Battery Charging Question

[Bill VA]

When charging a battery in a tractor with a regular charger or trickle charger, I have always unhooked the battery cables and put the charging clamps on the battery posts.

I was suggested to me, with these old tractors with no computers, etc., that disconnecting the battery was not necessary.

How do you hook up a battery in your old tractor?

Just curious.

Thanks!

 

[greenmech]

When charging a battery in a tractor with a regular charger or trickle charger, I have always unhooked the battery cables and put the charging clamps on the battery posts.

I was suggested to me, with these old tractors with no computers, etc., that disconnecting the battery was not necessary.

How do you hook up a battery in your old tractor?

Just curious.

Thanks!

Positive to Positive and Negative to Negative with cables on. Ron MN

 

[Russ from MN]

Like green said, just hook it up.

 

[Mcrafty1]

If the cable to battery connections appear clean and well connected I hook up without removing the connections, if they appear dirty/corroded I remove them for cleaning and hook up directly to the battery post.....because why not, they're right there bare as a new baby's bottom.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

When charging a battery in a tractor with a regular charger or trickle charger, I have always unhooked the battery cables and put the charging clamps on the battery posts.

I was suggested to me, with these old tractors with no computers, etc., that disconnecting the battery was not necessary.

How do you hook up a battery in your old tractor?

Just curious.

Thanks!

How old is old? My newer tractors are about 25 years old. The one most loaded with electronics, CaseIH MX270, takes major effort to even get to the batteries. I boost it from the starter.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Newest here is the 7140 and it has lugs right infront of the cab behind the swing panel to check the oil just hook them up as for the rest I hook one to the positive and other to the frame if it has 2 batteries and just to the frame or negative if only one battery. The reason for the frame on 2 battery ones is that charges them as 12volt instead of as one 6 volt like the 3EH batteries are. The 4 EH batteries are more common in the 4020 and such models and those are 12 volt. Also usually a 24 volt starting set up too. even more options on that.

 

[will-max dairy]

When charging a battery in a tractor with a regular charger or trickle charger, I have always unhooked the battery cables and put the charging clamps on the battery posts.

I was suggested to me, with these old tractors with no computers, etc., that disconnecting the battery was not necessary.

How do you hook up a battery in your old tractor?

Just curious.

Thanks!

I just clip on the charger leads. Old tractor, new tractor... doesn't matter. Even with a computer, the computer electronics should have been designed to handle any typical charging voltage.

I used to work in electronic design of portable telecom equipment, some of which went to the Chinese market; where they used car batteries commonly to power field equipment. There were numerous application notes and technical articles written in the industry about how to design for vehicular power systems... essentially... "the DC power source from h*e*l*l"... the application notes suggested protection circuitry for:
Battery reversal
Battery charging
Battery over-charging (think... someone trying to double up two batteries to slam the system with 24V to do an emergency start)
Ignition noise
etc. etc. etc.

So, your ECU designers should have taken all of this into account, in any newer tractor of a reputable make.

About the only thing I avoid with modern tractors, is welding on the chassis.

I know that the current is supposed to circulate to the ground clamp... but welding uses so much current... and arcs have so much high frequency content... that I don't trust it.

Edit: Reading some of the posts above, I see that some newer tractors now have some exotic, multiple battery setups and voltages other than 12V... your mileage may very with these... not so much for a charger damaging an ECU... but for whether your 12V charger is connected correctly to charge all of the batteries...

Some newer car systems run off of exotic voltages (like 42V) as well... I make no claim or inference about these...

 

[cjunrau]

When charging a battery in a tractor with a regular charger or trickle charger, I have always unhooked the battery cables and put the charging clamps on the battery posts.

I was suggested to me, with these old tractors with no computers, etc., that disconnecting the battery was not necessary.

How do you hook up a battery in your old tractor?

Just curious.

Thanks!

Have never disconnected a battery to charge or boost or weld. Lots of car exhaust welding so no where near the electrical computers, if it makes a difference

 

[560Dennis]

I agree with your method

 

[RJKeith]

For me, I usually disconnect the cables. Then, as the tractor with the dead battery isn't close to anywhere with electricity, I remove the battery and cary it back to the shop

 

[Rich'sToys]

On some of my older tractors where the battery is hidden, I'll connect the one cable from the charger to the battery cable on the starter solenoid, and the other one to a convenient ground bolt on the frame.

 

[Bill VA]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Tractors are over 40 years old. All but one are 12V. Some are single batteries, a couple have two batteries in parallel.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

When charging a battery in a tractor with a regular charger or trickle charger, I have always unhooked the battery cables and put the charging clamps on the battery posts.

I was suggested to me, with these old tractors with no computers, etc., that disconnecting the battery was not necessary.

How do you hook up a battery in your old tractor?

Just curious.

Thanks!

Curious about why you unhook the cables. There is likely something I have not thought of, so asking.

 

[Russ from MN]

On some of my older tractors where the battery is hidden, I'll connect the one cable from the charger to the battery cable on the starter solenoid, and the other one to a convenient ground bolt on the frame.

That's always a good idea, and connect the ground last and unhook first, to not make a spark near the battery.

 

[da.bees]

Curious about why you unhook the cables. There is likely something I have not thought of, so asking.

Sounds like something I Heard or They Said would advise doing.

 

[Dingo3]

I install a quick connector that comes with the better trickle chargers. That way I don’t even have to lift the hood to charge.

 

[Oregon Tractor Jack]

I install a quick connector that comes with the better trickle chargers. That way I don’t even have to lift the hood to charge.
View attachment 102945

Yup every tractor, quad bike and any other power equipment with a battery. Makes it fast and simple.


OTJ

 

[used red MN]

On an old tractor hook it up and let’er buck!

 

[Brown David]

That's always a good idea, and connect the ground last and unhook first, to not make a spark near the battery.

Unplug the charger before connecting or disconnecting the leads.

There will be no spark then.

 

[will-max dairy]

Unplug the charger before connecting or disconnecting the leads.

There will be no spark then.

This is good advice for the charger's sake, at both connection and disconnection. The charger is probably more susceptible to the spark than the battery or tractor.