I have a lawn tractor (Yardman riding mower) model number
13aj771g713, Serial number: 1c155b40193. I used it for two years. Last year I had to charge the battery the first time and it works fine. This year when I charge, the charger displays an error, meaning the battery is dead, or the connection is not good, according to the manual of the charger. I made sure the connection is good.
So I am wondering maybe the battery is dead? How can I make sure? I have a multitester but it only can check batteries of of 1.5v - 9v. The tracor's battery is 12v.How to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?Bring it to an auto parts store. I know Auto-Zone does this. Most of them have a load tester that'll determine whether it's good or not. It may well read 12 volts on a meter but still not be any good. Most of the automotive parts stores will test it for free.How to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?Get a multitester that goes up to 12v then.How to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?Jump it with you car or truck if it is 12 volt. Let it run for a while, if it doesn't start again, battery is bad.How to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?well, if it won't start then it is a dead battery, what you may have is a low electrolyte problem. you see, the battery is full of battery acid. the acid is diluted with distilled water, as the battery charges and discharges it slowly electrolysises the water(basically it evaporates) and the acid becomes more and more concentrated which makes the battery stop working.
what you want to do is go to the store and get a gallon of distilled water,IT MUST BE DISTILLED, if it isn't it will create deadly chlorine gas and destroy the battery. a gallon of distilled water is cheaper than a battery. you will also need a turkey baster and a flat head screw driver(turkey baster is optional, and can be substituted with a funnel, but the baster will make things easier).
Take the battery out of the mower and put it outside on the driveway or something. take the screw driver and CAREFULLY remove the two black caps from the top of the battery, they should just pop off with a little prying. then, look inside(remember you are dealing with acid) the water level will probably be pretty far down there. fill up the baster with some water and fill each of the six chambers up to about 1/2 of an inch from the top of the battery( the holes will have little parts that stick down, with a little slot in the side, you should be about 1/8 of an inch under the opening of the slot to allow for vapor venting, if you over fill it, then the battery will leak from the vent cap.) do this six times and CAREFULLY put the vent caps back on and make sure they are pushed all the way down. your battery should be just fine now. this took what, like 5-10 minutes? plus the time it took to stop by the store and pick up a gallon of distilled water. If you ask me this is much better than just going out and getting a new battery.
one time my mower did not have enough power to even try to start. I filled up the electrolyte level and I didn't even have to charge it, I just put it in and it started the mower as if it had just came off of a charger.How to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?use volt ohm meter. use a battery hygrometer, have it load testedHow to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?A large multi meter is not going to help you. A battery can still provide 12v but not provide enough amps to spin the motor. Lawn tractor batteries a pretty crappy, if you can get 2 seasons out of one, you have done well. Hope this helps. dHow to tell a lawn tractor's battery is dead?take the battery to autozone, walmart or some other major autoparts store and ask them to put it on their battery tester. or you can buy a 12 volt multimeter and tast it your self. 2 yrs is about right for a lawnmower battery to start showing signs of going bad though.
