Battery box...

[allenlook]

The aftermarket battery box I bought isn't really a very close fit, I will need to punch holes in it for the wiring by the looks of things. I also had to take the handle off my battery and "shave" off the plastic moldings on each side of the battery where the handle was supposed to mount, or it was too long for the battery box.

I have it all painted and mounted, but the cable from the starter looks like it's a few inches too short to reach inside the box and then forward to the "+" terminal...

It has a round hole, and a square hole in it, but I can't see the cable reaching through the round hold because it's *exactly* the size of the cable, and the ends won't allow it to pass through the hole.

Also, the "-" cable isn't long enough to reach all the way around the box and into either hole, both of which are on the left side of the box...

Any suggestions? I don't have the woven cable like I have seen on the server projects page, I just have two conventional cables... Both of which are a bit too short it seems.

I did insulate the top of the box with craft felt, but it was tall enough to not cause too much concern. I DID have to tape over the side terminals on the battery because I was worried they would short out on the side of the battery box...

[cjpenny89]

side terminals on the battery? Only 6-volt batterys I have ever seen have been top post only. I also tend to think that when the original battery box was build batteries didn't come with handles built in. I don't think I have ever bought a 6-volt battery with a handle on it either.
Do you have a 12-volt system or a 6-volt?
Chad

[allenlook]

I have an unfortunate PO (previous owner) 12V "upgrade".

Thankfully the battery is a Group 1, and fits nicely into the box with the handle and "ears" removed.

[artc]

the battery to starter cable is 84" long and routes thru the side hole in the box. a flat braided cable setup for the neg (in your case) connected inside the box to one of the mounting bolts provides the best ground i've seen, but because you have side posts, you have probably some unique problems.

[allenlook]

Aha! You're right, a flat cable inside the box would get rid of the ground cable entirely, which would be one less thing to catch branches on...

The side terminals are flat/flush with the battery, and I have just electrical taped over them and then over that with duct tape... The battery also has normal top posts that the cables were attached to with the typical soft metal compression fittings.

I will remove one of the bolts in the bottom of the box, and then I will ream out the hole with a wire bristle or something to get a little better contact than with that rusty bolt/hole, and try to fashion something from flat cable... Or can I buy that? I'll check the server one more time.

[allenlook]

Hmmm... I see that my cable is mis-routed a bit, it goes under the clutch/brake pivot housing, so I can get a few more inches out of it by re-routing it, and that may be enough.

Now, I didn't pay enough attention, does the "+" cable go to the starter, and the "-" cable go to the frame?

Allen

[Ken (48 Cub)]

Allenlook,

I just bought a braided cable at Pepboys but it was only 8 inches long.
That's not long enough to reach a mounting bolt. So I had to connect to the side of the box. Bigdog can tell you the correct length to buy.

[artc]

i think bigdog has photo's of the ground wire set-up. they are available stock at battery places, and probably NAPA.

[allenlook]

Did they have longer ones, or only the 8"?

[Bigdog]

I think the one we used was 13". I'll check and see.

[Rudi]

Allen:

On my box I have chosen to use the side of the box as the ground. So, I bought a piece of braided ground strap and cut it in half. Then I put a compression lug on the end.

If you take your time and ensure that the contact is good, there will be no problem with loss of ground by using the side of the box as the attachment point. Been there a couple of months, Ellie is sitting outside and still perfect!

Check this out : Rudi's Battery Box.

Hope this might help.

[allenlook]

That does help, actually - I hadn't considered grounding the cable to the round hole in the box, but now I'll do that... I picked up a short cable tonight, about 15 inches, but I think I'll pick up an even shorter one and do the grounding to the round-hole thing like you did! I'll just have to scrape off a little primer on the inside and put a star washer on it to get a good contact point! And, I'll have to shave off some primer and do the same thing at the bottom of the box, which will be harder to get good contact with because the bolts that hold the box on are so rusty.

The boxes look very similar, except that the light bracket on my aftermarket box is REALLY cheesy!

[cjpenny89]

allenlook
I was just thinking about what you said about not wanting to use the bottom bolts for the ground cable becasue the bolts and holes were rusty and would not give you a good ground.
Just a thought here, you say you want to ground at the top of the box in the side. Well how is that going to give you a better ground? since the box uses the bottom bolts and holes to bolt to the frame and those same bolts and holes are what is grounding the box to the rest of the tractor. so if you were worried that the bottom bolts would not give a good ground you will have the same problem or worse grounding to the top of the box if you are not getting good grounding at the bottom bolts to the battery box you will have bad ground at the top. Another thought with that bolt at the top now you have to take that bolt out to get the battery out to service it.
Maybe I am wrong and someone please correct me if my mind is not working right.
You could always buy a few new bolts and run a tap in the holes to clean them out and that way you know your getting good ground.
just a thought
Chad

[allenlook]

And, I'll have to shave off some primer and do the same thing at the bottom of the box, which will be harder to get good contact with because the bolts that hold the box on are so rusty.

Great question... I thought my original post inferred that I would have a little work to do to get good contact at the base of the box... I already have the tap set out and ready to ream the holes out, and I bought a small wire brush to do the same thing...

One question would be - is anti-seize or penetrating oil going to mess up my grounding contact?

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

One question would be - is anti-seize or penetrating oil going to mess up my grounding contact?

Be sure to clean the surfaces where everything clamps together so it gets its ground there, not through the threads of the bolt.