[motdaugrnds]

I have a "dual rate" (10 amps and 2 amps) battery charger purchased from Schumacher Electric Corp. It is model #1010-2-PE. I've been using it to recharge the batteries to both my DR Field & Brush Mower as well as my Troybilt Tiller.

The 2 amps side of this charger no longer works; however, the 10 amps side does. The battery I need to recharge is only 3-1/2 inches wide and 6 inches long that I have not been able to find anywhere. If I cannot recharge it, I will be purchasing a regular 12-volt battery and using clamps to secure it to my mower so it won't wobble.....(My mower is an older model that is no longer made.)

My question: Can I use the 10 amps side of this battery charger to recharge the little 3-1/2" x 6" battery that is on my mower now without blowing up something? If so, how long should I leave it connected? If not, is this battery charger useless to me now or just what can I use the 10 amps side with..like maybe a car battery? (As you can probably tell, I know nothing about mechanics; but need to learn.)

 

[fordy]

I have a "dual rate" (10 amps and 2 amps) battery charger purchased from Schumacher Electric Corp. It is model #1010-2-PE. I've been using it to recharge the batteries to both my DR Field & Brush Mower as well as my Troybilt Tiller.

The 2 amps side of this charger no longer works; however, the 10 amps side does. The battery I need to recharge is only 3-1/2 inches wide and 6 inches long that I have not been able to find anywhere. If I cannot recharge it, I will be purchasing a regular 12-volt battery and using clamps to secure it to my mower so it won't wobble.....(My mower is an older model that is no longer made.)

My question: Can I use the 10 amps side of this battery charger to recharge the little 3-1/2" x 6" battery that is on my mower now without blowing up something? If so, how long should I leave it connected? If not, is this battery charger useless to me now or just what can I use the 10 amps side with..like maybe a car battery? (As you can probably tell, I know nothing about mechanics; but need to learn.)

................The 10 amp side should charge your batteries , faster than the 2 amp side ! These chargers are made with sensing circuits and know when the battery is fully charged to prevent overcharge . The 10 amp side will work and shut itself off when the battery is fully charged . The 2 amp side is for maintaining a fully charged battery .
................I have a 3 amp charger made by the same company on my 1-ton which I don't drive on a regular basis . It brings the battery up to full charge , then it switches to a 'maintain' function whereby it will charge when it senses the battery voltage dropping , then switch itself , Off . , fordy

 

[bigjon]

fordy is correct.but I've hit them little mower batterys with 200 amps and no problems.todays chargers are built to shut down when charged max is reached.

 

[Harry Chickpea]

The batteries in computer UPS are about the size you give. They are sealed, but 12 volt and commonly available.

A fast charge puts a "surface" charge on the plates. It isn't as good for a battery and will shorten the life some, but I wouldn't be too concerned in this instance.

 

[idigbeets]

I have had 6 volt lawn mower batteries that small.... there has to be a way to identify it.

 

[motdaugrnds]

Thank you all for the information. If I'm hearing correctly, I can connect the 10 amp side to this little battery (for a quick & short charge that would get the machine started) and my machine will not be harmed nor this small battery blow up. I should leave it on only for a couple of hours at most, i.e. that this 10 amp is not meant for a slow (long term) charge. Am I understanding you all rightly?

This brush mower is a machine I only use 3-4 times a year with months (4+) going by between usage sometimes. Often I'm having to recharge the battery then just to get the machine started. I'm thinking, if I attach one of those 3 amp charges on it and leave it attached all the time between usages, this would keep my battery charged. Fordy, can this 3 amp charger be ordered from the same company?

I actually think the battery that is on it now is NOT the battery that was on it when I took it in for maintenance, though the statement of work does not say the battery was changed. I was told by this repair shop that this battery is the one actually designed for my mower...also that they had no way of getting me another of this type battery. (I didn't even think to ask them if they had put this little battery on the machine.) I remember awhile back, before my son started using the machine, I had to re-order a battery for this machine and was told those are no longer made. At that time they had sent me a 12 volt battery larger in size, which meant they also sent me "clamps" to attach to the machine where the battery sits that would hold this larger battery securely in place. Now that my son is gone, I find the little battery that had been made for this machine on it. (Where it came from I do not know.)

