If you have a lawnmower, you will eventually have battery issues. Over the winter, batteries may become weak or die from being in storage. As I mentioned last week, let’s look at battery maintenance and charging procedures.
The best battery maintenance is prevention. If you don’t use your mower during the winter, remove the battery and store it in a warm, dry place. Just keep it away from flammables.
Keep the connections clean and corrosion free. They can be cleaned with a wire brush and coated with a corrosion inhibitor to keep them clean. Make sure cables are in good shape. Look for damaged rubber coatings and deteriorated eyelets.
A trickle charger can be attached with the battery on or off the mower and will keep the battery ready to go. Follow all manufacturer’s directions and safety rules.
A dead battery can possibly be charged back to life. You can try charging it or carry it to a shop and have them do a load test on it.
Charging is a pretty simple operation. For specific details, follow the manufacturer instructions for your charger. It’s always a good idea to wear gloves and eye protection when dealing with batteries.
Set the charger to 12 volts. The battery can be in or out of the tractor when you charge it. Make sure that the battery charger is off and unplugged before connecting it to the battery.
Connect the red charger cable to the positive (+) terminal of the battery. Connect the black charger cable to the negative (-) battery terminal. Turn on or plug in the charger.
Charge the battery following the instructions specified by your battery charger manufacturer. Once the battery is fully charged, turn off the power on the charger. Then remove the charger cables.
Now is the time to be checking out these things, because cutting season is almost upon us. Remember, help is just around the corner at your local hardware store.
