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Eldon (WA) 
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Spokane, WA
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 Topic: 6 volt batteries....
Posted: 04 Jun 2010 at 10:16pm |
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Does anyone make one that will last more than a couple of years???? I'm sick and tired of replacing 2 year old batteries. I'm about ready to put a 12v in my G's and charge them with a battery charger...
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ALLIS EXPRESS!
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Ted in NE-OH
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Joined: 12 Nov 2009
Location: Austinburg OH
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Posted: 04 Jun 2010 at 10:32pm |
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Get a NAPA heavy duty 6 v battery. More crank amps, more life, more $$
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CA, WD, C, 3 Bs, 2 Gs, WC, I-400, 914
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briwayjones
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Joined: 09 May 2010
Location: Sykesville, MD
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Posted: 04 Jun 2010 at 11:15pm |
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Speaking of 6 volt batteries. We just got a new 6v battery and it was only about half full with fluid. What do you fill it with? Are you just supposed to put distilled water in it like you would do with older batteries in a pinch? Or is there actual acid battery solution of some type you put in it?
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Brad MI
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Arcadia MI
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 6:20am |
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In my experience pull them and hook them up to a maintainance charger, or replace them often.
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mdm1
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Location: Onalaska, WI
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 6:21am |
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I have a Deka in my wd-45 and am on the third year.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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Calvin Schmidt
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Ontario Can.
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 6:50am |
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I'm a dealer for Interstate batteries and had a year old battery from my fifthwheel trailer that I thought had a bad cell (load test). The warehouse took it out back for a check and came back and said it didn't have a bad cell and if I could leave it over night they would fix it up. I couldn't leave it over night, so he told me what to do. My record to date is I've rehabed 9 out of 10 batteries that I've tryed. Eldon I'll send you a PM
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Nothing is impossible if it is properly financed
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Kurzy
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Joined: 02 Nov 2009
Location: WSS, Montana
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:36am |
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I never use distilled water as a refill to top batteries off when their low. I always use battery acid. Since I started doing this my batteries last much longer. I get a gallon from carquest for under $10.00 Also when I worked in the battery dept at farm store , when their was a dead battery and case was good, I would empty all old acid and put new in and charge it. Just like a new one when done.
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bigallis1
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Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Location: The Villages Fl
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:45am |
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I've been buying my 6 volt batteries at Sam's club for the last several years.
I always get one that has a mfg date within one month of my purchase.
These batteries I use in my G.
My G sits alot and I always disconnect the ground cable after each use.
I do not run the tractor on high charge and will not charge it with a high charge 6volt charger.
This has gotten my up to 5 years of life out of them.
I think overcharging these batteries kills the cells.
Just my experience and 2 cents.
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Mojo
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:48am |
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Calvin Schmidt.....Would you please tell me also how you did that? I've got an electric golf cart that I'm facing replacing all the batteries and that ain't cheap! I'm willing to try anything (cheap) instead of giving away more money to the battery dealer.
Thanks
mojo/Mike
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bigallis1
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Location: The Villages Fl
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:48am |
 Calvin Schmidt wrote:
I'm a dealer for Interstate batteries and had a year old battery from my fifthwheel trailer that I thought had a bad cell (load test). The warehouse took it out back for a check and came back and said it didn't have a bad cell and if I could leave it over night they would fix it up. I couldn't leave it over night, so he told me what to do. My record to date is I've rehabed 9 out of 10 batteries that I've tryed. Eldon I'll send you a PM |
Calvin, I would appreciate it if you would send me the rehab procedure for the 6volt batteries. It would be a good reference. Thank's, Jim.........
Edited by bigallis1 - 05 Jun 2010 at 7:49am
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DaveKamp
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Joined: 12 Apr 2010
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 9:28am |
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Tell me about it, Eldon!
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Gerald J.
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Hamilton Co, IA
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 10:01am |
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A battery delivered half filled is faulty. It may or may not recover. It likely won't give good service. To know what to fill it with you need to know the specific gravity of what's there. Likely its been spilled and needs normal battery strength acid.
Batteries need water only for refilling because getting to a full or over charged condition (and these vintage tractors without a voltage regulator, just a 3 brush generator and a cutout WILL OVERCHARGE every time) dissociates the water of the solution which produces hydrogen and oxygen (in the optimum mixture for explosive power) that bubbles from the electrolyte making it look like its boiling. So the battery low on water for operation needs distilled water.
The electromechanical regulator of the 1950s had a pretty loose tolerance on voltage and also tended to overcharge the battery and still be in tolerance. SAE standards allowed 15.5 volts, while a 12 volt battery wants only 14.200 volts for full charge at 68 degrees F. The modern solid state regulators hold the voltage much closer and so give batter battery life.
The battery charging system that works properly will charge hard when the battery is low (like right after a start) and then as the battery charges the current will taper to ZERO with the battery terminal voltage at 14.2 volts. A charger with low voltage will taper without fully charging the battery, a charger with high voltage will not taper to zero and will remove water from the battery. It takes an ammeter to be sure how the battery is reacting.
