Battery tender on 24 volt system

[ih555]

If you have a tractor with a 24 volt system, how do you go about putting a battery tender on....two tenders, one on each battery??

Has anyone had success doing this?

Thank you for your help.

 

[LarrySTN]

Yes, 2 tenders.

 

[Bob]

(quoted from post at 15:06:16 10/26/19) If you have a tractor with a 24 volt system, how do you go about putting a battery tender on....two tenders, one on each battery??

Has anyone had success doing this?

Thank you for your help.

I've used two 12 Volt battery maintainers on my diesel 4020 for 20 years with no issues.

 

[fdt860]

You can put one only if you disconnect the middle wires and hook the two batteries in parrallel.

 

[tim s]

And to add,,make sure you identify the positive and negative terminals and match you charger to them..

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 17:49:27 10/26/19) You can put one only if you disconnect the middle wires and hook the two batteries in parrallel.

May I ask what "middle wires" you're referring to that need to be disconnected?

Back when I was employed by JD dealer on several different occasions I jumped off several 24 volt 4020's by attaching jumper cables to each battery from 2 different 12 volt pickups without disconnecting any wires on the tractor. Yes I made sure polarity of each battery was attached correctly & no apparent harm was done to the electrical systems of any of the tractors or pickups.

 

[JD Dave]

Quite simple actually. The left and right batteries are 12 volt each. So you hook up the Battery Tender first to the left side battery at 12 volts and then after that charge, -hook it up to the right side battery at 12 volts. Or if you're in a hurry you can charge the left and right batteries in real time with two 12 volt chargers on both batteries.
You ALWAYS hook your charger up based on the marked poles on the batteries.
Of course - you could charge them both with a 24 volt charger across both batteries left to right, - but who has a 24 volt charger?
It has always worked for me.
Beware! Matched batteries are important. So, - if you have two mismatched batteries or you replace only one out of the two you run into problems.
I have an early 4010 with 24 volt and my guys really like that tractor. It runs nice and works well. I have educated them about the 24 volt system and so far with some basic maintenance it's been trouble-free.
Don't you just love when something that good works after 50 years?

 

[fdt860]

(quoted from post at 15:00:58 10/26/19)

(quoted from post at 17:49:27 10/26/19) You can put one only if you disconnect the middle wires and hook the two batteries in parrallel.

May I ask what "middle wires" you're referring to that need to be disconnected?

Back when I was employed by JD dealer on several different occasions I jumped off several 24 volt 4020's by attaching jumper cables to each battery from 2 different 12 volt pickups without disconnecting any wires on the tractor. Yes I made sure polarity of each battery was attached correctly & no apparent harm was done to the electrical systems of any of the tractors or pickups.

Yes you can jump them with two pickups but not with one. If you keep middle wire connected and connect 2 batteries in parrallel with a 16 gauge wires hooked to your charger or pickup you will make a pretty big short/spark.

I have done this often because if you have only one charger and needs batteries up in the morning there is no othrer option.

 

[Tx Jim]

I've jumped off several 24 volt tractors by attaching cables + to + terminals & - to - terminals without any sparks. I always attach negative cable last to pickup frame away from battery

 

[Lumbersawyer]

When my 4010 was still a 24v system I bought a 24v charger for wheel chairs. I don't need it anymore so if someone wants it, it would be available.

 

[fdt860]

(quoted from post at 03:52:50 10/27/19)
I've jumped off several 24 volt tractors by attaching cables + to + terminals & - to - terminals without any sparks. I always attach negative cable last to pickup frame away from battery

Well, I agreed if you use 2 pickups/2 batteries like the manual said to do.
But if you try to jump a 24V system with only one battery or use a tender to keep both batteries charged and you do not disconnect the middle wire, you are shorting one of the battery.

 

[David G]

Yes, as you described.

 

[John in Ct]

I have a Cat D4D and 215 that each has a 24 volt BatteryMINDer on each of them.

 

[Glen D Anderson]

I think you're both saying the same thing but just in different ways.

