had some 00 gauge wires made up at the OTR truck dealer and bought 2 12volt 1000 CCA 3/8" studded terminal batteries, mounting them in the provided battery boxes. I ran both + and - cables over to the left side wiring the batteries in parallel. Then short leads to the starter case mounting bolt and the solenoid input terminal.
All I had to do was think that I wanted the tractor to start and it jumped to life......more or less. grin.

I think that a lot of starting problems are the way the OEM hooks up batteries and the failure of owners to pay attention to these termination points. Every once in a while you need to back the bolts out clean up (wire wheel buff) the bolts, mounting surfaces, and cable tips, reinstalling with a bit of lube to aid in corrosion prevention. Would be amazed at how that improves starting. Have done that on my other tractors, never deciding to do what I did with the 4230.

Re your last paragraph: You are right. I used to work for a dealer that sold a few trailers. My most used tool was a piece of wire 5-6 feet long
with a big ugly alligator clip on each end. Someone would pull in and "my lights don't work!" First thing I did was hook that wire between
trailer and the pulling vehicle. Frequently, it was a grounding problem. "But it grounds through the ball!!". Not for sure. You NEED to run a
ground wire.

 

[da.bees]

Battery maintainers are not that expensive. Put a maintainer on each battery when not in use. That's what I do. I don't even disconnect them just put the maintainer on them.
Dave

Or at least rotate maintainer one week on,0ne week off between tractors. Had you been doing that all along your batteries might still be good.

 

[Newgenerationdeere]

I see someone down the list asking about batteries. I've got 2 Deere MT's. I do use them off and on (more off than on!!) all summer. They are both 6-volt systems. The one has a No. 5 Deere mower on it. I use it to mow some tight spots, small plots, corners and so on. Right now, it's got an old weak 6-volt battery in it. I usually jump it with a 12 volt Jump Pack. For as much as I use it, that works.
I use them so little that I hate to buy a new battery for them. The other MT gets used even less. SO, any good ideas about what battery to put in one or both??
BTW, I'm near Billings Mt, so winters here can be tough on batteries just setting around. I suppose one option is to pull the battery's and put them inside
for the winter. The MT batteries are not too hard to take out, just the thought, I guess. My main mowing outfit is an IHC MD with a NH 9 ft. mower/conditioner. Yes, the MD needs a battery too!!! I've run it for several years with a bigger pickup 12-volt battery. But it's starting to show its age too. I'm thinking I might pull the starter and clean and lube it a bit.
I suppose if I pull the batteries, I should put a maintainer on them.
I'm open to suggestions!!
Jon

Mine get pulled and put inside the house for winter on things that’s don’t get used

I see someone down the list asking about batteries. I've got 2 Deere MT's. I do use them off and on (more off than on!!) all summer. They are both 6-volt systems. The one has a No. 5 Deere mower on it. I use it to mow some tight spots, small plots, corners and so on. Right now, it's got an old weak 6-volt battery in it. I usually jump it with a 12 volt Jump Pack. For as much as I use it, that works.
I use them so little that I hate to buy a new battery for them. The other MT gets used even less. SO, any good ideas about what battery to put in one or both??
BTW, I'm near Billings Mt, so winters here can be tough on batteries just setting around. I suppose one option is to pull the battery's and put them inside
for the winter. The MT batteries are not too hard to take out, just the thought, I guess. My main mowing outfit is an IHC MD with a NH 9 ft. mower/conditioner. Yes, the MD needs a battery too!!! I've run it for several years with a bigger pickup 12-volt battery. But it's starting to show its age too. I'm thinking I might pull the starter and clean and lube it a bit.
I suppose if I pull the batteries, I should put a maintainer on them.
I'm open to suggestions!!
Jon

Mine come out and go in the utility room

 

[Ray,IN]

"But it grounds through the ball!!

To me that is the worst wiring route ever made. It's not difficult or take much time to do it right and run the ground through the trailer plug.