My plan now is to attach the 10 amp side to this tiny battery, charge it for only a couple of hours and find out if that battery actually took the charge. If so, it just means I will need to do this each time before I can use my mower. If the battery does not take the charge, I can order the 12-volt battery (with accompanying clamps) from the company I purchased the mower from initially. (That 12-volt battery is a $70 one and shipping is $15; so this is quite a difference from just going down to an auto shop and picking up any 12-volt battery that can be recharged.) Then, with a new 12-volt battery, should I put the 10 amp charger on it and let it stay awhile prior to using this new battery? (OR WILL THE NEW BATTERY COME FULLY CHARGED WITHOUT MY HAVING TO CONCERN MYSELF ABOUT CHARGING IT FIRST?)

Sorry for the lengthy question. I'm just so unsure of what I'm doing! And with the 2 amp side not working, I'm concerned the "sensing circuit" that would automatically cut it off when the battery is charged is not working. Is there anyway to find out?

Oh, and I wanted to ask, can this 10 amp battery charger be attached to a "car" battery; and if so, how long should it be left?

 

[backwoodsman7]

If your charger doesn't say "Automatic" on it, then it's not automatic and will not shut itself off when the battery is charged, but will keep charging (and then overcharging) as long as it's attached, which will severely shorten the life of the battery.

Another thing that's really hard on batteries, is charging them way too fast. 10 amps is an awful lot of power to shove into a battery that small. From the size you gave, I'd guess that's an 18 amp-hour (AH) battery, which makes 10 amps around a 2-hour rate for a full charge; the rule of thumb for a standard charge rate is 1/10 the battery's capacity for 12 hours, which would be 1.8 amps for that battery. I'd suggest that you leave the charger attached only until the mower will start with the charger attached. You can't use such a big charger on such a small battery for much longer than that without damaging the battery.

If you want to avoid sending your batteries to an early grave, you really need to invest in an automatic charger and a voltmeter. To really take good care of them, they need to be kept fully charged using a battery maintainer, or at least checked every month or so and charged (slowly) as needed so they don't ever get much below a full charge.

 

[fordy]

Thank you all for the information. If I'm hearing correctly, I can connect the 10 amp side to this little battery (for a quick & short charge that would get the machine started) and my machine will not be harmed nor this small battery blow up. I should leave it on only for a couple of hours at most, i.e. that this 10 amp is not meant for a slow (long term) charge. Am I understanding you all rightly?

This brush mower is a machine I only use 3-4 times a year with months (4+) going by between usage sometimes. Often I'm having to recharge the battery then just to get the machine started. I'm thinking, if I attach one of those 3 amp charges on it and leave it attached all the time between usages, this would keep my battery charged. Fordy, can this 3 amp charger be ordered from the same company?

I actually think the battery that is on it now is NOT the battery that was on it when I took it in for maintenance, though the statement of work does not say the battery was changed. I was told by this repair shop that this battery is the one actually designed for my mower...also that they had no way of getting me another of this type battery. (I didn't even think to ask them if they had put this little battery on the machine.) I remember awhile back, before my son started using the machine, I had to re-order a battery for this machine and was told those are no longer made. At that time they had sent me a 12 volt battery larger in size, which meant they also sent me "clamps" to attach to the machine where the battery sits that would hold this larger battery securely in place. Now that my son is gone, I find the little battery that had been made for this machine on it. (Where it came from I do not know.)

My plan now is to attach the 10 amp side to this tiny battery, charge it for only a couple of hours and find out if that battery actually took the charge. If so, it just means I will need to do this each time before I can use my mower. If the battery does not take the charge, I can order the 12-volt battery (with accompanying clamps) from the company I purchased the mower from initially. (That 12-volt battery is a $70 one and shipping is $15; so this is quite a difference from just going down to an auto shop and picking up any 12-volt battery that can be recharged.) Then, with a new 12-volt battery, should I put the 10 amp charger on it and let it stay awhile prior to using this new battery? (OR WILL THE NEW BATTERY COME FULLY CHARGED WITHOUT MY HAVING TO CONCERN MYSELF ABOUT CHARGING IT FIRST?)

Sorry for the lengthy question. I'm just so unsure of what I'm doing! And with the 2 amp side not working, I'm concerned the "sensing circuit" that would automatically cut it off when the battery is charged is not working. Is there anyway to find out?

Oh, and I wanted to ask, can this 10 amp battery charger be attached to a "car" battery; and if so, how long should it be left?

............Backwoodsman is giving good advise ! I would suggest visiting a parts store and see if they sell the 3 Amp charger\maintainer with the same company name as the model you have currently ! I paid $49.95+tax for mine a year ago and have had no trouble ! You should leave your battery hooked to a charger\maintainer all year round , it will enable the battery to achieve a much longer service life than just charging it up when you need to use it . , fordy

 

[Nimrod]

I agree with Backwoodsman.

