Fixed Load Testers; Conductance Testers - Cub Cadet RZT-S Professional Shop Manual

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Fixed load testers

Figure 7.37
NOTE: Do not use any fixed load tester on a battery under 200 CCA. Doing so can boil the water out of the
battery and damage the plates in the battery.

Conductance testers

There are several brands of conductance battery testers presently on the market. Conductance battery testers
use the battery being tested as their power source. These testers send a small AC signal through the battery to mea-
sure the capacity of the plate to hold a charge.
Conductance testers are very easy to use and are far less damaging to the battery being tested. For these rea-
sons, conductance battery testing is the preferred method of battery testing.
Test Results
Figure 7.38
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Fixed load testers (sometimes called toasters) are inex-
pensive load testers found at any auto parts store.
See Figure 7.37.
NOTE: Because they have a fixed load value, they do not
give most batteries a reliable and safe load test.
Most fixed load testers have a load that is more
than 50% of the rated CCA of riding mower batter-
ies. This makes them inappropriate to use on
smaller pieces of outdoor power equipment.
1. Disconnect the battery cables, ground first.
2. Measure the temperature of the electrolyte in the
middle cells.
3. Connect a voltmeter and the load tester to the appro-
priate terminals.
4. Apply the test load for 15 seconds. Monitor the meter
on the load tester for the battery's performance.
5. Refer to the manufacturer of the test on how to read
the test meter.
6. The results of this test are not accurate and should
only be relied on if the battery fails badly.
NOTE: Contact the manufacturer of the tester being used
for specific test procedures.
1. Connect the tester to the battery.
2. Set the tester to the CCA rating of the battery.
3. Initiate the test.
4. Read the display of the tester. The tester's display
will indicate if the battery passed or not.
See Figure 7.38.
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