How do I check whether my tractor alternator is working

[Gary Fowler]

to be fair. for florida, my thermometer said 29 this am when it was dark and I was feeding animals. for florida.. that's winter full on.

My thermometer said 12 just before daylight. That too is winter full on and a real beatch being as a couple days ago it was 65 for a high.

 

[tommyboy1]

1 degree at my place in Michigan. Highs in the single digits all this week. For the next week, temps we below average with hihgs in the teens. I'ts hard to get motivated in this kind of weather.

 

[DJ54]

2º here this morning just at sunrise. Calling for -9º Monday night & -5º Tue night. Tonight, 2-4" of snow, and up to 30 mph winds. One of those nights I'm really glad I don't have to plow snow anymore...

Holing up for the evening, after the horse's are fed. Have I mentioned how much I love my heated water fountain for the horses..?? As long as the power stays on, I'll be a happy man..!! :thumbsup:

 

[Coyote machine]

Woosies! Been at least -20+ here for days! The walk out to the hot-tub is brutal, to say nothing of the trot back inside.:cryingeyesout:
Just got a 1000gallon propane delivery yesterday, delivery guy said the tank didn't even register on the needle! New delivery co with no history of our usage. Said we could have run out last night! WOW! Talk about scary, could have frozen the house AND barn! Plus a $3K bill on top of it all. Ouch! Wanna buy a place in VT?!:confused3:

 

[banjodunn]

G'day seem to be a little off topic here but I will swap you guys a bit of temperature if you want just got over a week of 40c days and now they are talking up into the low 40s by Sun.... sorry but a bit warm for this bloke. Had my A/C thermometer in the van toolbox the start of the other hot days and it got up to 150f


Jon

 

[tommyboy1]

Too bad we couldn't swap some of each for each other. Pretty much this week has had highs of up to 8F and lows down to -18F. Brrrrrrrrrr!

 

[jdboy4410]

FYI- test lights are very inconclusive,don't rely on,"the light lit".they will light with as little as 5V. a good wiring diagram,and checking connections is key,don't probe wires,it leads to problems down the road.I will remove terminals from the connector to clean them,and make sure they have good pin tension.don't use paper clips to poke into the connector cavities as it will spread terminals and could create a problem that you did not have.there are ways to check the regulator and the alternator on the tractor,but I wouldn't want to give you that info,it's dangerous if you don't know what you are doing,the alternator can put out some serious voltage,enough to fry you.for the most part,a few simple checks will lead you to the repair.start out with a fully charged battery,check with your DVOM,should read about 12.3-12.5 Volts when fully charged.when the alternator is working properly,with the engine running,DVOM connected to the battery,you should see 13-15V depending on the battery state,15v would tell you have a severe load or a discharged battery,normally,it should be between 13.5-14.5 volts on a 12 volt system

 

[tommyboy1]

thanks for the reply jdboy4410,
I just got a decent tractor repair manual with schematics and repair/test procedures for the tractor a couple of weeks ago and will try to determine what the problem is by systematically going thru the test procedures found in the manual. It's been so cold in michigan I haven't had an interest in trouble shooting my tractor. as soon as it warms up, I will start troubleshooting.

 

[Soundguy]

cheap crappy universal 6v/12v test lamps will light at 5v.

you can FOR SURE get (OR EASILLY/CHEAPLY MAKE )ones that light up at ONLY 12v.. ( or in different voltage increments / minimums.. )

FYI- test lights are very inconclusive,don't rely on,"the light lit".they will light with as little as 5V. a good wiring diagram,and checking connections is key,don't probe wires,it leads to problems down the road.I will remove terminals from the connector to clean them,and make sure they have good pin tension.don't use paper clips to poke into the connector cavities as it will spread terminals and could create a problem that you did not have.there are ways to check the regulator and the alternator on the tractor,but I wouldn't want to give you that info,it's dangerous if you don't know what you are doing,the alternator can put out some serious voltage,enough to fry you.for the most part,a few simple checks will lead you to the repair.start out with a fully charged battery,check with your DVOM,should read about 12.3-12.5 Volts when fully charged.when the alternator is working properly,with the engine running,DVOM connected to the battery,you should see 13-15V depending on the battery state,15v would tell you have a severe load or a discharged battery,normally,it should be between 13.5-14.5 volts on a 12 volt system