In 30s vintage cars before voltage regulators the drivers ran long trips with the lights on to divert power from the battery to slow its overcharging. The combination light and charging switch common on vintage AC tractors works somewhat at the same but raises the charging rate when the lights are on. Keeping the battery charged but not overcharged takes operator judgment and skill. This system is not fully automatic.
Gerald J.
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Dave(inMA)
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 1:00pm |
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I've started using a battery maintainer that I bought at TSC for about $25. It auto-detects 6v vs. 12v and brings the battery up to full charge and then maintains it there. I understand that this is important on batteries that sit a lot (all of mine do) because the solution starts to sulphate when the voltage is less than full charge - and sulfation is usually what kills an otherwise useable battery. Seems like a cheap fix - but I need to buy a handful of those charging units!
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WC, CA, D14, WD45
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norm [ind]
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Joined: 16 Sep 2009
Location: BOURBON,IN.
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 1:29pm |
if you used your tractors like you use your autos or trucks you will not have as many problems my 2 cents sold s garden tractor to a customer yrs ago he hauled trash i na trailer no battery problems for 3-4 yrs,
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Gerald J.
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Location: Hamilton Co, IA
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 1:49pm |
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The modern battery maintainer does all that a fine charging system does, it charges to the correct float voltage, 7.100 or 14.200 volts and keeps it there. It will save several times its cost in batteries.
I would work nearly as well to keep the maintainer on a battery for 3 or 4 days then move it, getting it back to the first battery in maybe a month. So one maintainer might keep up 7 to 10 batteries if you bother to move it regularly. But when a 12 volt type can be bought for about $16, its not hard to own a gaggle of them.
Gerald J.
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briwayjones
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 3:08pm |
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So should we get some battery acid and top off the battery or leave it about half full. Our tractor also has a voltage regulator on it.
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Bob-Maine
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 4:54pm |
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Like BigAllis1, I buy cheap 6V batteries at Sam's Club for about $35 or less. They have been lasting me 5 - 6 years. I try to give them a slow charge every 6 - 12 months on a 2 -6 amp charger. Bob@allisdowneast
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CTuckerNWIL
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 5:08pm |
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b jones, if I bought a new battery and it was only half full, it would go back to the retailer it came from. I had a questionable battery( as far as CCA ) sold to me once and I took it back before removing the caps over the posts. The jerk behind the counter tried pulling the caps off and wanted to tell me they couldn't refund my money cause the caps had been removed. That's about the time the S H T F if ya know what I mean. I got the attention of every customer in the store right quick.
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LarryWC In
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 5:16pm |
I got mine from Rural King and It's an 8 volt battery.
I've only had to jump it one time and that was because I had flodded my WD.
but there HAS been times it's drug real slow when starting,,and it's 2 years old.
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www.allischalmersmuseum.com
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briwayjones
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:03pm |
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Well it's too late to take it back now. It's been a month or so since we bought it and have been using it.
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CTuckerNWIL
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:22pm |
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Maybe try what Kurzy said and buy a gallon of battery acid.
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JK in Pa
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Location: Dushore, Pa.
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:38pm |
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I agree with Norm. I use my WD at least four out of seven days. It has a TSC battery about 9 years old. Doesn't matter if it is 0 or 95 degrees. Never a problem starting. I top it off about every two years with spring water.
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BrettPhillips
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:44pm |
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong... I rarely get less than 7 or 8 years out of a regular old group 1 six volt battery. Regular usage and something that approximates a decent regulator seems to help, although I have one that is now going on 10 years old, and five years of that were with the old cut out system where the battery is never at the proper charge level, and the rest of the time the "new and improved" regulator has taken up right where the cut out system left off. Of course, now that I have said this, they will all go dead at once and the replacements wont last more than a year.... New six volt generator regulators on the other hand are often short lived in my experience, especially the cheapies that are made in India, Mexico, etc.. I have had better luck with NOS Delco regulators, but you have to be a real bloodhound to find the right one at a reasonable price. I have seen some that have been converted to a solid state 6V positive ground design, but I haven't scrounged up the $80 or $100 to try one of those yet.
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Dave(inMA)
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:46pm |
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Brett, how much use are your tractors getting?
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WC, CA, D14, WD45
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BrettPhillips
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 7:52pm |
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Most of them will see at least bi-weekly use in the summer, usually for an hour or so. In the winter I try to start them up and run them for 15-20 minutes once a month, although I don't always achieve what I "try" to do.
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Dave(inMA)
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 8:03pm |
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Interesting - helpful in getting some insight into how much use is enough to avoid sulfation.....thanks.
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WC, CA, D14, WD45
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BrettPhillips
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 8:14pm |
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FWIW, I think the key is in making sure that the battery is stored in a fully charged condition. I always try to run the tractor enough that the battery is fully charged when I put it away. This gets interesting when the condition of the voltage regulator is an unknown (see my comments above about the sorry replacement regulators that are available today).
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Dave H
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 8:56pm |
One thing I have tried and it works with the maintainer is to make an extension cord out of lamp cord and put alligator clips on both ends. Then jump the batt that is on a maintainer to another one. I did this last winter on the two lawn mowers and they both fired up like new in the spring.
I don't use the 6 volters enough to keep them up so I have them hooked to a maintainer. What a difference.
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