simple battery boost question

Hay hay hay

Well-known Member
I have an old tractor stored in a remote barn, 1/2 mile from an AC electrical outlet. The battery tends to drain down during the winter, when I use the tractor very little. I do not want to lift out the battery and bring it into the shed to be charged. Nor, move the tractor to the machine shed.

Here is the question: If I hook up a large deep cycle and fully charged battery to this tractors battery....will the charge ( or some portion of the charge) transfer to the tractor battery and keep it partially charged and safe from freezing?
 
Keep the top of the battery clean and disconnect one of the cables. If that battery is "good", it should stay charged all winter that way, even in the cold.
 
Yes, no, a photovoltaic trickle charger will do it better. Disconnect the battery from the tractor as well. Jim
 
Maybe one of those cheap solar battery chargers? If its a 6 volt battery you would have to use 2 batteries in series for it to work. If it is a hurry up thing just to get it started I would use a jump start pack that has the cables on it and plugs in and charges up out of a wall outlet.
 
I would remove one cable. If battery drains then, time for a new battery. I would also have battery fully charged first.

You can take battery to most auto stores, they can charge it and load test to determine it's health.
 

I doubt your battery would discharge enough to freeze. However, adding another battery would make two batteries self discharging over the winter - not much improvement.

I have a small building in the woods I use for lunch and whatever when I am back there cutting wood and whatever. I have a 12 volt battery used for lights. I have one 5 watt solar panel screwed to a South facing wall and connected to the battery. No controller, just the panel connected directly to the battery - been like that for 7 + years. The panel charges the battery from occasional use and maintains it at full charge.

The panel is about 12" x 12" and they generally run around $30. Note - larger panels can be used however you will need a charge controller. The panel will need a "blocking diode" which is built into most/all of the smaller panels for battery charging.
 
I see your from KY???? IF that is so your climate should not be as harsh as some have to deal with. Meaning a battery should hold charge over winter without worrying about the battery freezing.

Just full charge it and when not in use unhook the cables. You should be fine.

As for a one battery charging the other. They will equalize over a time but then both will be undercharged.

I would try a solar charger. They work well to hold charge.

The real simple thing would be just to start and run the tractor for 15 minutes each month. That is what I do on most of the equipment I have stored over the winter. That actually is best as it circulates all the lubrication around and helps dry out condensation.
 
(quoted from post at 21:26:37 11/16/14) I have an old tractor stored in a remote barn, 1/2 mile from an AC electrical outlet. The battery tends to drain down during the winter, when I use the tractor very little. I do not want to lift out the battery and bring it into the shed to be charged. Nor, move the tractor to the machine shed.

Here is the question: If I hook up a large deep cycle and fully charged battery to this tractors battery....will the charge ( or some portion of the charge) transfer to the tractor battery and keep it partially charged and safe from freezing?

eBay solar panels and charge controllers are dirt cheap. There will even be power to spare for 12V building lighting .
 
(quoted from post at 18:31:18 11/16/14) Maybe one of those cheap solar battery chargers? If its a 6 volt battery you would have to use 2 batteries in series for it to work. If it is a hurry up thing just to get it started I would use a jump start pack that has the cables on it and plugs in and charges up out of a wall outlet.

Why do you have to add a battery? Can 5 watts 12V hurt a 6 Volt?
 
Napa sells a battery booster that will start about anything,think it's a model 6000.I've had two in the last 10 years and never need jumper cables.You can run a tractor or car with one of these with no battery.
 
I'm not sure. Thinking maybe for 8 hours
it could. Just playing it safe. I jump start my 6 volt tractors with 12 volt but that's only for a minute.
 
No, connecting a fully charged battery to the low one will not charge the low battery. It takes a minimum of 13.5 volts to charge a 12V battery and a fully charged battery has only 12.6-8 volts.

A cheap 5 watt solar panel will maintain your battery if you can get sunlight to it.
The last 5 watt panel I bought with mounting bracket and battery clips was about $35.
 
It would be best to do as B&D suggests, buy a small solar charger, and not worry about it. In doing research on lead-acid batteries, I found that when batteries set without activity, the sulfur salts start to settle in the cells and enough setting the richer solution in the bottom of the batteries starts to destroy the bottom of the plates, ultimately destroying the battery. The suggestion was to charge the battery at least once a month to keep the battery in the best physical state, keeping the solution from separating. If you don't want to bother then you might look into an AGM battery which doesn't have the problem.
 
I agree. One of those pannels with a FULLY charged battery will do it. Winter sun is pretty powerfull with a good souther exposire. I bought one that Volkswagen used to give its costomers with camping in mind. plugs into the cigarette plug. Look on fleabay.
 
(quoted from post at 20:50:27 11/16/14) I'm not sure. Thinking maybe for 8 hours
it could. Just playing it safe. I jump start my 6 volt tractors with 12 volt but that's only for a minute.

The rate of those little solar chargers is low enough that doubling it onto a six volt makes it so that it is really worthwhile but still just a trickle. Jump starting a six with a twelve though is a good way to get hurt! I hope that you are applying the cables to starter and ground and not to the battery.
 
"If I hook up a large deep cycle and fully charged battery to this tractors battery....will the charge ( or some portion of the charge) transfer to the tractor battery and keep it partially charged and safe from freezing?"

1) NOPE I don't envision the deep cycle battery (just sitting there at around 12.6 volts subject to state of charge and temperature) "CHARGING" the tractor battery (also around 12.6 volts). If you add more battery amp hours (say add batteries in parallel as youre talking) you have more stored energy, but that's NOT necessarily one "charging" the other.

2) I don't see the deep cycle battery keeping the other from freezing if the charge state becomes depleted.

I would consider the use of a small solar charger and charge controller to keep the battery charged.

Even a perfectly otherwise good battery eventually self discharges over time due to chemical action.

John T
 
Batteries tied in parallel tend to degenerate to the lowest common denominator. Weaker battery will eat the stronger and you end up with two weak batteries. This is why batteries should be replaced in identical pairs when teamed up like in a diesel. That way they grow old gracefully together. You would probably do best to get a small solar charger like they use on RVs. I face the same problem and will be pulling batteries and bringing them in so I can float battery tenders on them.
 

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