Exploding tractor battery!

[PILOON]

"My shirt quickly turned to rags from the acid."

LOL. reminds me of a youthful episode. (Acid fumes)

Earlier I had been doing some lab experimenting that involving acid.
I seem to remember making hydrogen.

Next day, nice and hot, coming home I visited a friend and was lured into water skiing.
Not properly dressed I simply rolled up my pants (hey I don't fall) and off we went.
Well, friend's motor conked out and I swam in my trousers.
When I unrolled my trousers all I had left was a pair of shorts and cuffs.

The worst part was explaining to my mother.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Very glad you were not hurt when this happened.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... couldn't hear and the guys came running over from the sales office...

I was the lot boy washing cars, getting keys, etc. at age 13 ish.

A red 1970 Chevrolet had a week battery so I rolled out the lot charger and set it to quick charge... went back a few minutes later and wiggled the charger clamp to the battery post and BAM!

Somehow it did not get into my eyes and one of the guys hosed me down so now I was deaf and shivering....

Mom was not happy on the least when I came home... one of the guys drove me home in the back of a pickup

 

[Boss 302]

I've had this happen before on generators and in most cases it was due to a defective battery charger that gets stuck in the on position causing the batteries to overcharge which in turn cooks all of the acid out, end result is explosion.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

This has become an epidemic lately. I work for a major engine and generator company and we have seen a massive increase in the number of batteries exploding in the pst few years. It used to be a rare occurrence, maybe a few a year, now it’s at least one a month.

We are working with several battery manufacturers at the moment to determine the cause however it looks like the main reason is material cost reduction.

Bottom line is, cover your batteries, you never know when it can happen and anything that deflects the acid and shrapnel may be the difference that prevents a major injury or vision loss.

 

[ultrarunner]

Battery shop said all precaution to avoid spark and if electrolyte is full no where for hydrogen to collect...

 

[Boss 302]

Absolutely, it's most important to keep the electrolyte topped off.

 

[Boss 302]

Another good point Murray, keep your batteries enclosed to contain the shrapnel.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Or buy nickle-iron batteries if you can afford them. They are about 1k for a standard size auto battery.

 

[Jstpssng]

All of my batteries except that for the 8N and TO35 are "Maintenance Free", so there's no way to even check the electrolytes.
Both tractors mentioned aren't currently in use, pending maintenance and repairs.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

All of my batteries except that for the 8N and TO35 are "Maintenance Free", so there's no way to even check the electrolytes.
Both tractors mentioned aren't currently in use, pending maintenance and repairs.

That is one of the common connections for many of the failures we’ve investigated. Many standby units are now using maintenance free batteries because it’s getting difficult to find serviceable batteries.

The problem is the battery is the same, still uses up electrolyte, just no way to top up. Once plates are exposed, any arc from a bad cell connector or even a hot connection will ignite the hydrogen.

 

[Boss 302]

The maintenance free batteries that we used on our gen sets still had removable tops for checking the levels. They could be removed you just had to make an effort.

 

[etpm]

When you clean the tractor wash the beck out of it, rinse with plenty of baking soda dissolved in water, let it sit, then repeat. Any sign at all of bubbling means acid is present. I had to clean up a battery acid spill a couple times. The acid creeps into any crevice it can find. So dilution and neutralizing are really important to prevent damage to your tractor. Oh Yeah, glad you're OK, now you can get back to work on your tractor without any silly visits to a hospital.
Keep safe,
Eric

 

[etpm]

When you clean the tractor wash the beck out of it, rinse with plenty of baking soda dissolved in water, let it sit, then repeat. Any sign at all of bubbling means acid is present. I had to clean up a battery acid spill a couple times. The acid creeps into any crevice it can find. So dilution and neutralizing are really important to prevent damage to your tractor. Oh Yeah, glad you're OK, now you can get back to work on your tractor without any silly visits to a hospital.
Keep safe,
Eric

 

[ultrarunner]

The maintenance free batteries that we used on our gen sets still had removable tops for checking the levels. They could be removed you just had to make an effort.

We use maintenance free for the hospital because the state required it and batteries change out every three years.

Some are still easy to access... Some are really sealed.

 

[oosik]

We built a log cabin in Alaska. Used the Warn winch on the Jeep EXTENSIVElY. Got so hot the case on the Sears Diehard battery melted and all the battery acid hit the ground. Went thru three Diehard batteries building that cabin.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Mine's a 1959 model. It's 20 days younger than I am. Despite only being used 2 or 3 times a year it always starts first go. I've had it nearly a decade and this is the first time I've had any real issue. I've no idea what a vacuum governor is, or even if it has one. Anyway, here's a photo of it with my sister-in-law in the driving seat.

No, yours don't have it, an upgrade for me is to have your type. Batteries explode at times. I have had it happen a few times. Not on the tractor. It shouldn't hurt anything but the battery. Wash the acid off of everything.

 

[s219]

We built a log cabin in Alaska. Used the Warn winch on the Jeep EXTENSIVElY. Got so hot the case on the Sears Diehard battery melted and all the battery acid hit the ground. Went thru three Diehard batteries building that cabin.

Those winches have very limited duty cycles (some are rated for a few minutes of use then 15+ minutes of cool down). I hear of this happening to a lot of people that try to use them continuously.

I don't remember the exact ratings for the 4000# Warn winch on my RTV, but I remember reading the manual during install and thinking I'd only have one good pull in an emergency and then need to take a lunch break before the next attempt. Kind of pathetic considering the price.

 

[Rob41]

Glad you had the bonnet closed and didn't get hurt.

On the Navy ships I work on.....actually all first world Country ships of any size, there must be an interlock installed while using the fixed battery charging systems (of which there are many). The interlock prevents the charger from operating unless the ventilation fan for that space is energized.

 

[k0ua]

One blew up two weeks ago right below my head! I was helping friend with Ford F250 7.3L diesel (has two batteries), he had charger on and genius me was using a propane torch to solder starter cable at the battery, friend off to the side holding cable with pliers. It was like dynamite going off and blew us backwards.
He had outdoor spigot not far and I had him get baking soda, washing up ourselves.
Lucky but still barely can hear out of my ear closest to it.

I am starting to understand some of those youthful "pranks" just a bit better now.