Charging Twin Battery System

[Ukjay]

Hi,

May seem a dumb question to some, but how do you trickle charge your twin battery tractors.
Our old 2040s has a battery either side, so without disconnecting both batteries and charging individuals - how do you do it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Fergieman]

Connect to one battery or the positive at the starter.

 

[Ukjay]

Connect to one battery or the positive at the starter.

Does that charge the second battery, or will the non connected battery suffer?

 

[Fergieman]

Yes either way will charge both batteries on a 12v system like your 2040s.

 

[Exfarmer]

Just make sure the cables and terminals are clean and tight!

 

[Ukjay]

Yes either way will charge both batteries on a 12v system like your 2040s.

Thank you, will stick a trickle charger on as it is not getting used as much in the wet weather

 

[Ukjay]

Just make sure the cables and terminals are clean and tight!

I know I need some new earth straps, as they are a showing themselves to be a bit rusty, so will swap them.

 

[Exfarmer]

A trickle charger unless designed for the job and there is absolutely no leakage will probably struggle . I Have a couple And two of my cars are fine, but My wife's Mini , not having been used much , the charger never gets off the orange. It has three lights red , orange, green.
will help if you give it a good charge first.

 

[milkloss]

If you have a smart charger then charge one at a time properly and then put all the terminals back and leave the charger on both. You'll never quite be confident they're both topped up well enough otherwise.

 

[Exfarmer]

They are strange things those twin batteries on the JD. We had issues with both a 4040, then a 4240, it always seemed the right hand battery failed very early, never could make out why

 

[roscoe erf]

I know I need some new earth straps, as they are a showing themselves to be a bit rusty, so will swap them.

clean where they bolt to wire brush and use copper grease when re fitting so many bad starters are caused through bad earths

 

[Ukjay]

A trickle charger unless designed for the job and there is absolutely no leakage will probably struggle . I Have a couple And two of my cars are fine, but My wife's Mini , not having been used much , the charger never gets off the orange. It has three lights red , orange, green.
will help if you give it a good charge first.

Apologies, I meant my Ctek smart charger..

 

[Ukjay]

clean where they bolt to wire brush and use copper grease when re fitting so many bad starters are caused through bad earths

It hasnt not started yet, but will not be used much in the coming months, so want the batteries to be maintained etc. Just a bit of ocd...

 

[Ukjay]

I assume one couldn't simply have one battery on the JD for ease more than anything - as I can't see the point of two with such a tractor?

 

[Wisconsonian]

When it's -40, then you'll see the point of two batteries. Mostly, two batteries are not needed, and one will last nearly as long as the pair.

If you're worried they're not charging equally, then check the voltage of both. If anything, a charger with two batteries will charge at a higher voltage for longer, because the battery is taking 6 amps then it figures that it can still take a high voltage, when really each one is only taking 3 and it would switch to a float charge at that point if it only saw 3amps. A trickle charger with 1 amp should keep up with two batteries already charged. I like a 6 amp maintainer that will easily charge two. If one of the batteries is already weak, all bets are off, and you're better off disconnecting one and keeping them both on a trickle charger, or charge every couple months through the winter.

 

[Ukjay]

When it's -40, then you'll see the point of two batteries. Mostly, two batteries are not needed, and one will last nearly as long as the pair.

If you're worried they're not charging equally, then check the voltage of both. If anything, a charger with two batteries will charge at a higher voltage for longer, because the battery is taking 6 amps then it figures that it can still take a high voltage, when really each one is only taking 3 and it would switch to a float charge at that point if it only saw 3amps. A trickle charger with 1 amp should keep up with two batteries already charged. I like a 6 amp maintainer that will easily charge two. If one of the batteries is already weak, all bets are off, and you're better off disconnecting one and keeping them both on a trickle charger, or charge every couple months through the winter.

Yeh, not really a problem at - 40 in the UK

 

[roscoe erf]

Yeh, not really a problem at - 40 in the UK

just leave em be

 

[Exfarmer]

Think I am right in saying that the American versions used 2 x 12 volt in series to give 24 volts. That is why I understood the wiring on the tractors was really insufficient for the loadings in Europe which nearly always gave up fairly early in life. Certainly both my tractors had issues

 

[Wisconsonian]

I don't know on that model. There are lots of 12v start tractors that have two batteries from that era, maybe the battery technology wasn't as good? or they just wanted their new tractors to start, and that was the cheapest way to improve reliability.

I only used -40 so I wouldn't have to convert to Celsius. Same could be said for -10C if they're not plugged in, somebody will need to start them on a cold morning, the rest of us can get by with one battery. And one battery is a lot easier to bring inside overnight to warm up, safer to.