860 not charging well

I put a new generator, regulator and wiring harness on my 860 two years ago, and it worked well. But now it doesn't seem to be charging strongly enough for the battery to hold a good charge. Battery is a New Holland and only three years old. I only put about 50 hours on the tractor each year, so maybe battery is not being used enough. Maybe I need to clean all the connections in the wiring harness - but do you have any other tips that might help? Thank you.

The problem could be as simple as a loose fan belt. I'd start there just to try to save some work. Tighten the belt and check your ammeter. Your tractor should have one. If that fails. I'd also check all the connections to make sure they are bright and tight, especially the battery. Make sure the battery has the proper level of acid.

Here's one way to test your generator output.

1. Disconnect the armature wire (red) from the terminal on the generator. Connect a jumper wire across the armature and field terminals.

2. Connect the negative lead of an 0-75 ammeter to the generator armature terminal.

3. Connect the other ammeter lead to the armature wire.

4. Strat the engine and gradually increase the engine speed to 1500 rpm while observing the ammeter. The generator output should reach or exceed 20 amps.

Note: Stop the engine and disconnect the jumper wire from the field aemature terminals as soon as the generator output in obtained to prevent overheating the generator.

5. If the generator output is below 20 amps or is erratic, check the generator belt tension and adjust if necessary. Repeat the test. If adjusting the belt does not increase the generator output to 20 amps, remove and repair or replace generator.

NOTE: The above is for a six volt system.

You can also put a volt meter on your battery, start the tractor and increase the rpm to 1500. Your volt meter should read between 6.85 and 8.05 depending on the outside temperature. Temps ranging between 20 deg F. and 100 deg F. The higher the temp, the lowe the voltage.

Some of the Gurus may come along with some more info. This is where I'd start. hope thus helps.

Lead acid batteries self discharge.. 50 hrs per year is an hour a week.. if it is spread out like that no problems.. if it is monthly .. that battery can wear down.

I'd clean all connections first.. and then specific gravity test the battery... low useage is hard on a battery.. 3 yrs is good lifespan for a low use battery.

soundguy

I'd take the battery out, check the electrolyte level, charge it and have someone load test it. That'll tell the tale on the battery better than anything I know.