what caused this?

larry@stinescorner · Oct 12, 2018

I had a problem today with the tractor battery.It was dead.My friend Jim had stopped by to see me,,so we jump started it.
I ran it,,mowed with it,,it ran fine.
Backed it in the shed and turned the tractor off.
Heard a really loud bang under the hood.

The battery had exploded,,a big hole blown in the top.

I cleaned it all up,,and went and bought a new battery,it started right up.,and all seemed ok?

I called my friend Jim,,he says being I didnt use the tractor for so long,it may have froze last winter and shifted the plates,,making an internal short in the battery?

oldtanker · Oct 12, 2018

larry what caused that was hydrogen gas buildup and then an ignition source.

Rick

jon f mn · Oct 12, 2018

Looks to me like the battery went bad
and then froze. It's happened to me
often enough.

Phil 25 · Oct 12, 2018

Any chance you can get the voltage checked at the battery when its running? Just in case there is a problem in voltage regulation.
besides the possible freeze up last winter?
take care.

lee little · Oct 12, 2018

What Oldtanker said. I have had 2 or 3 do that while on a charger.

farmer656 · Oct 12, 2018

I had a D65 komatsu dozer blow both batteries, when I say blow the litterly exploded had to scoop them out in pieces , this was a 24 volt system, after installing new batteries I found the alt. was charging almost 30 volts, should have been around 26 to 27 volts max, changed alt, no more probs

JoeM(GA) · Oct 12, 2018

Larry, be sure to dump a box of baking soda all over everything including the bottom of the hood, you?re gonna find acid liquid and vapor went
on more than you realize!

jeffcat · Oct 12, 2018

I second throwing a box of baking soda all over the place. Wash
everything down good and repeat!!!! Battery acid is a real B ^%$##..to
get rid of. Watch for any brown, tan, white fuzz anything like that.
You could have anything the others have said. Could be one of the
interconnection jumpers internationally could have let go. All you
need is a spark. Definitely check your charging voltage.

Stephen Newell · Oct 12, 2018

Somehow the battery got grounded. I had one explode when I dropped a crescent wrench across the posts.

Bob · Oct 12, 2018

A poster or two said battery was "grounded" or "shorted".

IMHO, it's more likely that there was an simply an "open" or a poor connection inside the battery that made a spark INSIDE the battery that sparked and torched off the hydrogen gas and air mix.

Mike(NEOhio) · Oct 12, 2018

Problem was probably the battery. Wife parked her car once to run into the bank and the battery just blew when she tried to start it. Nothing wrong, just happened.

Billy Shafer · Oct 13, 2018

I saw that all the time on standby generators. Battery man explained it as having a plate come loose. You get a spark from plate to
plate. Standby plants don't move so vibration over time will shake the plates loose. I have had them blow completely apart. Scatters
acid everywhere. Baking soda over it and a good wash down. I think they still make acid killer in a spray can. Ok for small jobs. But
a box of soda for the large jobs.

DIM · Oct 13, 2018

We had a battery blow up on dad's tractor. The Gas sedament bowl broke and set tractor on fire. You were lucky. We were
told the battery was over charged

Bruce from Can. · Oct 13, 2018

I had that happen once in an old Ford pickup. Blew
the top off the battery, and pieces went through the
rad.
This can happen when boosting another vehicle to
start it also. I never let anyone stand around close
by if I am jump starting anything.

Case Nutty 1660 · Oct 13, 2018

If the battery was let freeze it most likely had broken plates in it,, you running it and it trying to charge created hydrogen gas and made a bomb when you shut it off as it created the spark one way or another to set it off, You are LUCKY it was not far worse,, I see a big 4D battery in a scraper being jump charged in the winter that was frozen, when they hit the starter the cables sparked and it Blew the battery box out about 2" all around it,, and that was 3/8" plate steel,, the shock wave hit me from it 40 feet away,, also seen a loose post cause this,, Glad you did not inhale the fumes and get acid blown all over you
cnt

Geo-TH,In · Oct 13, 2018

Larry,
Your battery just backfired! It had a bad case of gas, Hydrogen gas.
I've ever seen a battery hanging on side of tractor before. Is battery ballast
so you can mow on a hillside?
Is that redneck engineering or Yankee engineering?
I'm going with Yankee, a redneck would have used duct tape instead of a rubber
bungee to hold battery in place.
Good thing it didn't blow acid in your face. If it had I would say battery had
a bad case of acid reflux.
Glad you didn't get hurt. Glad you had a little tractor therapy.

Case Nutty 1660 · Oct 13, 2018

You cant see that its on a swivel? Every Ford tractor of that era had the battery under the hood in that size range,, the reason he did not get acid all over him was it was Under the hood they way they made them

JimS · Oct 13, 2018

I had a Dodge Diesel pick up do that. It was a bad voltage regulator. Sadly, it did it twice. In addition to a bad regulator it
had a poor ground. I ran an additional grounding wire from the regulator to the alternator.

Russ from MN · Oct 13, 2018

It's the accumulation of hydrogen gas in the top of the battery that explodes, so the higher you keep the
electrolyte level the less severe the explosion will be. A good reason to check the electrolyte level
frequently.

Leroy · Oct 13, 2018

I had that happen on a 68 Ford 4000. Started in barn and drove to gas tank, filled and hit key to start to go to work. BIG mess. New pattery and was good for several years untill tractor was sold. And it had been used the day before.

paul · Oct 13, 2018

Small hole. When my 6v blew on the 960 Ford years ago, most of the top blew off and landed 30 feet away.

Was pretty exciting. I was hauling ear corn loads dad was picking. I got a battery out of another tractor, in the 960, and back out to the field
without missing any time.

My hearing came back too. Man that was a loud bang...... on a 960 the battery is right there in front of and below the steering wheel, so you are
kinda leaning forward towards the battery to start the tractor.....

I guess some parts inside short out and the hydrogen gas is there to explode.

It?s something a person sure remembers.

Paul

Gambles · Oct 13, 2018

I think that's the first Exide battery I've seen that isn't covered in corrosion.
Must've fallen off when the hole blew through the case......

Richard G. · Oct 13, 2018

Had one blow up when my hand was right over it. Thought it had blown my hand off. Folks I worked with came running to see what exploded.
Hung up the jacket I was wearing and in about 10 days, it had about disintegrated.
Scary
Richard

RodinNS · Oct 13, 2018

It's an Exide battery lol

Whatever the reason, either the plates came loose and shorted or the jumper bars between the cells shorted out and arc'd. You were
lucky it wasn't worse.

Rod

SVcummins · Oct 13, 2018

If it froze and you tried charging it that is probably
what made it explode . I had one blow up while I
was standing right buy it and my ear rang for 3 days

scott mcintosh · Oct 13, 2018

I had a battery blow just like that in my farmall 450 while baling hay.Battery in under seat in these tractors.I assumed battery moved and connections arced igniting gas.Made a pretty loud thump.Scott

what caused this?

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