Huntshillhaus Farm
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2018
- Messages
- 67
- Location
- South Central Missouri
- Tractor
- John Deere 2150, Husqvarna Z554
My JD 2150 diesel started having trouble starting last year, but after adding a trickle charger, I haven't had any issues, and could reliably shut the tractor off and restart multiple times without issue. A few weeks ago, while brushhogging, I started noticing some sluggishness when starting - not a lot - enough to notice though. Since I also had a pretty sever hydraulic leak to tend to, I parked it under the shed, and put the trickle charger on it. Fast forward to this week, when I went to start it, and all I got was some clicking at the starter solenoid. I tried jumpstarting it with 150amp jump box, and go a couple of cranks, but then clicking again. Within a minute, I started hearing the battery boil, so I stopped, and took the charger off. I removed both batteries (6y/o each, and one with some bulging), and found they took about 1.25 gallons of distilled water to fill them. Before I filled them, the bulging one read 5.6V, and the other 8.5V. After filling them with the water, I checked the voltage again, and the first read 9V, and the second one 10.5V. After replacing them in the tractor, and cleaning and making sure the leads were properly tightened, The tractor fired right up with the jump box. I ran the tractor for a couple of hours, then turned it off, and tried to restart. Barely cranked. I added the trickle charger back on, left it for two days, and tried again yesterday, but all I got was the clicking again. Voltage read 7V. After jumping the tractor again (which took about three minute at 150amp, and starting to boil the battery again, it finally cranked over and started. I cut for about two hours, then parked it, and checked the batteries while it was running - 13.67V, which indicates to me that the alternator is working properly. Shut it down, and nothing but clicks again.
I've resigned myself to buying to two new batteries, but since my tractor manual doesn't specify the battery type/size, I'm wanting to make sure I buy the right ones. My dad, who is an electrician (but not a battery guru) said I should be fine with matching the CCA and other data of the current batteries, but seemed confused when I mentioned that the interwebz said tractors must have a deep-cycle batteries, unlike an automobile. He said deep-cycle is necessary for places where you draining out your battery, and running it really low, such as marine, or forklifts, but didn't see how that situation applied to a tractor which only needed electrical for starting the engine. I want to buy the right thing, but have not had good troubleshooting know-how help with my local JD dealership, and google gives me conflicting information. So my questions are these...
Am I correct in thinking that the batteries are the failure point here?
Do I specifically need deep-cycle batteries?
Does anyone know the correct specs for a JD 2150 Diesel set of batteries?
Am I (will I) damaging my batteries (boiling them out) by leaving them on a 3amp trickle charger? Should I buy a float maintainer instead?
For reference, I use the tractor once or twice a week during the summer, sometimes every day, but not always, and only seldom after brushogging is done in the fall. It doesn't like to start in freezing weather, though it did much better with the trickle charger on (been using that for the last year or so.
I've resigned myself to buying to two new batteries, but since my tractor manual doesn't specify the battery type/size, I'm wanting to make sure I buy the right ones. My dad, who is an electrician (but not a battery guru) said I should be fine with matching the CCA and other data of the current batteries, but seemed confused when I mentioned that the interwebz said tractors must have a deep-cycle batteries, unlike an automobile. He said deep-cycle is necessary for places where you draining out your battery, and running it really low, such as marine, or forklifts, but didn't see how that situation applied to a tractor which only needed electrical for starting the engine. I want to buy the right thing, but have not had good troubleshooting know-how help with my local JD dealership, and google gives me conflicting information. So my questions are these...
Am I correct in thinking that the batteries are the failure point here?
Do I specifically need deep-cycle batteries?
Does anyone know the correct specs for a JD 2150 Diesel set of batteries?
Am I (will I) damaging my batteries (boiling them out) by leaving them on a 3amp trickle charger? Should I buy a float maintainer instead?
For reference, I use the tractor once or twice a week during the summer, sometimes every day, but not always, and only seldom after brushogging is done in the fall. It doesn't like to start in freezing weather, though it did much better with the trickle charger on (been using that for the last year or so.
