Battery charging

finpend

New User
I have a 6V/12V charger which works very well. My question deals with charging a 6V battery in my 8N positive ground. Can I charge the battery with the positive and negative cables still on the battery? I have never tried this because I don't want to damage the battery or wiring. It's a real pain to have to unhook the cables each time I need to charge the battery. Guidelines please!
 
Just hook them as any normal charger/battery. Works fine. Just as long as you keep polarity right, i.e. Positive to positive, negative to negative.
 
Thanks curtsat15. All this time I have worried needlessly about a "problem" which didn't even exist. As I don't use this tractor on a regular basis I do have to charge it periodically. I should have come to this forum years ago. Thanks again.
 
My pleasure! I have gotten a lot of help on this forum over the last couple of years and am glad to pay it forward.
 
Since u don"t use the tractor much u might want to do what I did. I installed a no wrench disconnect on the ground cable. When I want to crank it I just connect the cable by slipping it together and twisting a knob. Solved my slow drain problem.Seems I have a slooow drain caused by the alternator-installed a diode in the line but still slow drain appparently through the alt, according to test I"ve done..Alternator is charging so not going to junk it and buy another one.
 
not sure why you worried.

if the bat is hooked up.. you know wiring tolerates bat voltage.

always hook bats matching charger polarity to bat polarity.

on some very, very old chargers I have seen units that had a metal case that was actually tied to the negative polarity for some reason. it's rare.. but if you are getting sparks from charger case to tractor chassis.. insulate it with some cardboard.. etc.

again.. it's rare..
 
A question for you. If you use that charger on your car or truck do you unhook the battery?? Well same applies to the tractor. YOU do not need to unhook the battery just be sure you hook it up + to + and - to - and you will be just fine. The + ground is just a way it hooks up to the battery and has nothing to do with doing things different with things it is just all in the head. This type of thing is asked all the time and the + ground throws a lot of people
 
The problem stems from the fact that negative ground has been the standard since late 1950's/early 1960's on vehicles and then tractors a few years later.

As a result we have let ourselves think that a battery charger output has a RED/HOT cable and a BLACK/GROUND cable. This thinking works for negative ground configuration but throws us into confusion on a positive ground tractor.

A battery charger knows and cares nothing about "hot" and "ground".

The charger has a RED POSITIVE cable and a BLACK NEGATIVE cable.

As expressed, Positive to Positive, Negative to Negative, forget about "ground".

Same rule applies to jumper cables.
 
Thanks for posting this, and for the answers....

I feel kinda stoopids now - been disconnecting the terminals every time I need to charge.... sigh.

Thanks!
 
What about my older than dirt Sears 6v/12v charger...both leads are gray. I goofed up and put the clamps on wrong.

Red is ground and black is hot. Now that's tricky. :lol:

Gotta think it through everytime. Still haven't got around to switching them.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top