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Groundsmaster 4000--D/4010--DPage 5 -- 66Electrical System
Battery Charging
To minimize possible damage to the battery and allow
the battery to be fully charged, the slow charging meth-
od is presented here. This charging method can be ac-
complished with a constant current battery charger
which is readily available.
CAUTION
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions whenus-
ing a battery charger.
NOTE: Using specific gravity of the battery electrolyte
is the most accurate method of determining battery
condition.
1. Determine the battery charge level from either its
open circuit voltage or electrolyte specific gravity (if
electrolyte is accessible).
Battery Charge
Level
Open Circuit
Voltage
Specific
Gravity
100% 12.6 1.265
75% 12.4 1.225
50% 12.2 1.190
25% 12.0 1.155
0% 11.8 1.120
2. Determine the chargingtime and rateusing the bat-
tery charger manufacturer’s instructions or the fol-
lowing table.
Battery
Reserve
Capacity
(Minutes)
Battery Charge Level
(Percent of Fully Charged)
75% 50% 25% 0%
80 or less 3.8 hrs
@
3Amps
7.5 hrs
@
3Amps
11.3 hrs
@
3Amps
15 hrs
@
3Amps
81 to 125 5.3 hrs
@
4Amps
10.5 hrs
@
4Amps
15.8 hrs
@
4Amps
21 hrs
@
4Amps
126 to
170
5.5 hrs
@
5Amps
11 hrs
@
5Amps
16.5 hrs
@
5Amps
22 hrs
@
5Amps
171 to
250
5.8 hrs
@
6Amps
11.5 hrs
@
6Amps
17.3 hrs
@
6Amps
23 hrs
@
6Amps
above
250
6hrs
@10
Amps
12 hrs
@10
Amps
18 hrs
@10
Amps
24 hrs
@10
Amps
CAUTION
Do not charge a frozen battery because it can ex-
plode and cause injury. Let the battery warm to
60
o
F(16
o
C) before connecting to a charger.
Charge the battery in a well-- ventilated place to
dissipate gases produced from charging. These
gases are explosive; keep open flame and elec-
trical spark away from thebattery.Do not smoke.
Nausea may result i f the gases are inhaled. Un-
plug the charger from the electrical outlet before
connecting or disconnecting the charger leads
from the battery posts.
3. Following the battery charger manufacturer’s
instructions, connect thec harger cables to the battery.
Makesureagoodconnectionismade.
4. Charge the battery following the battery charger
manufacturer’s instructions.
5. While charging, occasionally check the battery.If the
electrolyte is violently gassing or spewing or if the bat-
tery case feels hot to the touch, the charging rate must
be lowered or temporarily stopped.
6. Determine if battery is fully charged before removing
battery from charger. Either of the following procedures
canbeused:
A. Continue charging and reduce charging rate as
needed until a two (2) hour period results in no in-
crease in voltage. Open circuit voltage should beap-
proximately 12.6 volts for a fully charged battery.
B. If the battery electrolyte is accessible, three (3)
hours prior to the end of the charging, measure the
specific gravity of a battery cell once per hour. The
battery is fully charged when the cells are gassing
freely at a low charging rate and there is less than a
0.003 change in specific gravity for three (3) consec-
utive readings.