Bypass start relay

[Mark_BX25D]

maybe clean the battery terminals really,really good ?
I've had them 'look fine' but remove to see NOT fine....

This.

Checking your connections does NOT mean looking at them. It means taking them apart, and while you have them apart, you might as well clean them down to shiny bare metal and giving them a lick of dielectric grease to prevent future corrosion.

Cables can be bad and look just fine. Corrosion can be inside the jacket. How do you find that? Shake, twist, bend. IF there is corrosion in there, you can often feel it, and the rough treatment will break the cable completely. That's what you want - once it's completely broken, you know what needs to be replaced. It's no longer hiding from you.

 

[Firefighterontheside]

I got the tractor started about 2 hours ago and plowed mine and my parents roads.

 

[Henro]

I got the tractor started about 2 hours ago and plowed mine and my parents roads.

That's great!

Did you figure out what your problem was?

 

[Firefighterontheside]

That's great!

Did you figure out what your problem was?

im not certain what the root problem was. I suspect the 4 year old battery is weak and that the positive terminal was lightly corroded, but not bad at all. It’s still strange to me that jumping with my dual alternator truck did nothing. Not even a click, but that was before we worked on the cable. Maybe that means it was the positive cable that was the culprit.

 

[D2Cat]

Did you ever actually clean the negative cable at both ends, including the tractor frame? A few have mentioned it, but has it been done? The negative cable is just as important as the positive cable since you need a circuit for the power to flow.

If power can not transfer from the dirty cable end to the tractor frame you could connect all the batteries you own to that tractor and you'll get the same result.....nothing.

 

[Firefighterontheside]

I don’t really understand how the negative cable attaches to the tractor. It just seems to be wedged into the frame. I will get under there one day soon and see if I can see where it goes. The battery ends of each cable we’re cleanedvery well.

 

[BruceP]

It is trivial to validate connections using VOLTAGE DROP measurements. It should take less than 5 minutes to isolate the problem.

Based on problem-description, I would start with voltmeter leads clipped on as follows:

• Negative lead on ENGINE BLOCK
• Positive lead on BIG wire of starter

You are now monitoring battery-voltage AT THE STARTER. This voltage should ALWAYS be the same as the battery-voltage at all times.

Now, try to crank engine, if the voltage drops below 10v... you found the problem.
If voltage does NOT drop... the problem is NOT power-connections to the starter. (there is no need to trace nor clean any connections at this point)

Let us know the results of this test and we can walk you through the next steps to isolate the issue.

 

[Henro]

It is trivial to validate connections using VOLTAGE DROP measurements. It should take less than 5 minutes to isolate the problem...

I agree, but sometimes without having three hands it becomes less trivial...LOL

Been there many times...over the last 55 plus years, starting at age 19...LOL

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Some dayze I'd love to have a trained,air breathing octopus helping me.....

 

[007kubotaguy]

100A 6/12V Battery Load Tester
This is one of the best and simplest tools for troubleshooting battery and starting issues. I used mine every day.