Battery question

[1930]

1. It doesn't matter as long as the battery is not too much smaller than the tray.
2. I hope you don't find that to be surprising
3. Good for that dealer. They are correct, and they are saving you money.
4. Nope. It is true that you can buy special special batteries for tractor or cars, but electrically they are so close to being the same that it doesn't matter. A special high capacity tractor battery is just not necessaryfor a small diesel tractor (under 75 hp or so) that is not being used in arctic conditions.
For something like a B6100 buying anything more than a small car battery is just a waste of money.
If you want to spend more, put your money into a good AGM type car battery that fits your battery tray.
5. Yep. Good on them as well.
6. As for deep cycle vs starting batteries....what you are hearing is true about the difference; but it doesn't make enough of a difference on a small diesel again not being used in arctic weather. Just buy the one you like best.
7. And if a battery is anywhere near the radiator (or even if it is not) then you will be much happier if you buy a sealed one. Most of the AGM type batteries on the market today are sealed batteries. They don't outgas acid fumes and never need water. Absolutely worth the money.

Be sure to clean the terminals on the battery wires. Both ends. Don't forget to clean where the (-) connector bolts to the tractor frame.
good luck,
rScotty

Underneath my hood is stained, Im guessing its a battery issue, I will need to neutralize that and will get a sealed unit, Im assuming by sealed unit you mean non serviceable in that there are no caps to remove to add water or electrolyte?

 

[rScotty]

Underneath my hood is stained, Im guessing its a battery issue, I will need to neutralize that and will get a sealed unit, Im assuming by sealed unit you mean non serviceable in that there are no caps to remove to add water or electrolyte?

Yes, I think you are right. Acid fumes are probably where the staining came from. It's not uncommon around unsealed batteries. If the staining has removed or bubbled the paint, mechanics of that era would neutralize the metal by hand-brushing the area vigorously with a wire brush plus Arm and Hammer Baking Soda, Brush hard enough to remove the loose or bubbled painted area. Rinse well with scalding water and then put some paint on it. Again from the era, the favored paint was Sherman Williams "Exterior Enamal for Boats and Tractors".

Yes, exactly.... No caps. The non-serviceable battery type you want will not have any caps. There is no need and no way to add water or electrolyte. In fact, if you looked inside the battery you would see that the lead alloy plates are not held in the traditional manner which spaced from one another by one end & then flooded the area between the plates with liquid acid like the older type of lead/acid battery. In the non-serviceable AGM (applied glass matrix) the plates inside the battery are separated from one another by sheets of glass fiber which has been impregnated with an acidic paste. That also makes the whole battery less vulnerable to vibration and to warping the plates during charging. The result is a battery that lasts longer in all ways.

This newer way of making an old lead/acid battery came out about the same time as the B6100 did. At that time the AGM type battery 2 to 4x the price, but today it's only a bit more expensive. Worth it though... If you just cannot find a car battery to fit your battery box, it's always possible to enlarge the box. Usually the battery mounting area is a set of rails only about an inch high, so even enlarging it in the crudest way at worst you end up with the battery mounted about an inch higher than a stock one, and there's usually room for that. Make sure that the hold-downs are working properly. I believe that vibration kills more batteries than electrical aging.
luck, rScotty

 

[1930]

I don't have a battery hold down and I didn't know that one was supposed to be there I don't see any provisions for it?

The space for the battery is no wider than 5 in by 10 in Long by maybe 10 inches high there isn't a whole lot of room

 

[1930]

I was reading last night going through old posts that people had made and evidently a collapsing fuel tank is something common with these tractors.

evidently there's a vent hole in the top of the fuel cap which I have but I can still only barely blow anything through it in

My fuel tank is pretty rough it looks like it's been sucked in pretty hard

 

[fried1765]

I don't have a battery hold down and I didn't know that one was supposed to be there I don't see any provisions for it?

The space for the battery is no wider than 5 in by 10 in Long by maybe 10 inches high there isn't a whole lot of room

Measure the size/height of the space you have, and get the best quality battery (highest CCA) that your Wally Mart sells.
That will be your best battery bang for the buck.
If possible, stay away from the little lawn tractor batteries, They are generally cheap junk.
You should rig up some sort of battery hold down. It must have originally had one.

 

[oosik]

My Kubota M6040 uses a group 31 sized battery. Last year I bought an Odyssey group 31 and installed. It weighs 78 pounds. Almost 25 pounds more than the OEM battery. It has 1150 CCA. The OEM was listed at 750 CCA.

I keep a Deltran battery tender on this battery all the time. Last thing I care to do is fooling around with some weak kneed battery when I want to use the tractor. And this will usually happen on the coldest day of winter - NO THANKS.

 

[CobyRupert]

I don't have a battery hold down and I didn't know that one was supposed to be there I don't see any provisions for it?

The space for the battery is no wider than 5 in by 10 in Long by maybe 10 inches high there isn't a whole lot of room

Here are links to figure out the battery "group size":
BCI Battery Group Size Chart

BCI Battery Group Size Chart

View attachment Battery Data (Size).pdf

 

[rScotty]

I was reading last night going through old posts that people had made and evidently a collapsing fuel tank is something common with these tractors.

evidently there's a vent hole in the top of the fuel cap which I have but I can still only barely blow anything through it in

My fuel tank is pretty rough it looks like it's been sucked in pretty hard

Yes, there are a lot of ways to vent a fuel cap. The object is obviously to let the gases out while not allowing the tractor's vibration to spill raw fuel out the vent hole. A little leakage is not the worse thing in the world. It's only diesel fuel and more messy than dangerous. Collapsing tanks happen when the cap vent is plugged so that it only works in one direction i.e. to let gasses out but not in. Then as the tractor cools, the vapors trapped in the tank condense.... more atmosphere can't get in to equalize with the atmospheric pressure on the outside of the tank and the tank tends to collapse a bit.