You should not have to charge the battery for the brush mower unless it has been sitting for months without being used. Are you sure there is not a short that is draining the battery.

First, make sure the cells of the battery are full. The water will evaporate over time. Overcharging will boil out the water too. Use distilled water to fill.

I too have a Schumacher battery charger. It fell face first onto something that broke the selector switch between the 2 amp, 10 amp, and 50 amp charge rates. I just hard wired it to the 2 amp setting because I am supposed to charge the small battery for the lawn tractor and the deep cycle for the camper at that rate. It does take longer to charge the truck battery and the boat battery at that rate but I am in no hurry.

Every fall I top the batteries up with water and charge them. The boat and lawn tractor batteries go in the house so they don't freeze over the winter. The deep cycle gets used for the ice fishing house so it gets charged frequently over the winter. I do charge it ASAP after I go fishing because a discharged battery can freeze. In the spring I check the water level and charge them up again.

 

[motdaugrnds]

Backwoodsman7, this charger does NOT say "automatic" on it anywhere; so I'm going to invest in another as soon as possible. Will you please suggest a good battery charger and voltmeter for me to get? (Are these 2 separate machines?) I will want it to do 2 things: (1) keep my DR Field & Brush Mower battery charged and (2) keep the battery in my 1988 GMC extended van charged. These are the only 2 mechanical items I have. I use the van only once a month to do all my shopping (about 100 miles total amount going to and from home); and I use this mower 3-4 times a year (mowing 4 acres...a little each day I can until they are complete). The rest of the time I'ld like to make sure both their batteries are well cared for.

Fordy, thank you so much. I will talk with both Lowe's department store as well as the Fisher Auto Parts store about their 3 amp batter charger/maintainer. Sounds like keeping this mower hooked up all the time is a good idea. I'm wondering how I can do this with my car....I know the charger has to be kept out of the weather; so how do I maintain its battery all year long thru all kinds of weather?

Nimrod, I'm not sure of anything concerning any mechanical item here. This brush mower was placed in the repair shop to get the tires on its wheels replaced; and at that time I requested they check it over good, adjust whatever they found it needed and replace whatever they thought needed replaced. (I also asked them to wash it down good and grease it well.) When I got it home I discovered the drive belt was not in place on the thingy it was suppose to sit on and it was so badly torn that it needed to be replaced, which turned out to be another trip call. It was also obvious to me that, though the lithium grease had been used, the other type grease had not been done; so I'm really not sure how this machine was handled. I do know the tiny battery it came back with was the battery actually made for this machine and could not be purchased anywhere; so how it got on my machine I don't know. (My bill from there did not show a change in battery.)

Water in the batteries? I don't see any place for water to be put into either the mower's battery or the car's battery; so I don't know what you're talking about. Also, neither the car battery nor this mower battery has ever frozen as far as I know; so maybe you're talking about a type of battery I'm not contending with??

 

[alleyyooper]

If the battery needs replacing you can take it to a battery plus store and they many times can order what you need that isn't stocked locally.

Al

 

[motdaugrnds]

Al, thank you. I'll do some searching and find out if I have one of those "battery plus" stores around here.

I just spoke with my automobile mechanic. He is putting a new battery in the 1988 GMC van and suggested I speak with an auto parts store about a battery charger. My mechanic, whom I've had for over 10 yrs and has always been fair and honest with me, told me all I really needed to do was go out once a week and start this van up, letting it run "idle" about 15 minutes. He stated that would not drain the battery and would keep it charged all year round. (He knows I only use this van once a month.)

I called an auto parts store and was told about two types of battery chargers: One was a "Battery Tinder" (1.25 amps) for $65 and one was a "Battery Tinder Junior" (.75 amps) for $50. This man told me I could hook the stronger to my van, set it in the seat of my van and leave it hooked up 24/7 all year long and thru all kinds of weather (as long as no weather could get on it) because, even freezing weather would not stop it from working. The small of the two I could keep "constantly" attached to my DR Field & Brush Mower on a 12-volt battery. Both these Tinder items are "automatic" which, according to the man I spoke with, means they shut themselves off when the battery is full charged and cut themselves back on again should the battery get low...How much low I don't know and didn't think to ask this shop man. Thus, I'm wondering if the battery has to actually be non-functioning before the automatic batter charger(s) turn themselves back on.

That totals about $110 (with the tax) and is a lot to spend if what this shop man told me is incorrect. Thus, my asking here. Does what I heard the shop man say about the chargers sound correct?

