PDA

View Full Version : Battery Disconnect Switch



hunter63
06-09-2014, 06:32 PM
The tractor must have a small short as it tend to run down the battery and/or cause the terminals to corrode when it's not used regularly.
So today I picked up anpther battery, and was looking at disconnect switches...the ones they had were for the negative side.
Now I would have thought to break the positive side.....?

Any thoughts?

randyt
06-09-2014, 07:01 PM
My thought is to invest in a hand cranked tractor, make sure the magneto throws a hot spark. No battery needed LOL.

Wise Old Owl
06-09-2014, 07:12 PM
odd how often are you using the tractor? If it is sitting two weeks... huge. You are in Wisconsin ,, cooler temps require more vigilance. If the battery is two years old simply replace it and pick a cold cranking type.

I am here in PA and swap car batteries in two years. - don't want to get stuck

randyt
06-09-2014, 07:28 PM
I use battery tenders on some of my equipment. There are solar models available too.

hunter63
06-09-2014, 07:37 PM
I use battery tenders on some of my equipment. There are solar models available too.

That's a possibility.....picked up a small array to be mounted on the tractor shed.......

Been doing some looking and have found statements like......
Electrons are negative and travel to positive so a neg. disconnect kills every thing.....(I wouldn't think it makes any difference)
Easier to get at (?) (both about the same, in my case).
Only one wire going to ground....positive has several...(This makes sense.....3 wires to pos... one to neg. on mine.)

Anyway that's what I gonna do....along with the new battery.

Lamewolf
06-10-2014, 07:16 AM
The tractor must have a small short as it tend to run down the battery and/or cause the terminals to corrode when it's not used regularly.
So today I picked up anpther battery, and was looking at disconnect switches...the ones they had were for the negative side.
Now I would have thought to break the positive side.....?

Any thoughts?

Kill the ground and you kill everything. I work in automotive service and standard practice for safety reasons is to disconnect the ground cable from the battery - no ground path, no short ! But I would have the battery tested, if the terminals are coroding, it may have developed a leak and my have a bad cell or 2. Also, make sure the battery is clean as the electrolite precip on the battery can become conductive when mixed with mineral fallout from the air and this cause a high resistance short between the terminals that can cause galvanic action that causes the corosion and contant low level drain on the battery.

Rick
06-10-2014, 07:46 AM
It's against conventional thought but DC actually flows from negative to positive. A negatively charge electron moves to positive.

hunter63
06-10-2014, 11:27 AM
It's against conventional thought but DC actually flows from negative to positive. A negatively charge electron moves to positive.

I guess I do recall that in service school classes........but some time DC current path and A/C gets confusing......Trailer lights will ground thru a positive path if it bad.......looks like a juke box when you hit the breaks.

It was kinda funny as I was looking and asking in a battery store about one while buying a new spare or extra battery....the guy shows me a negative disconnect....but I was thinking Positive......
As I was paying the lady.....my mind was going thru what I would have to do to make it work on the positive side....and it dawned on my that a Neg. side break would work....so when back and picked one up.

Rick
06-10-2014, 11:47 AM
We worked with both on the same line and, yeah, you sometimes had to stop and think.

Power Giant
06-11-2014, 06:25 PM
A disconnect switch on the ground wire won't arc. A disconnect switch on a positive wire will arc every time its thrown. Over time carbon deposits will form on the contactors. On the ground side disconnect switch, carbon won't form because there is no arcing.

hunter63
06-11-2014, 07:40 PM
Thanks for the comments guys....and PG what you are saying has a ring to it....after building several sports car racers.....with required exterior disconnects....That seems to come to mind....but that was a long time ago

Any way the Negative contact at the battery is just one wire....where the positive side has three.....so will be much easier.