Thread: Jump starting the old tractor

Not sure if 175a anderson plug would be suitable- probably- but an option I would suggest is a pair of terminals that you can attach a normal pair of jumper cables to, would save having a dedicated set of cables with an anderson plug. Something like this 12v Positive Negative Battery insulator insulated power post junction block 3/8" | eBay

Hi J, if you jump start correctly, you only need to use a standard 50 amp Anderson plug and cabling no thicker than 6B&S, and you can start any motor with this setup.

Many, MANY years ago, a relo got his small tractor bogged in an orange orchid and flattened the battery while trying to get it unbogged.

The next day, with the ground a lot dryer, he needed to jump start the tractor but it was about 25m from the nearest point he could get another vehicle close enough and no one has 25m long jumper leads.

I made a bet with him that I could jump start his tractor from my Valiant S, using nothing more than some 5mm wire, I had been using to setup some driving lights.

I ran two lengths of the wire from the Valiant’s battery to the tractor’s battery, left the motor running on the Valiant and we all went off and had breakfast.

About 30 minutes later, we came back, and the tractor fired up first go.

The point is, it is not the size of the cable that is important, it is how you carry out a jump start.

Have a read of this below and it will explain in more detail, how to correctly jump start any vehicle.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/the-verandah/246755-line-auto-electrical-info-4.html

We used to jump start trucks and large generators with jump batteries with 175 amp Anderson plugs on them no dramas - the current is a lot higher but it isn't for long. The rating of the plugs is for continuous use.

As mentioned though a 50 amp Anderson plug is fine for smaller stuff - I've jump started my Hilux and smaller gens with this arrangement through some 16mm flex cable.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi J, if you jump start correctly, you only need to use a standard 50 amp Anderson plug and cabling no thicker than 6B&S, and you can start any motor with this setup.

Many, MANY years ago, a relo got his small tractor bogged in an orange orchid and flattened the battery while trying to get it unbogged.

The next day, with the ground a lot dryer, he needed to jump start the tractor but it was about 25m from the nearest point he could get another vehicle close enough and no one has 25m long jumper leads.

I made a bet with him that I could jump start his tractor from my Valiant S, using nothing more than some 5mm wire, I had been using to setup some driving lights.

I ran two lengths of the wire from the Valiant’s battery to the tractor’s battery, left the motor running on the Valiant and we all went off and had breakfast.

About 30 minutes later, we came back, and the tractor fired up first go.

The point is, it is not the size of the cable that is important, it is how you carry out a jump start.

Have a read of this below and it will explain in more detail, how to correctly jump start any vehicle.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/the-verandah/246755-line-auto-electrical-info-4.html

I'd call that charging the battery ..... as opposed to jump starting it. I have a set of very heavy 8meter long jumper leads for jump starting ..... Any battery charger would have worked in the same way as using the cars charging system

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

I'd call that charging the battery ..... as opposed to jump starting it. I have a set of very heavy 8meter long jumper leads for jump starting ..... Any battery charger would have worked in the same way as using the cars charging system

I used to have a big heavy set but now have the small set - I have a battery pack with a 50 amp anderson plug, then around 2 metres of cable - 16mm multistrand (high temp insulation, but that's just what I had on hand from a job). Other end of the cables is another 50 amp anderson plug - this allows me to use them as an extension for all sorts - my 12 volt compressor, etc - then I have a small set of tails with some high quality clamps on them. I can jump start a 50KVA genset and any 4WD or car - and my MF165 as the battery was flat in it last week with this setup so I have since turned my old jumper cables into some new decent battery and winch cabling for my vehicles. I think a lot of the time the clamps and connection to them can be the biggest area of resistance in a jumper set.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

I'd call that charging the battery ..... as opposed to jump starting it. I have a set of very heavy 8meter long jumper leads for jump starting ..... Any battery charger would have worked in the same way as using the cars charging system

Hi DC and you got it in one.


You need to get a charge back into the disabled battery, even if that battery has a dropped cell, you need to get a surface charge back into the battery.

You do not have to sit there for 30 minutes, like I did with the tractor and THIN wire.

Just idle for 2 to 5 minutes is enough to get a surface charge in any battery, including a faulty battery.

Then when you start the vehicle, the primary start current comes from the flat/faulty battery.

As for starting large motors. A relo of mine was in the army, based at Wacol in QLD. I was up visiting him from Sydney and I had a near new Valiant Charger.

The Charger had developed a problem where if you tried to start it around 30 minutes to two hours after the motor was last running, it took heaps to get it going.

