Hacks on How To Install Riding Lawn Mower Battery Terminals

Here are some tips to show you how easy it is to replace your cable end battery terminals on your lawn tractor, and the same procedure can apply to most equipment with lead top post battery terminals. First of all you need to locate your battery and the terminals. If they’re not making electrical contact properly and the tractor will not start or even turn over that’s a major symptom that lets you know that you need to replace the battery terminals, especially if they’re all corroded and your engine will not turn over. To start with remove the old connectors then cut the wire right behind the connector. Just to start fresh cut off about a quarter inch of the insulation as you want enough cleaned to just get your connector on and slide some shrink tubing over the cables. You can color code them as well. The next thing to do is dip the copper cable ends into some solder flux, any flux will work and put the lugs right onto the cable and crimp them with a pair of crimping pliers or an impact crimping tool like the #791 https://www.amazon.com/Compression-Terminals-Construction-Tech-Team/dp/B0812CDCFD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tech+team+crimping+tool&qid=1576253931&sr=8-1 from Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/. You can get these on Amazon quite reasonably. If you’re using 6 gauge cable then use 6 gauge copper eye lug as well. You can do a Hey Siri or Hey Google search to learn more about stranded copper wire sizing and the correct size lug to use. Just crimping them is probably enough, but a solder connection makes a much better electrical connection. Now melt some solder with a propane torch and heat the lug hot enough so that the solder melts and flows and just repeat the process for the other one and bring the heat shrink up.

Allow the connectors to cool and wear ANSI approved eye protection and clean the battery terminals with a wire brush. To prevent corrosion and make the new connectors last longer, apply a thin film of dielectric grease. You can also apply a film of the dielectric grease on the terminals and use some new bolts to reinstall your connectors. You can also use anti corrosion washers like those made by Tech Team https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Corrosion-Chemically-Automobile-Tech-Team/dp/B08156L7N3/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=tech+team+anti+corrosion&qid=1576254046&sr=8-6 in place of the grease to prevent corrosion.

All you have to do is finish tightening them up and you can see how easy it is to install your own lugs or battery connectors. You can also use a regular pair of pliers to crimp them and then just solder them with your propane torch Now you should start up the tractor just to make sure that all the connectors are good. It’s really quite easy to replace the lugs or the battery connectors on your lawn tractor. And also, if you use dielectric grease on your terminals or use anti corrosion washers, they’re going to last a lot longer, they’re not going to corrode and rust.