New to site, need Battery Help

[Craneridge Cub]

Hi everyone.

I'm new to the site; just picked up a '71 127 to maintain the property at my home. My Dad had a Cub when I was a kid and later a Lo Boy 154 so, when I bought my house a year or so ago I knew it would soon have a yellow and white tractor in the shed! I bought this Cub this summer with the main purpose of using the snowthrower to clear my 300' driveway and parking and turn around.
So, the issue (well at least the one of most concern right now) is the thing cranks over real slow and it's not enough to get it started now that it's cold out. The jackaxd who owned it before me, for whatever reason, decided to mount a tray on the right foot rest and put a car battery on there. I've since taken that off and bought a new correct battery from BJ's but the wiring is still a little cobbled and my battery box seems to be missing a few things that I see in photos of other similar cubs; the hold down bracket for one and also those metal pieces that look like latches although I don't know what they're for. Anyhow, I'm fairly sure the slow cranking is due to a poor ground since the wiring the guy had in there is pretty half-a**'d and the ground wire he had in there is all wore out and many strands of wire have broken, plus the Neg terminal gets real hot when I try to start it. The issue I'm having is that the existing ground is just a 6-8" length of battery cable bolted to the battery box thru a hole that i believe is actually for the rod for the hold down. It's sharing said post with two other wires w/ring terminals, one small yellow wire and one fairly stout white wire that comes out of a harness that runs right down the inside of the dash and all the way down the center of the tractor. I believe this to be the original Ground but I can't find a photo of an original battery in a similar cub ANYWHERE on the web to confirm. Is that white wire the ground? Does anyone have a photo of a battery in a Cub model like this showing the wiring and, as an added bonus, with the battery out so I can see where the wires are supposed to go? Any input or snapshots would save me some aggravation so thanks!

[Methos]

Here's a link to the wiring diagram from the tech section of the site. Your going to have trace each wire and see how cobbled it is.

http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/showthread.php?t=35

I looked but could not find my pic of the battery box and ground on a 71 I sold a while back. Got any pics of your setup?

[Craneridge Cub]

Thanks Methos, that diagram resembles the one in the Service Manual but is much easier to read and decipher. It too shows a white Neg ground wire that goes from the battery terminal to chassis ground at the St/Gen. That tells me i'm on the right track so I'm gonna connect that wire. I can't hurt anything since it's already grounded to the battery box. It think that wouldn't reach the car battery so the previous owner extended it with the now useless and broken post connector.
That diagram also shows a light switch which is curious because I don't have one. Guess I will get to the bottom of that while I'm at it...

[drglinski]

Another thing that could be prohibiting your 127 from cold starting is poor weight of oil (I am using 10W-30 and it works good for starts) as well as the fact that it is a hydrostatic. I had difficulties starting my 147 in the cold, so I
-use 10w-30 oil.
-cleaned all of my wiring grounds.
-use high octane 93 fuel.
-put in a cold starting battery with high cold cranking amps from Tractor Supply. (even this sometimes doesn't help it turn over well)
-put a battery maintenance trickle charger on it when it's not running.


I've also been told that a magnetic heater for the rear end is a good idea, but haven't had to get one yet. If it dips down into the teens like it's supposed to next week, I might have to get one.

Good luck with your starts.

[darkminion_17]

Welcome to the site!

Now some pictures.This is a 106 same has the same harness as the 127...

[riesedesperado6170]

where in New York are you? you have any pics might helps us help you figure things out

[Craneridge Cub]

Good point drglinski, I already have a Battery Tender on it while it sits and put some ethanol neutralizer/fuel stabilizer in with every tank but, seeing as I use it primarily in the cold, will start running lighter oil in the winter.
THANK YOU DARKMINION!! That's what I needed and that is the wire I thought. Now I can remove all of his crap and put it back the way it's supposed to be! Hopefully I can tackle the lights too, anyone know why I would have what appear to be factory lights but no switch? I will take some pics tonight when I go out fix the wiring, fire it up (hopefully), and clear the driveway (hopefully) so you guys can see what I'm looking at.
Oh, and I'm 30 minutes south of Buffalo desperado. Thanks again you guys!!

[riesedesperado6170]

you got to be close i am in east concord

[darkminion_17]

Glad I can help!!

Now don't forget those pics you promised us !!

[zippy1]

Hopefully the pictures Lew sent you will get your wiring figured out.
I hope it's not your ACR, I remember when I bought my 123 the PO had a car battery hooked up to get it to crank over better. (Let's hope it's just a ground issue
And welcome to OCC!