It turned out it was getting a vapour lock in the fuel line where it ran across the back of the motor.

Until that was found and fixed, it was a mongol to start.

At the army base, the Charger would not start and I flattened the battery trying.

The sergeant brought an APC over to my Charger and got a set of jumper leads from the APC and proceeded to start my Charger from the APC.

With the motor running he gave me the leads saying I would probably need them again.

I still have them and these are the standard jumper leads from an APC, and are 2m long 6B&S cables.

NOTE, read your owners manual for most vehicles ( if note all ) and it tells you to connect the jumper leads and let the motor on the donor idle of a few minutes before attempting to start the motor.

Carry out a jump start correctly and you do NOT need huge cables.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi DC and you got it in one.


You need to get a charge back into the disabled battery, even if that battery has a dropped cell, you need to get a surface charge back into the battery.

You do not have to sit there for 30 minutes, like I did with the tractor and THIN wire.

Just idle for 2 to 5 minutes is enough to get a surface charge in any battery, including a faulty battery.

Then when you start the vehicle, the primary start current comes from the flat/faulty battery.

As for starting large motors. A relo of mine was in the army, based at Wacol in QLD. I was up visiting him from Sydney and I had a near new Valiant Charger.

The Charger had developed a problem where if you tried to start it around 30 minutes to two hours after the motor was last running, it took heaps to get it going.

It turned out it was getting a vapour lock in the fuel line where it ran across the back of the motor.

Until that was found and fixed, it was a mongol to start.

At the army base, the Charger would not start and I flattened the battery trying.

The sergeant brought an APC over to my Charger and got a set of jumper leads from the APC and proceeded to start my Charger from the APC.

With the motor running he gave me the leads saying I would probably need them again.

I still have them and these are the standard jumper leads from an APC, and are 2m long 6B&S cables.

NOTE, read your owners manual for most vehicles ( if note all ) and it tells you to connect the jumper leads and let the motor on the donor idle of a few minutes before attempting to start the motor.

Carry out a jump start correctly and you do NOT need huge cables.

Do you find this works with modern batteries? Over the last few years, batteries unfortunately completely die with no warning. They seem to internally short. They accept no charge at all, the only way to get the vehicle home is a jump start (with GOOD jumper leads..... I paralleled 3 sets of ****ty jumper leads together to get a guys diesel ute started in a caravan park a couple of years back)..... Why carry jumper leads that can't jump a diesel in this day and age ?? Either way, The only other alternative is to bring a new battery to the car.

I find its not uncommon at all to be asked for jumper leads/tools. You see what people do is they look around the carpark for the oldest/****tiest car .... and go ask if you have jumperleads/tools ........ The assumption must be your car is old and ****ty, so you will need tools/jumper leads

seeya
Shane L.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

Do you find this works with modern batteries? Over the last few years, batteries unfortunately completely die with no warning. They seem to internally short. They accept no charge at all, the only way to get the vehicle home is a jump start (with GOOD jumper leads..... I paralleled 3 sets of ****ty jumper leads together to get a guys diesel ute started in a caravan park a couple of years back)..... Why carry jumper leads that can't jump a diesel in this day and age ?? Either way, The only other alternative is to bring a new battery to the car.

I find its not uncommon at all to be asked for jumper leads/tools. You see what people do is they look around the carpark for the oldest/****tiest car .... and go ask if you have jumperleads/tools ........ The assumption must be your car is old and ****ty, so you will need tools/jumper leads

seeya
Shane L.

Hi again DC, you are talking about trying to charge a battery with a battery charger.


Battery chargers and alternators are two totally different types of charging devices.


Battery chargers are constant CURRENT charging devices while all alternators are constant VOLTAGE charging devices.


Also, most new battery chargers have a safety requirement where the battery MUST have at least a 7v or higher, level of charge or the battery charger will not turn on.


Alternators are not interested in the voltage level of a battery, they just provide a charger VOLTAGE.


BTW folks, if you have a situation where you have an extremely low battery and the charger will not start, try connecting a good battery to the low battery and then try your charger again.


Once the charger is running, disconnect the good battery.


If you have a battery charger that also has a POWER SUPPLY mode, first run the charger in POWER SUPPLY mode ( works similar to the way an alternator works ) for a short while, then switch back to the conventional charging mode.


ALSO NOTE, if you have a lithium battery that has been discharged so low that it’s BMS has shutdown, again, most battery chargers will not recognise that a battery is connect and will not turn on.


Use the same two methods described above to activate the lithium battery’s BMS and this will get the lithium battery charging.