At a former job, a good portion of our fleet of equipment were equipped with 12 / 24V systems. While not set up exactly the same as the John Deere equipment, the boosting protocol is the same(assuming 2, 12V batteries connected in series).

2 separate pick-ups(or 12V battery equipped vehicles) must be used. I seen guys let the smoke out of the wires on numerous occasions when they tried jumping a 12 / 24 V system with their diesel pick up that was equipped with 2 batteries & using 2 sets of booster cables. Ain't gonna work......LOL

(quoted from post at 15:10:34 10/27/19)

(quoted from post at 03:52:50 10/27/19)
I've jumped off several 24 volt tractors by attaching cables + to + terminals & - to - terminals without any sparks. I always attach negative cable last to pickup frame away from battery

Well, I agreed if you use 2 pickups/2 batteries like the manual said to do.
But if you try to jump a 24V system with only one battery or use a tender to keep both batteries charged and you do not disconnect the middle wire, you are shorting one of the battery.

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 18:10:34 10/27/19)

Well, I agreed if you use 2 pickups/2 batteries like the manual said to do.
But if you try to jump a 24V system with only one battery or use a tender to keep both batteries charged and you do not disconnect the middle wire, you are shorting one of the battery.

I guess I must not be understanding you correctly. When you state jump off 24 volt system with one battery are you attaching 12 volt jump vehicle(tender) to just one 12 volt battery of 24 volt system? If so I never disconnected small ground wire on LH rear battery post when jumping off 24 volt system & can't envision how the small wire would be a factor.

Please explain how ground wire can short battery when jumping/charging batteries. Yes if starter has enough brush dust contained in it then the ground wire will drain battery.

Thanks I'm just trying to understand what you're stating.
Jim

 

[Richard in Bee]

I bought this one when I had a 24 volt Cat. It automatically senses the voltage between 12 and 24. They also make a 6/12.
https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Volt-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B00SC2BLM4

 

[fdt860]

(quoted from post at 03:29:28 10/28/19)

(quoted from post at 18:10:34 10/27/19)

Well, I agreed if you use 2 pickups/2 batteries like the manual said to do.
But if you try to jump a 24V system with only one battery or use a tender to keep both batteries charged and you do not disconnect the middle wire, you are shorting one of the battery.

I guess I must not be understanding you correctly. When you state jump off 24 volt system with one battery are you attaching 12 volt jump vehicle(tender) to just one 12 volt battery of 24 volt system? If so I never disconnected small ground wire on LH rear battery post when jumping off 24 volt system & can't envision how the small wire would be a factor.

Please explain how ground wire can short battery when jumping/charging batteries. Yes if starter has enough brush dust contained in it then the ground wire will drain battery.

Thanks I'm just trying to understand what you're stating.
Jim

Well, I am not talking about the small ground wire, but the large middle wire that connect the + of one battery to the - of the other.
If you were to connect a single 12V battery tender to each 12V batteries (running 2 small wires to the other side batterie), you will have a short because the middle wire will have 0V and +12V on the other side.

 

[Tx Jim]

Thanks for your explanation.

I agree one would have to disconnect 12 volt batteries attached together in series to create 24 volts to attach a ""single 12 volt battery maintainer"" to both batteries.

I was thinking about attaching a separate 12 volt maintainer or 12 volt jump vehicle to each battery which wouldn't require disconnecting any battery cables.
Thanks again
Jim

 

[WTW]

Wow! I am surprised this is so questionable or there is so much confusion. To answer the original question, Yes, you can put a 12 volt tender on one battery at a time or one on each battery the same time, Just connect tender directly to battery and keep tender polarity matched to battery polarity. You do not need to disconnect any wiring or cables on tractor. This option is the best of the two options for the 24 volt split system because if batteries are drawn down due to an imbalance in system, individual tenders will correct the imbalance faster / better. Second option is a 24 volt tender which will be connected to each batteries power cable to starter which are opposite polarity and 24 volt. Again you do not need to disconnect any wiring or cables on tractor. This option charges batteries same as tractor 24 volt generator does. It's just that simple. DW