Battery Has Died Twice

[MMalabama]

I have a Mahindra 4540 it has 4WD, loader, etc. Last couple of times that I haven't used the tractor for say over three weeks; whenever I get ready to use it again the battery will be stone dead. It only has 125 hours on it, battery is probably 2 years old I guess. I cant jump start, all I can do is put it on the battery charger overnight and then it will crank the next day. I'm not leaving on any lights, I have the key turned off and all while it was sitting. Is it just the battery going bad or could there be something causing it to drain? Only thing I've noticed is maybe there is excessive corrosion around the positive terminal.

 

[chado613]

I would start by cleaning the terminals off...that can create resistance between the leads and the battery

 

[Peter 315]

If the cables and posts are dirty it might not be taking a charge

 

[MMalabama]

I would start by cleaning the terminals off...that can create resistance between the leads and the battery

10-4, Ill give that a try.

 

[RNeumann]

The tractors are notorious for having cables that look fine but have gone bad. If the positive cable has enough corrosion to bridge to any semblance of a ground it could be putting a slight drain on the battery. It’s common to see folks on here who have mystery electrical issues replace cables and find the problem is fixed.
If none of that works the failure/short/drain may be inside the battery. in which case, replacement is the most common option.

 

[mguitas]

Once you correct the problem, get yourself a battery tender.

 

[Gaowlpoop]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery after using the tractor. When you come back, in three weeks? if the battery is dead you know you have a bad battery. It it is not dead and starts the tractor you have something drawing current in the tractor.

You really need an amp meter. Disconnect the negative lead. Connect one side of the amp meter to the negative terminal of the battery. Connect the other side of the meter to the negative cable or any good ground. If you are drawing current, you are going on a hunting expedition.

The first thing to do I start pulling fuses. If the current draw goes away, you have found your problem.

 

[Sysop]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery after using the tractor. When you come back, in three weeks? if the battery is dead you know you have a bad battery. It it is not dead and starts the tractor you have something drawing current in the tractor.

You really need an amp meter. Disconnect the negative lead. Connect one side of the amp meter to the negative terminal of the battery. Connect the other side of the meter to the negative cable or any good ground. If you are drawing current, you are going on a hunting expedition.

The first thing to do I start pulling fuses. If the current draw goes away, you have found your problem.

+1 on this for proper diagnostics. But from my experience, the original Interstate batteries last about 2 years; so it is quite likely that is the problem.

I cleaned my stuff all up and had still wouldn't hold a charge. So I swapped to a NAPA battery, hasn't been an issue since and lots less corrosion to clean up during maintenance. Interstate batteries aren't what they used to be.

When I went shopping for a battery, I looked online at the shipping weight of all the brands that would fit. NAPA was the heaviest by a couple pounds. Weight is good for traction on a tractor, but it is also generally a good indicator of how thick the plates inside the battery are. Thicker plates tend to last longer.

 

[fried1765]

+1 on this for proper diagnostics. But from my experience, the original Interstate batteries last about 2 years; so it is quite likely that is the problem.

I cleaned my stuff all up and had still wouldn't hold a charge. So I swapped to a NAPA battery, hasn't been an issue since and lots less corrosion to clean up during maintenance. Interstate batteries aren't what they used to be.

When I went shopping for a battery, I looked online at the shipping weight of all the brands that would fit. NAPA was the heaviest by a couple pounds. Weight is good for traction on a tractor, but it is also generally a good indicator of how thick the plates inside the battery are. Thicker plates tend to last longer.

Good advice!
Interstate batteries are high cost, and are living on their old reputation, which they no longer deserve.
I go to Walmart and buy the biggest, highest amp battery that will fit in the battery box.
Then: I keep a Battery Tender, or Battery minder connected, whenever I expect to not use the machine/vehicle for more than a week.

 

[dickfoster]

+1 on this for proper diagnostics. But from my experience, the original Interstate batteries last about 2 years; so it is quite likely that is the problem.

I cleaned my stuff all up and had still wouldn't hold a charge. So I swapped to a NAPA battery, hasn't been an issue since and lots less corrosion to clean up during maintenance. Interstate batteries aren't what they used to be.

When I went shopping for a battery, I looked online at the shipping weight of all the brands that would fit. NAPA was the heaviest by a couple pounds. Weight is good for traction on a tractor, but it is also generally a good indicator of how thick the plates inside the battery are. Thicker plates tend to last longer.

If you're after weight that a good thing because more weight generally equates to more stored charge. Look at a good AGM type like an Odyssey for a heavy for it's size battery. Agms tend to last much longer to. Expensive, but you get what you pay for.