[Shop-talk] Tractor Won't Start

[Chuck]

Hi Richard,

   Have you checked all the connections between the battery and ground and B+ and the starter?  If both batteries are unable to provide the current the starter needs there may be a high resistance somewhere in the circuit.  If you access the cables you could run a jumper cable in parallel and see if that helps.  If you run it as a redundant ground from B- to the engine ground and it starts, there's likely high resistance in the ground circuit.  

This back-yard diagnostic method is only slightly removed from the beat-on-the-starter-with-a-hammer diagnostic technique, but it might turn up something.

Chuck

-----Original Message-----
>From: Richard Gallagher <rgallagrrr at mcn.net>
>Sent: May 30, 2012 10:23 PM
>To: shop-talk at autox.team.net
>Subject: [Shop-talk] Tractor Won't Start
>
>Hi guys,
>
>From Great Falls, Montana:  I need help with my John Deere 950 utility
>tractor (about 22 hp but with gears a very good tractor).  We have 30 acres
>and need the tractor to help maintain it.  Last couple of weeks after work
>(yes, I do have a rgeular job and thank you God for the rain last weekend)
>I fertilized about 25 acres for hay and the tractor worked great.  Now the
>battrey went dead (maybe--see below).  I purchased a replacement commerical
>battrey from NAPA and the darn thing still won't start.  With the new
>battrey hooked up the lights work but the starter turns a couple of cranks
>and then the solinoid just clicks.  I've got an electrical problem.  Now I
>am not sure that the old commercial battrey went dead but it is now
>gone--all I know is that it would not take a charge from the charger.  My
>guess is that it died and in the process of trying to charge it I messed up
>something--voltage regulator???  The starter still wants to crank but is
>there a short???
>
> 
>
>Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Rich Gallagher
>_______________________________________________