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(ET) E-15 not getting out of first speed


I'd like to fix this issue if possible before selling my E-15. This has been an off-and-on issue since last summer. It *may* just be weak batteries, but it doesn't seem like it. Here's something I wrote about it last fall:


>So, I thought I had this issue figured out. When I mowed several weeks ago, I couldn't get the tractor out of first speed - took a >very long time to mow. It would go to the higher speeds when in neutral, but not while in gear (I only tried D1). I figured it was >because I hadn't fully charged the battery pack, and the thermistors were keeping it from going to the higher speeds due to the >voltage sagging from the higher current draw when in gear.

>
>A couple weeks later, I mowed, the pack was fully charged, and it worked fine. Today I tried to mow with a fully charged pack, >and it wouldn't get out of first speed while in D1 again. While in neutral it would. Seemed like maybe the thermistor issue, >although surprising since the pack was charged. But then I put it in L1, and found that it would go to the higher speeds with no >trouble. That has me confused. If it was a thermistor issue, then it shouldn't have gone into higher speeds while in L1. So, what's >the deal? Any ideas?


Last week (about 10 days ago) I mowed the lawn, and it mowed about 1/4 acre and then the issue of not getting out of first speed showed up. I plugged it in to charge it up some more while I played with my kids for a few hours, then finished mowing, and it worked fine. 


This past weekend I mowed about 1/8 of an acre and then the issue showed up. I plugged it in for several hours, and it still wouldn't get out of first speed. The battery voltage does seem on the low side. With no load it is just over 36 volts, whereas I think a fully charged pack with no load should be slightly over 37 volts. Perhaps I should check each battery individually to see if one of them is abnormally low. These are the Duracell batteries people were talking about last week, and they are I think 3 years old. 


Anyone have any thoughts on this? Does it seem like this is just an issue of weak battery(ies), or something functionally wrong with the tractor?


Thanks,

Mike


Michael S. Briggs, PhD
UNH Physics Department
(603) 862-2828