Jumping a dead battery

[Jeff Mead]

When you have a dead battery on a 1950 8N 6V do you hook the positive cable from the charger to the positive post on the battery or visa-versa?

 

[Anonymous-0]

It makes no difference if the vehicle is positive or negative ground of if the battery is out of the vehicle. ALWAYS ALWAYS negative (black lead) from the charger to negative of the battery and positive (red lead) of the charger to positive of the battery.

 

[Bob Harvey]

Repeat - ALWAYS, ALWAYS Black to -, Red to +

 

[Royse]

Agree with the others.
I would add is do not go by cable color on the tractor.
Make sure you are hooking the black/negative lead of the charger to the negative terminal of the battery and red/positive of the charger to positive on the battery, regardless of the tractor cable color because they may have
been changed in the last 60 years.

 

[BillM (OH)]

And, NEVER jump a 6 V battery with a 12 V battery - sulfuric
acid is not good for your eyes or skin!!!!

 

[Bruce (VA)]

It does not matter if your N is positive ground or negative ground: always hook up the battery charger positive cable to the positive battery post and the negative cable to the negative post.
There are other "rules" too.

•Clean the posts.

•Remove the vent caps & make sure the electrolyte covers the plates before you hook up the charger! (if not, add distilled water)

Make sure the vent cap holes are open.

•Clean the grease/dirt off the top of the battery.

•Hook up the cables to the battery BEFORE you turn the charger on.

•When the charge is complete, turn the charger off before you remove the cables.

•Check the specific gravity in each cell after it's fully charged. (tip # 49)
50 Tips

 

[Billie R. Smith]

Jumped a 52 hudson with a 59 chevy one time. Top of the batt. dang near took my brothers head off. Heck of a bruised forehead.

 

[Mad Farmer]

Yep,

Good advice Bruce

 

[W_B]

Agree, BillM, but when everything that runs is 12V and the tractor is 6V, don't have much choice. I hook it all up except one cable, put it on, crank it then pull it right off, regardless if it starts or not. And yes, I've blown up batteries, but not in about 40 yrs. We had to always jump start a cranky Fordson Dexta diesel at home, left the truck hooked up to one of the batteries too long and POW!, acid and battery parts all over. Luckily no one was in range of the splatter.

 

[Rich'sToys]

As W_B said--hook up 3 of the 4 connections. The one you leave off should be the ground connection. After you begin cranking the engine then TOUCH the cable to ground--do not clamp it on. When the engine starts, pull it off immediately.
I know it's not kosher, but I've done it many times. Also, grounding it to the frame is better than using the terminal on the battery itself.