International 300 - tractor depletes battery - have to jump

Sandy Berg · May 31, 2010

We have an International 300 that depletes the battery after each mowing of our runway. We have changed the voltage regulator, rebuilt the generator, and put a cut off switch on the negative pole of the battery when tractor is sitting. Nothing seems to work as the tractor dies halfway through the 26 acre mowing. (It also appears that the generator is only charging when the tractor is at idle - not when it is running at full power.) Does anyone have any suggestions on resolving this problem?

flying belgian · May 31, 2010

I'm thinking time for a new battery.

Handyman · May 31, 2010

I'm not real sure here but it kind of sounds like something may be hooked up wrong, when you say generator I assume it is not an alternator on the tractor, usually generator charged electric systems are hooked up as positive ground on the battery if hooked up negative ground the generator may be sucking the charge out of the battery. your tractor should be able to run for several hours if the generator isnt recharging the battery. check your owners manual for the proper grounding and put a new battery on your tractor.

El Toro · May 31, 2010

Are you sure that cutoff switch is isolating the battery from ground? You need to measure the charging voltage across the battery terminals with the engine at full throttle and at an idle.
I would place the battery on a charger then after it's charged use a hydrometer and check the specific gravity in each cell. Should be near 1.260 in each cell if one reads way low like 1.100 you need a new battery. Hal

Janicholson · May 31, 2010

The tractor is 6 volt, so We assume a 6volt positive ground system with a generator and Voltage regulator. If you are not charging the battery when running, it will probably run for 6 or more hours on a charged battery. If it has the lights on, that is reduced to 2 hours at max.
If you disconnected the battery (switch mentioned) and the battery is fully charged, and it still goes dead, it is the battery that is, at least to get started with the repair, bad.
The following step instructions should do the trick, John T is a wizard on charging systems. Make sure the cables are at least 0gauge wire size, and clean connections are to be found in the charging and starting system. Jim
John T charging analysis

Paul in MN · May 31, 2010

Has your battery been reversed charged? It is possible to reverse charge a batt, so it is really + on the terminal marked -. This could result in the generator actually discharging the battery as the tractor runs. With the original Delco 6V system being designed for positive (+) ground, and 99% of cars and trucks today using the 12V systems whick have a neg(-) ground, it is posssible that someone hooked up the tractor battery backwards and it has been reverse charged. Use a voltmeter to find out. The red lead should be placed on the + batt terminal.

I have both a 300U and 340U, and switched both of them over to 12V neg ground alternators about 25 years ago. Electrical problems were solved!!

Paul in MN

Sandy Berg · Jun 16, 2010

Thank you for the help. I found that someone had put a 6 volt requlator on a 12 volt system. A pretty easy fix ensued.

International 300 - tractor depletes battery - have to jump

Sandy Berg

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flying belgian

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Handyman

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El Toro

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Janicholson

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Paul in MN

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Sandy Berg

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