(ET) Took the plunge -- bought an I-5

[D Howell <dervatl yahoo com>]

Well guys, I took the plunge.  Went to NC yesterday
and picked up an I-5.  Came with mowing deck, rear
Elec-Trak sweeper, grass trimmer, and welder.  It was
raining (as luck would have it).  Rented an U-Haul 5X8
trailer.  Loading was not a problem -- drove up on two
2X6's.  Batterys were very low, but it pull up the
ramp in reverse ok.  

The tractor and accessories were in good condition. 
Had 6 trojan 105's in it.  The owner said the batterys
were new last year, although I don't think they were
ever charged fully as the charger in the tractor is
not functioning.  I pulled them out yesterday and
hooked them up to a golf cart charger today.  I'll see
if they charge up ok.  He was trying to use a 12 volt
automotive charge on them 2 at a time.  I'm afraid
they will be sulphated badly by now.  Said he was
getting rid of it because it wouldn't mow all he had
to mow on a charge.  From the looks of it, I suspect
he only had about 1/2 acre to mow.  This would
indicate they were never fully charged.  

Except for scratches on the paint, the tractor is in
good shape.  The batterys were in the plastic bags. 
Only a few places had corrosion in the battery boxes. 
I plan to do a light sanding and POR-15 them. 
Everything on the tractor seems to work fine.  Drove
it around a bit in the yard before pulling the
batterys.  I suspect the diodes are bad in the
charger.  If you plug it in, it will humm about 30
seconds and then stop.  No voltage on the output.  If
anyone else has any guesses about what it could be,
please let me know.  I looked at the acid in the
batterys.  It is clear -- not murky yet.  Hopefully
they will recover enough capacity to get some use out
of them.  

The rear sweeper needs new material on it.  It is torn
in a couple of places and is starting to become
brittle.  Does anyone know if a replacement is
available?  Cost?

Thanks guys for any advice.

Darryl Howell
Smyrna GA