jump start loader with welder??

shad fincher · Oct 26, 2009

I have an older Ford 6500 loader. It's diesel powered and the only electrical device on it is the starter. It ran fine when I parked it five years ago but am having a hard time getting it started. Can t seem to get it to turn over fast enough with a couple batteries.
Can I hook my 200 amp Lincoln welder to the battery cables and use it to turn the starter instead of batteries? If so how do I know I have the polarities right and where do I set the amps at on the welder? Will it damage the starter?
Thanks for any help youcan provide

TimMiller · Oct 27, 2009

Your better off connecting the battery from your welder to your tractor. Welders use a higher voltage than 12V.

UncleTom · Oct 27, 2009

What ever you do, dont get the starter hot or it will melt the solder that holds the armature together.

gene bender · Oct 27, 2009

Starter cont care about polarity but what volts is the welder. Starter will probably draw 300 amps when starting.

buickanddeere · Oct 27, 2009

Is this welder AC or DC?
The problem is likely high resistance cables, high resistance connections, a failing starter and/or under capacity batteries.
A welders voltage and current is high enough to blow the tops off the batteries with H2 production.
Take a voltmeter and look for Volt Drop in the electrical system.

RodinNS · Oct 27, 2009

I'd sooner see you fix the bad connections/starter/bad batteries in the loader than hook the welder to it.
DC welders, in theory at least... are running somewhere around 24V which would not be a good thing on a 12V starting system. That's the theory... I'm concerned that it might go a tad higher than 24V... An SMAW DC welder is of the CC or Constant Current variety. A Mig is CV or Constant Voltage though I'm not sure exactly where their voltage is set...
Dunno about you, but I don't want an electrolyte bomb in my face. The 200 amps from the welder alone will not even dream of starting the tractor either. They draw somewhere in the range of 600 amp IIRC.
Fix the starting system problems or figure out what load is dragging it down and making it turn slow.

Rod

DickL · Oct 27, 2009

I used a DC welder for a jump start device as well as a battery charger on big stuff.

The advise I would give is if you have to ask someone that is not standing beside you (don't do it). If you do not totally understand something, and think you do, you won't have someone to grab your hand when the misunderstanding is about to be understood the hard way.

Russ from MN · Oct 27, 2009

I have seen it done, but it was 38 years ago! You need to get the voltage set as low as possible, have the polarity right and probably engage the starter with the battery before connecting the welder. My father used to jump start a 6v crawler with 12v and once it slammed in so hard it broke the back out of the starter!

Mike (WA) · Oct 27, 2009

I just get this recurring mental picture of the batteries and the starter simulatneously exploding. . .

Wouldn't it be easier to just jump it with your pickup?

Walterdavies · Oct 27, 2009

Pull start it then after it runs for a while it will loosen up and should start with its own batteries. Make sure all cables are clean use a knife to scrape the inside there may be a lot of hard corrosion in there. Make sure it has the correct size battery cables, those little car type won't carry enough amps.
Remember the system has to be like new to start an engine that has been setting that long.
Walt

dieseldoc · Oct 27, 2009

I have done it and I dont plan on doing it again.It was a sight to see though.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 27, 2009

On all my old diesels I like to use a block heater to ease the pain of starting even at mild temperatures.
Any chance you can pre-heat the block before starting?
Welder as a DC power supply you can put a fuse inline to trip if current/heat becomes excessive. I'd triple check the starter and connections before going that route though. I've had a quite a few voltage sources going to diesels in the winter (5+ batteries). Melted terminals burnt up starters. Not good but everything eventually ran.

Rob Mo. · Oct 27, 2009

How did the battery fair out? Anytime u weld around a battery, it usually blows up.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 27, 2009

Not a good idea. People have done it in the past but you risk a lot of damage and serious injury. Welders typically have 60 to 90 open circuit volts and when under load the voltage goes down to around 24 but could be even higher than that. You could fry your starter and all the wiring in addition to having the batteries blow up. If the loader has been sitting for 5 years, I wouldn't expect it's going to just start right up without some work done on it. Have the batteries been sitting for 5 years as well? Get a new battery for the loader and check all the cables. Boost it with a truck or a charger with a booster, if you have to, but not with a welder. Does the starter already have a problem and that's why it turns slow? Is the fuel fresh and the old fuel blown out the lines? Usually when equipment sits for long periods, it needs a bunch of stuff done to get it going again. Dave

TimMiller · Oct 27, 2009

I think i lucked out when i started our loader that was sitting for about 2 years with just putting a battery charger on it for about 20 min and flipping the charger to jump start. If its not starting the first thing i would do is pull the battery cables off the batteries and clean the battery posts and inside of the terminals really well with a rag and wd-40. That is usually the problem most of the time. If that didnt work i'd clean the battery connections at the starter. If it is still slow attach jumper cables from a battery directly to the starter. (and i'm talking real jumper cables 4-2 awg, not the discount 8-10 awg ones).

4020power · Oct 27, 2009

yeah right, first thing you must to do..

1. Call 911.

2. then use welder to jump start tractor.

tractorsam · Oct 27, 2009

I have been part of the operation when boosting a railway locomotive with a 64volt battery system. You need a welder that you can adjust the open circuit voltage on. I wouldn't recommend it for a number of reasons, unless there was absolutely nothing else and it needs to start. Sam

MarkB_MI · Oct 27, 2009

As long as you do it with YOUR welder, I don't see an issue.

barn E · Oct 27, 2009

WD 40 is highly flammable unless formula has changed. Wire brush much better job of cleaning connections. Brush till it shines.

Dave anderson · Oct 27, 2009

how far will the arc jump inside the battery. Bet it is just link having the stinger in the electrode holder. Had a 6V go off in my face on a D-14 allis while jumping it with 12 Volts. Can't say I will do that again.

shad fincher · Oct 27, 2009

it has an automatic transmission I assume because it just has a forward and reverse shifter on the steering column. can you pull start a tractor with this type transmission? can you turn the motor if you jack up the back wheel and turn it with tractor in gear?

Anonymous-0 · Oct 28, 2009

Sure your batteries are not down,

Anonymous-0 · Oct 28, 2009

set up your camcorder on a tri-pod with a wide view to capture the entire event. Let us know when you post it on u-tube. If you are using an AC welder you are going to smoke something. They sell jumper cables and battery charger/boosters for such a problem. Posts like this keep yt interesting!

TimMiller · Oct 28, 2009

The forward and reverse is shuttle shift, you can pull start it. Its just a little transmission that allows you to reverse all of your forward gears. (i really like shuttle shift personally).

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