[AT] JD 620 / charging six-volt batteries

[Gunnells, Bradley R]

Good point. I wasn't thinking about the circuit being open. This isn't a newfangled automobile that has computers and all kinds of garbage in constant play.

Brad

On Nov 21, 2014, at 9:47 AM, Dean VP <deanvp at att.net> wrote:

> Brad,
> 
> It won't hurt anything to charge one 6V battery when two 6V batteries are in series to make 12V.   Or
> using two 6V battery chargers at the same time one on each of the two 6V batteries I don't think any
> AC to DC charger has to be referenced to a hard ground to charge properly. But I suppose one should
> check the manual. The batteries are essentially connected in an open circuit because there is no load
> at the second negative terminal. The second battery is kind of dangling in the wind at whatever
> voltage the first one is at. 
> 
> Dean VP
> Snohomish, WA
> 
> The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave
> unsaid  the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
> Gunnells, Bradley R
> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 8:31 AM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620 / charging six-volt batteries
> 
> Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But if you plan to use the 6v better tender you will need to put it
> on only 1 battery and disconnect the short cable that ties them together in series. If it's cold and
> snowing, connecting and disconnecting battery cables might not be the most enjoyable task. I'd opt for
> leaving everything together and just swapping he 12v unit between tractors.
> 
> Brad
> 
> On Nov 21, 2014, at 6:56 AM, Dean Vinson <dean at vinsonfarm.net> wrote:
> 
>> Thanks for all the good replies, gentlemen.  Consensus certainly seems to be
>> that I can just charge the two batteries together as a single 12-volt
>> battery.
>> 
>> My purpose in all of this is to keep the batteries charged and the tractor
>> ready to start on cold mornings this winter, when I need it to clear snow
>> from the driveway.  I have both 6-volt and 12-volt battery tenders, and
>> enough of the quick-disconnect harnesses to put two on the 620, one for each
>> battery, so I could use the 6-volt tender there and leave the 12-volt tender
>> on the Super M (which has been converted to a 12-volt system).  Or I could
>> put a single harness on the 620 by treating the two batteries as a single
>> 12-volt, and then just move the 12-volt tender back and forth between
>> tractors now and then.  From the discussion here I believe either approach
>> would work.
>> 
>> I haven't had any trouble with the 620 batteries, but it's unlikely to get
>> many long-duration periods of use over the winter, mostly short-duration
>> work, so lots of cold cranking to start and not much run time to recharge
>> via the generator.   I have to say I was pleased that it fired right up last
>> night when I went to move the brushhog to a better winter-storage location;
>> the weather's been way cold for this time of year, single-digit temps or
>> nearly so every night for the past few days, and I hadn't run the tractor in
>> a couple of weeks.
>> 
>> Dean Vinson
>> Saint Paris, Ohio
>> 
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