Restoring Batteries

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Twisted

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Jan 11, 2024
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Arkansas Ozarks
I bought a new John Deere Tractor just over a year ago. Last Wednesday I clipped about a 5 acre pasture and was in a bit of a hurry to leave afterwards, we had a trip to the lake planned and the bride basically said that if I didn't come on that I was going to get left.

I parked the tractor and everything seemed to be fine but when I got back about noon Sunday I decided to clip another section before I had to leave for the next several weeks for work. The tractor battery was dead as a hammer. I hooked up the booster cables and as soon as I landed the last clamp, the headlights on the tractor came on. I know that I didn't leave them on, or at least I don't believe I did, had no reason to even have them on, but I've definitely done dumber stuff that I didn't remember doing.

I left the truck running charging the battery for a bit but it never would charge enough to turn over the tractor. I pulled the side panels and grille off of the tractor as the battery is behind the front grille. First thing that I noticed was that it was a 12 Month battery. I wouldn't have expected anything more since the tractor was just over a year old. Have any of you tried restoring a battery that has been completely drained?
 
I know that you shouldn't let a battery run right down however when it has happened to me most of the time they charge up OK when I've just put them on a charger for a day or so. Remember though that some of those new smart chargers don't like completely flat batteries so you have to put a bit in them first by other means.

Ken
 
I picked up a NOCO battery tender a few years ago.. that thing has saved me from replacing probably 8 batteries since I've had it. Get one with the "repair" option. sometimes it takes 2 or even 3-4 times to "repair" the battery but i've brought back several that I thought were gone. Once repaired they are great and hold a charge.
 
I have a cousin who worked for a battery company many years ago and he told me how they refurbished batteries that they took in on trade. I used to buy recycled batteries from him for $15 when a new one was $50. I looked online to see if someone had posted the recipe because after a while and the invention of the internet, everything gets posted eventually. I knew it used Baking Soda and Epsom Salt but couldn't remember the quantities, A quick google search using the ingredients returned this from JD Power and this is what I remembered. Have any of you gearheads ever tried it?

https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/how-to-recondition-a-car-battery
 

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