wheel horse 310-8 won't charge??

13 years ago

I have a wheel horse 310-8 and it will not charge the battery so about once a month i have to put it on the charger. what would be causing this? thanks

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Comments (6)

rustyj14
13 years ago
There are several things that could be wrong with it. First is a battery that is too old, and won't take or hold a charge.
Second is bad battery connections, and/or a bad ground, where the negative cable is connected to the frame. And bad cables.
Third is rust that has formed on the flywheel, where the charging section is located. Fourth could be that the magnets on the inside of the flywheel have dropped off where they are/were glued on. (If applicable to your machine)
wh312-8
Original Author
13 years ago
The battery is only a couple years old and does hold a charge. It was fine up until one day when i went to start it and i noticed it was cranking slower. If i am just using the battery to start the tractor it holds a charge for a few months, but if i turn the lights on it only lasts about a month. And i have strobes on it for plowing so i need to fix it. tomorrow i will check the flywheel, cables, and the ground. Thanks for the help!
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User
13 years ago
"The battery is only a couple years old"... means nothing. The best test is to run a load test on the battery.

Or... put a VM on the battery and measure the static DC voltage. You should have 12.7 VDC if the battery is good and at full charge.

Start the tractor and turn on the headlights. Look at the headlights and if they get brighter as you rev up the engine that is a simple indicator that the charging circuit is functioning. Measure the voltage across the battery. You should have over 13 volts.

If the battery is bad replace it and have the new battery load tested BEFORE you buy it.

If the charging circuit is not operating correctly check all cables, wires, and connections as Rusty said. Don't overlook any connection. Just a little corrosion or a loose ground or connector can bring a charging system down.
tomplum
13 years ago
A draw test could be inorder as well. Does it have an external regulator? If you need further assistance, please post the engine make /model. I think it could be a Kohler or Onan
wh312-8
Original Author
13 years ago
I took the shroud off and found a chewed wire(the tractor had been outside for about 5 years when i bought it). The wire comes out of the coil and goes into the wiring harness and it is hard to follow and i cannot find the other end. I don't know how to add pictures, but here is the link: http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k629/wh312-8/tractor/?action=view&current=094.jpg

I don't know if this is the problem but im going to fix it anyway.
mownie
13 years ago
The frayed/chewed wire in your photo is the "ignition kill wire" and only serves to ground the magneto when you want to stop the engine. But you need to repair it or you could end up having a short, in which case the magneto will make no spark.
The wiring that serves to recharge the battery will appear to come from under the flywheel on most OPE engines. Look and see if you can find one or two wires that seem to lead out from under the flywheel. Follow the wire and it should lead you to a voltage regulator,rectifier if the is one. Or it should lead you to a diode if there is not regulator.
No matter whether the tractor features a regulator......or not......determining the cause of the problem will boil down to making some strategic voltage readings (which have already been suggested you do).
So......do you have a volt meter?