 

[Nimrod]

Some batteries have caps that can be popped off so you can add water to keep the electrolyte level full. Others are sealed and don't require adding water. Check with your mechanic on which you have. This Youtube video is pretty good except I don't reccommend charging the small battery with more that about a 2 amp charger.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrJajMM4xVo[/ame]

I didn't see that you are in Virginia. You probably don't have to worry about freezing a battery in that tropical climate.

I don't agree with leaving a charger on a battery all the time. Just disconnect the negative cable (black), charge it up, and take the charger off. It should hold a charge all winter and just need topping off before use.

You could get by with even this little charger and it works on 6 volt systems, as well as the normal 12 volt ones, if you have any old tractors or Willy's Jeeps with 6 volt systems.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-XM1-5-Maintainer-1.5-Amp/15140193

 

[motdaugrnds]

Thanks Nimrod, that video was helpful, as is the information you gave.

I just discovered my van is ready to be picked up. The battery needed to be replaced, the alternator needed replaced, it was low by 2 quarts on oil and a couple of other oil thingies needed some added, one was transmission. I also learned the tow truck charged $100 to tow it from my place to the repair shop. (Before it had only cost between $50 and $65. My repair man was up set about it but could do nothing but pay it, which means, of course, I need to pay him. I have had this same auto repair shop for many years; and not once has the man and his son who own it done me wrong; so I trust them completely.) I had asked them to make sure I had nothing to worry about since I'm alone now; so I think that is what they did; and I'm quite grateful.

 

[fordy]

Thanks Nimrod, that video was helpful, as is the information you gave.

I just discovered my van is ready to be picked up. The battery needed to be replaced, the alternator needed replaced, it was low by 2 quarts on oil and a couple of other oil thingies needed some added, one was transmission. I also learned the tow truck charged $100 to tow it from my place to the repair shop. (Before it had only cost between $50 and $65. My repair man was up set about it but could do nothing but pay it, which means, of course, I need to pay him. I have had this same auto repair shop for many years; and not once has the man and his son who own it done me wrong; so I trust them completely.) I had asked them to make sure I had nothing to worry about since I'm alone now; so I think that is what they did; and I'm quite grateful.

..............It will help your van IF you would drive it once a week instead of your other vehicle ! Of course we have no idea how many miles that would be , but it will lengthen it's service life to 'Exercise' it on a weekly basis . , fordy

 

[motdaugrnds]

Thanks Fordy, I'm planning on doing just that, even if it is just to take the trash to the county dump. I don't own another vehicle; but sure wish I did. I'd like to have something small enough that I could put in my van if need be and would be legal to ride on down state, and city streets. Had I had such a thing this time, I would not have had so much worry about how I was to go pick up my van. I could simply get on this little thingy, drive down, put it in the back of my fan and drive the van home.

On my way back I stopped and picked up the Battery Tinder "Junior". It is an automatic and I am going to attach it to my brush mower to give that battery a slow trickle over at least 24 hours time. Then if that battery will start that mower, I can get some mowing down. If the battery will not start the mower, I'll know that battery was just too far gone and get another.

 

[logbuilder]

For keeping a battery charged, consider a float charger.

Here is one for $10 from Harborfreight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html

 

[logbuilder]

Here is a pretty good site that shows dimension info on a lot of batteries. You should be able to find something pretty close.

http://www.batteryspec.com/html/sla_battery.html#12v

 

[motdaugrnds]

Thanks Logbuilder.

 

[motdaugrnds]

OMG I went out to connect this new "junior" to the small battery on the mower and I have no idea how to do it. Please see picture below. I drew it; so don't laugh. The spots where wires are already connected to the battery are marked with "+" and "-" signs. Adjacent to those spots are flat-like thingies. (I am guessing these actually go into the battery itself.) I've drawn green arrows to each to show you what I'm talking about.

Now, when I went to connect the battery charger's cables to this battery, I find it impossible to attach the clamps over the bolts, yet the clamps attached fine over the flat-like thingies (not marked with + or - ). So that is where I connected them. Is this correct? (The "Tinder Junior Battery charger" does not make a sound, though it does have a little light that shows up.) Is there a way I can tell whether or not this battery is actually being charged by attaching them to the batter where I did? I'll wait the 24 hours because the battery showed to be dead prior to connecting this trickle charger; however, if the battery does not start my mower at the end of this 24-hour period, how can I tell if it is the battery's just not being able to take a charge anymore or if I've connected the charger's cables inappropriately?