[AT] JD 620 / charging six-volt batteries

[Brian VanDragt]

I tried charging a dead (but otherwise good) battery with one of those chargers and it wouldn't do anything on the normal setting, but on the highest (jump?) setting it would put enough charge into the battery that it could then be set back down to normal. 
Brian 

----- Original Message -----

From: "charlie hill" <charliehill at embarqmail.com> 
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com> 
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 11:00:51 AM 
Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620 / charging six-volt batteries 

Dean,  I have one of those newer, cheaper chargers that is somewhat 
electronic. 
I will not charge a completely dead battery or even create a current unless 
it senses 
a circuit.   I tried using it to run a small 12 v transfer pump, something I 
could do with my old one, 
and it wouldn't work until I put a battery in the circuit.  The only battery 
I had 
was the one I normally use to run the pump but it had a dead cell.  It was 
good enough to 
trick the charger into turning on. 

The advantage of that charger (if there is one) is that you can't hook it up 
reverse polarity. 
It will just stare at you and a light on the display will blink. 

Charlie 

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dean VP 
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 10:47 AM 
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group' 
Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620 / charging six-volt batteries 

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 
> 
> _______________________________________________ 
> AT mailing list 
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at 


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