Simple fuel cap vents are just a hole in the cap plus a hole in the rubber or cork gasket inside the cap so that the gasket has a slightly different radius from the cap curvature. The holes in cap and gasket are deliberately offset so that they don't quite line up. There's some luck involved so that both holes are open and communicating. Sometimes the gasket gets old and pressure makes it conform to the shape of the cap in a way that blocks the holes. You can probably mess with it enough to get it right again.
Rain water can get in that type of cap. Throw a tarp over the tractor at night. Make it cover the steering wheel and the shifter - those are both areas where water can get in.

More elaborate vents today are still made in pretty much the same way, but now have a tube sticking out the top of the cap which extends downwards to a secondary vent and catch area . That is is somewhat better, but the old style works.

On the battery... Car batteries are heavier and a bit larger than the small tractor batteries that your tractor had originally. The weight is actually an advantage as the front of these small tractors tends to be bouncy. But you have to strap the battery down tightly so it doesn't get loose from the bouncing and hit the radiator. The battery should ultimately be strapped to the rigid frame of the tractor. That's another advantage to the AGM type sealed batteries. Since they don't spew acid and fumes even when bouncing, you can use your choice of straps and battery box modification of wood, metal, or plastic without worrying about acid degrading things.

It's crazy that they didn't make that battery area just half an inch larger so that a car battery would fit properly, but they often didn't. If you just can't fit a car battery, get the best AGM type that you can find and it will last a few years. Again, it is most important that it be strapped down well so it doesn't bounce or slide around and endanger the radiator. BTW, these diesels don't require the battery power to run the motor - just to start it. Once running, the battery only runs the instruments and lights. Just about any battery will do that. More CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) is always better for cold weather starting - always a problem for diesels. Especially older ones. But if the battery will start the tractor in cold weather then it is sufficient. Car batteries are better, if you can fit one.
luck,
rScotty

 

[Industrial Toys]

I like to have a battery secured, mostly in case the machine upsets and the battery shorts out. That could make an already bad situation, really bad!

 

[1930]

Here are links to figure out the battery "group size":
BCI Battery Group Size Chart

BCI Battery Group Size Chart

View attachment 606960

Thanks for links

Yes, there are a lot of ways to vent a fuel cap. The object is obviously to let the gases out while not allowing the tractor's vibration to spill raw fuel out the vent hole. A little leakage is not the worse thing in the world. It's only diesel fuel and more messy than dangerous. Collapsing tanks happen when the cap vent is plugged so that it only works in one direction i.e. to let gasses out but not in. Then as the tractor cools, the vapors trapped in the tank condense.... more atmosphere can't get in to equalize with the atmospheric pressure on the outside of the tank and the tank tends to collapse a bit.

Simple fuel cap vents are just a hole in the cap plus a hole in the rubber or cork gasket inside the cap so that the gasket has a slightly different radius from the cap curvature. The holes in cap and gasket are deliberately offset so that they don't quite line up. There's some luck involved so that both holes are open and communicating. Sometimes the gasket gets old and pressure makes it conform to the shape of the cap in a way that blocks the holes. You can probably mess with it enough to get it right again.
Rain water can get in that type of cap. Throw a tarp over the tractor at night. Make it cover the steering wheel and the shifter - those are both areas where water can get in.

More elaborate vents today are still made in pretty much the same way, but now have a tube sticking out the top of the cap which extends downwards to a secondary vent and catch area . That is is somewhat better, but the old style works.

On the battery... Car batteries are heavier and a bit larger than the small tractor batteries that your tractor had originally. The weight is actually an advantage as the front of these small tractors tends to be bouncy. But you have to strap the battery down tightly so it doesn't get loose from the bouncing and hit the radiator. The battery should ultimately be strapped to the rigid frame of the tractor. That's another advantage to the AGM type sealed batteries. Since they don't spew acid and fumes even when bouncing, you can use your choice of straps and battery box modification of wood, metal, or plastic without worrying about acid degrading things.

It's crazy that they didn't make that battery area just half an inch larger so that a car battery would fit properly, but they often didn't. If you just can't fit a car battery, get the best AGM type that you can find and it will last a few years. Again, it is most important that it be strapped down well so it doesn't bounce or slide around and endanger the radiator. BTW, these diesels don't require the battery power to run the motor - just to start it. Once running, the battery only runs the instruments and lights. Just about any battery will do that. More CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) is always better for cold weather starting - always a problem for diesels. Especially older ones. But if the battery will start the tractor in cold weather then it is sufficient. Car batteries are better, if you can fit one.
luck,
rScotty

Alot of useful information, I'm assuming if I can blow into it that it's not plugged, the deformation is prob from someone overtighning the strap.

I like to have a battery secured, mostly in case the machine upsets and the battery shorts out. That could make an already bad situation, really bad!

I've got a parts book that I'm assuming will be arriving soon and I'm assuming there will be a clear pict, and part number.

Maybe I'll get lucky and find what belongs there