Charging John Deere riding mower battery

Bantymom

New User
Hello. I have a John Deere Riding Mower. I acquired it second
hand and so I'm not exactly sure which one it is, but it isn't very
large and looking at pictures, I think it must be in the 100
series.

Anyway, the battery has run down, and because of the climate
out here (Salinas, California), it is destined to be unused for
large parts of the year and, I am told, will therefore run down again. I would
like to get a battery charger for it, but only want to get one, so
would like to get the correct one the first time.

Questions:
1) Do I have to get one from John Deere?
2) If I can get one from somewhere else, what kind to I get and
where should I look (I would like a good one bout would prefer
not to be taken advantage of on the price)?
3) How can I tell what voltage it is or that I need to get? Would
that be written somewhere on the battery itself?
4) Do I have to watch it while it charges to be sure I don't
damage it in some way or can I charge it overnight and be safe?

Thank you very much for your time and assistance,
Banty
 
just buy a charger that is reasonable the mower is proably 12 volts somechargers are 6& 12 volts get an automatic shutoff one and when charged will quit charging and not boil batt acid. I have maintance cycle on one of mine.might start out in that mode untill batt has some charge. just make sure pos to pos and neg to neg if not you will get a spark so no big deal If connections are cruddy clean them Good luck Bob
 
Walart, Auto Zone or any automotive parts store will have them. You don't have to buy an expensive one & you don't have to buy it from John Deere. any 12 volt charger will charge it. You might even want to get what is called a trickle charger to maintain it in charged condition since you won't be starting it every week. Keith
 
Sorry if that wasn't clear, I meant that because it doesn't rain (hardly ever) from May through October, sometimes not until November, once I cut the field in May, the tractor just sits. I was told that that was why it loses it's charge, the just sitting part.
 
Thank you very much. I know I don't sound very smart, but this is all new to me.

1) Just to clarify, if I get a 12 volt charger and my mower is 6 or 9 volts, it will adjust itself? or I should be able to adjust it?
2) Would I just leave the trickle charger on all the time?
3) Does a trickle charger have the automatic shut-off Bob spoke of?
4) Is a trickle charger different from a charger that has a maintenance cycle?
 
Sometimes those maintenance chargers are called float chargers. Or they have what is called a float mode. That is where it first charges the battery and then when it's full charge it goes into float mode and just maintains the charge. In other words,it keeps it full charge without overcharging. I got mine from Wal-mart for around 20 or 30 bucks.
 
Unless it has a short to drain the battery if the battery is good it will keep its charge for 2 years without going dead, that is if no electronicks to draw power. And there never was a lawn mower made with enything other than a 12 volt battery and it would always on a lawn mower be a negetive ground, not like some older tractors or cars.
 
Mower batteries will self dicharge in 3 months.They need monthly hydrometer checks.My saw mill battery lasted 4 years before it got uneven readings.Avoid sealed batteries, buy a dollar hydrometer and never charge over 3 amps.Never buy the lowest priced battery.
 
I have a nonedescript mower and I just jumper start it.The battery seems to be sealed , can't find where to put the hydrometer, now behave.
 
An expensive alternative would be to buy one of the Optima batteries. They have a very low rate of self discharge, should last for years in that application. Maybe $100? I've heard of them lasting 10 years or more in seasonal ag equipment.
 

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