[AT] Belarus problems in tornado alley

[Cecil Bearden]

I don't know if I posted this or not.   My old 822 Belarus a 1996 model 
with only 350 hours had dead batteries last year.  I replaced the 
batteries and found the starter was bad.  replaced starter and then 
found Alternator was bad.  Replaced alternator ( had one in spares) It 
ran ok.  A couple of months ago, batteries were dead again, and I 
replaced them Then found the starter power lead into the brush plate had 
come un-soldered.  I soldered a ring terminal on both ends and bolted 
them together.  Starter still would not work.  Found a screw that holds 
the solenoid in the starter case was gone and the solenoid was binding.  
It started fine after I robbed a screw from the new starter I had.  I 
had just installed a new seat and made a floor mat from some old 
conveyor belting.  I should have bought a mat if I figure in the time 
involved and the Advil and Tylenol on my old joints!!! Started up the 
tractor to go feed cows, and after running about 100ft, the starter 
engaged.  Stopped and restarted, after engine ran a few seconds the 
starter would engage.  There is an interlock relay that has probably one 
of the only 3 diodes in the entire tractor in it.  As far as I can 
figure the diode is bad and the starter engages when the alternator 
begins charging.   This is due to the series parallel switch that starts 
on 24 and runs on 12. If I had plenty of time I would just rewire the 
tractor, but I would have to remove the loader to get around everything, 
and also my old joints just don't let me work in tight spaces anymore.  
I have a one wire 24volt alternator and could just hook the batteries in 
series and run the cab and accessories on 12volts. The starter solenoid 
is 24V so there is a relay to connect the solenoid.

Looking back, all these problems started when we had a lightning strike 
on the power pole near the barn.  That strike also fried a remote 
control winch on one of my 4 wheelers and ran down the battery and 
pulled the winch line so far down in the spool that I am going to have 
to cut the cable to get it out.  The winch is probably fried also...  
The same strike fried the starting relays on my 20hp compressor.

A lot of guys tell me that is what I get for having a Russian tractor.  
It ain't the tractor's fault, it comes from living in tornado alley 
where we get lightning strikes every year.

On another note, a friend of mine a couple of miles away did not really 
experience the F5 tornado we had in 2011.  He bought a steel safe room 
to install in his barn that has not been built yet.  He told me last 
night he was going to temporarily set the steel room on the ground where 
they could run to from the house. My response was "It will be cheaper 
than a coffin" !!   That F5 tornado picked up a 4640 John Deere and 
pieces of it were found 1/2 mile away.....   Mu advice was to anchor the 
room at all corners with 1 inch bars down the entire length of bell 
bottom piers set in the ground at least 6 ft.  That F5 picked up 
concrete slabs....

Cecil