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To be properly
cycled, I think they've got to be drained to something like
20% capacity. I can't remember for sure, I can look it up in the battery handbook at work tomorrow. To do this, I think I would remove them from the tractor (or at least disconnect them) and discharge them with a resistive load and recharge then them with a 6 volt charger that has a trickle mode finish. Let them trickle charge for a good long while (a day maybe), this can help bring back any cells that have reversed. Make sure they have enough water in them before you start charging!! The gassing will mix the electrolyte (which is good) but too much gassing will let the level drop below the top of the plates. If that happens, the plates will overheat and permanent damage to the plates will result. As I understand it, gassing is an indicator of overcharge. BTW, have you checked the output voltage of your charger? Is it making it into the charge zone on your "fuel" gauge? After writing all this, I got to thinking this sounds suspiciously like a bad charger capacitor. Nick |