How to maintain tractor batteries in winter

If, like me, you live in a cooler climate with long frosty winter mornings, then there is a good chance you'd have encountered a flat battery or two failing to crank up the engine in your machine.

Batteries in both active and inactive machines require just as much care and attention as the other, otherwise you risk them discharging in storage or failing to work properly in cold weather.

In fact, a colossal two-thirds of tractor batteries never reach their intended life cycle due to lack of battery maintenance.

It is important to note that tractors need a fully charged battery in winter to ensure there is enough power to crank the starter motor on cold mornings.

Typically, batteries kept below a 70 per cent state of charge will struggle to start a cold engine. In addition, because batteries produce less energy at colder temperatures, the overall condition of battery charge is also lowered.

Inactive batteries, especially those sitting in tractors during long periods of storage, slowly lose their charge to parasitic drain. When this occurs, sulphur molecules in the sulfuric acid that constitutes a battery's electrolyte solution attach themselves to the lead plates.

That sulphur can coat the plates so thoroughly in a short time (often less than a couple of months) that it prevents the battery from being recharged. This process, which is the number one cause of battery failure, is known as sulfation.

In addition, extreme battery terminal corrosion can also destroy your battery cables over time. It could also cause a spark that damages your battery terminal, leading to a battery rupture in a worst-case scenario.

The most common trigger for battery terminal corrosion is when the battery acid reacts with the metal terminals. Corrosion typically appears as a flaky layer of brown, white, or green discolouration that sits on your battery terminals.

It's important to note the colour of the build-up collected on your terminals because it indicates the difference between corrosion and sulfation.

Although these two processes produce relatively similar-looking discharges, there are some critical distinctions between corrosion and sulfation.

Identifying the difference between these two chemical reactions is essential because what you do next with the battery depends on what the problem is.

If it is corrosion, it can be cleaned off easily and the battery will return to a useable state.

Sadly, however, sulfation usually indicates more severe damage to the battery. Once sulfation occurs, the only option is battery replacement.

Replacing a battery on an icy cold frosty winter morning is no fun but thankfully, there are measures you can take to prevent your tractor battery from failing during cold weather.

Certainly, disconnecting the cables from a tractor battery going into storage is a good start. But, even then, a fully charged battery in storage will deplete itself at a rate of one per cent discharge per day.

Most tractor manufacturers recommend removing the battery from the tractor and keeping it charged while in storage. There used to be a myth that storing batteries on concrete floors causes them to discharge faster than if they are sitting on a piece of timber, but that is simply not true. Batteries nowadays are encased in polypropylene or hard rubber with better-sealing properties which eliminate external leakage, so discharge is no longer a problem.

Make sure that wherever you choose to store your batteries, the area is not subject to temperatures too high or low. The higher the temperature, the more harm it is causing the batteries. For example, a battery stored at 35° Celsius will self-discharge twice as fast as one stored at 24° Celsius.

The investment in a regulated charger that will maintain a battery at normal levels for extended storage periods will not go unrewarded.

These intelligent or 'smart' chargers incorporate a microprocessor that senses when a battery has reached its peak charge and subsequently switches to a float mode. This feature maintains voltage at a level sufficient to keep a battery from discharging.

Although it's not always possible to prevent corrosion, it's easy to clean it off when it occurs.

To clean your battery of corrosion and 'keep it in shape', you will need:

And here are ten easy steps to restore your battery to peak condition:

1. Make sure your tractor ignition is in the “OFF” position.

2.   Make up a paste with two parts baking soda and one part water.

3.  Carefully apply the paste to the battery terminal with a rag to neutralise the acid.

4.  Avoid touching the battery and components with your bare hands. Use a small wire brush and emery paper to clean most of the corroded material off the battery.

5.  Work the baking soda mixture into the terminals using your wire brush.

6.  Meticulously wipe off any excess solution from the terminals with a rag or paper towel.

7.  Remove the battery from the tractor.

8.  Thoroughly clean the battery terminal with a wire brush and gently file the contact surface of the terminal flat with a fine file.

9.  Give the battery a full charge while out of the tractor.

10. Reconnect the fully charged battery to the tractor.

11. Finally, spray a generous coat of Battery Terminal Protector on the terminals to prevent corrosion.

Removing corrosion from your battery is a simple and straightforward way of keeping it in good working condition and getting the most out of your battery.

Therefore, it is advisable to complete this process before and after long storage periods to guarantee a positive connection between the battery and machine every time.