Battery question - over winter

[Pascal]

Hi,
Kubota Mini Digger KX-4 battery:

Do I;
Over the winter remove the battery – keeping it on trickle charge?
Keep the battery on the machine – with trickle charge?
Just start the machine let it run for 10mts… repeat every 2 – 4 weeks?
Do nothing?

Looking for the best advice?
Stay safe & take care.

 

[Gecko]

a) and b) are the same, but with a cable lifted.

c) Old school trickle chargers are just a very low power charger intended to offset the internal discharge of the battery without overcharging, heating or gassing the battery. For this, 10~50mA is about what you'd want.
A more modern "trickle charger" will put in a heavier charge for a short time every few hours. This is reckoned to be better for the batteries lifespan.
d) has the problem that unless the exhaust system gets hot, you'll get a lot of condensation from the exhaust gasses that'll rust the muffler. Circulating the oil is not without it's benefits - same with the fuel.
e) obviously the easiest, but the battery may need replacing come spring.

 

[diggerjones]

I don't bother. After a few months if it doesn't start i charge the battery

 

[doobin]

I’d say the best thing would be to get out there and do some jobs with it!

 

[Quattromike]

Sell it now and buy a newer one cheaper in the spring

 

[GazCro]

Parking it up for the rainy season @Pascal must be made of sugar

 

[Storrsy]

Parking it up for the rainy season @Pascal must be made of sugar

Or loaded.

 

[GazCro]

Or loaded.

Or to be fair to him, sensible if its florida cab

 

[V8Druid]

I run lil' jake up every 10 days or so 'til he's warm / op temp. at circa quarter throttle ... keeps the battery up and everything else circulating .. also give him a few motions to stretch his legs.
The 'Drema has an isolator, but does get a run up every 3-ish weeks and a leg stretch

 

[Pascal]

Thank you very much for your advice – much appreciated.
I think I will try the more modern, "trickle charger" as suggested.
I really don’t want to buy a new battery if I can avoid it.
I do have an, ‘Optimate’ which maintains the condition of the battery. I have it attached to my motor bike over the winter. Several winters - all good.
The panels will be removed shortly. Then off to the, ‘bodyshop’ to get them sorted!
Christmas & New Year – will be visiting family…
And I do not like, ‘digging’ in the Highlands of Scotland over winter with no cab – but I do take your point!

Stay safe & take care.

 

[V8Druid]

Thank you very much for your advice – much appreciated.
I think I will try the more modern, "trickle charger" as suggested.
I really don’t want to buy a new battery if I can avoid it.
I do have an, ‘Optimate’ which maintains the condition of the battery. I have it attached to my motor bike over the winter. Several winters - all good.
The panels will be removed shortly. Then off to the, ‘bodyshop’ to get them sorted!
Christmas & New Year – will be visiting family…
And I do not like, ‘digging’ in the Highlands of Scotland over winter with no cab – but I do take your point!

Stay safe & take care.

time for another Optimate then

 

[Storrsy]

Sell it now and buy a newer one cheaper in the spring

Probably not a bad idea actually!

 

[Quattromike]

Thank you very much for your advice – much appreciated.
I think I will try the more modern, "trickle charger" as suggested.
I really don’t want to buy a new battery if I can avoid it.
I do have an, ‘Optimate’ which maintains the condition of the battery. I have it attached to my motor bike over the winter. Several winters - all good.
The panels will be removed shortly. Then off to the, ‘bodyshop’ to get them sorted!
Christmas & New Year – will be visiting family…
And I do not like, ‘digging’ in the Highlands of Scotland over winter with no cab – but I do take your point!

Stay safe & take care.

I quite often use your law when I have to explain to customers why their plant isn't working how they want it to. Not it the Highlands but the real home of Malt Whisky, Speyside

 

[CPS]

Hi,
Kubota Mini Digger KX-4 battery:

Do I;
Over the winter remove the battery – keeping it on trickle charge?
Keep the battery on the machine – with trickle charge?
Just start the machine let it run for 10mts… repeat every 2 – 4 weeks?
Do nothing?

Looking for the best advice?
Stay safe & take care.

Start her up and run her once every 3-4 weeks if not being used, move all functions as it stops seals etc drying up

 

[Storrsy]

Start her up and run her once every 3-4 weeks if not being used, move all functions as it stops seals etc drying up

Worse thing for any machine is to be sat idle IMO.

 

[CPS]

Worse thing for any machine is to be sat idle IMO.

Exactly, especially over winter with frost etc

 

[Vinpetrol]

Thank you very much for your advice – much appreciated.
I think I will try the more modern, "trickle charger" as suggested.
I really don’t want to buy a new battery if I can avoid it.
I do have an, ‘Optimate’ which maintains the condition of the battery. I have it attached to my motor bike over the winter. Several winters - all good.
The panels will be removed shortly. Then off to the, ‘bodyshop’ to get them sorted!
Christmas & New Year – will be visiting family…
And I do not like, ‘digging’ in the Highlands of Scotland over winter with no cab – but I do take your point!

Stay safe & take care

more jobs for me then

 

[Tacitus]

Running the engine for 10 minutes as you suggest, will do more harm than good. Diesel engines want to run under load. Idling is not good for them. It will give the battery some form of minimal charge, once you offset the charge you used up for heat plugs and starter motor. A modern "smart" charger is way better.
Alternatively, the two kubota I own, one a generator and the other my boat engine, both are hooked up, each to their own solar panel, complete with regulator. The natural cycle of day and night gives them a variable charge, and zero risk of overcharging, something that a charger plugged in permanently can not guarantee despite the claim of being smart.
On the boat, the panel is hard wired to the two batteries on board. The generator has a smaller hard wired solar panel on the roof, a regulator and a little gadget showing amps and volts . Winter is academic in Sydney Australia, but If I had long periods of inactivity for my Takeuchi, I would run a wire from the generator solar panel to the little battery on the excavator and wire a jack to plug the wire in ad libitum. Only thing to remember is to unplug before you take off
Of course the best solution is to do some work with the machine once a week, enough to bring her up to temperature ... innuendo intended

 

[JD450A]

not this again

 

[Lancs Lad]

not this again

Solarpoweredvariabletrickledcharge is the future