Hagen Brothers farms,Goodrich ND | Part of the problem of them only lasting only 2-3 years is using them as an engine starter. I know their advertised to be used that way, but unless you have allowed the battery to recover atleast a 30% -50% charge before attempting to crank the engine, you are throwing nearly a dead short across that charger which beats the snot out of the transformer and rectifiers.
I may put the charger on boost at 40-70 amps charge for 15 minutes or so to charge and warm the batteries, but I turn the charger off before I attempt to crank the engine. I have not had a charger go down in 20 years since I stopped cranking things with a charger running on it.
I equate trying to start a big cold diesel with a starter charger, with being about the same as pull starting that tractor with a 4 cyl S 10 pickup. By reving the S 10 until the valves float , pulling it into drive and hit the end of the tow rope at 40 mph. Doing this a half dozen times might get the tractor rolling enough to started it, but how much of that can the S 10 take before it dies a sad death.
Same with the starter charger. It is already working hard pumping 50+ amps into the cold batteries when you hit the starter and throw a 1500 amp dead short into it.
Edited by Jon Hagen 2/20/2008 13:04
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Advice on battery chargers?
