PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-730
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 730
SEPTEMBER 2013
16
PS 730
SEP 13
17
PS 730
SEP 13
Dear Editor,
In our unit, most of the skid loaders had the yellow-top Optima batteries.
Problem is, they continually discharged.
At first we thought the discharge was caused by the power switch being
left in the ON position. But a little checking with an amp meter revealed a
constant drain on the batteries by the skid loader’s on-board devices.
These batteries are very high quality, but even they cannot stand a
constant drain by the loader’s electrical system. A discharged battery leads
to sulfated plates. Over time, the battery can no longer be charged and has
to be replaced. The end result is way too many dead batteries in these skid
loaders. And the cycle continues.
Here are three ways to stop needless battery replacement:
1.±
Start the skid loader weekly and run it for an hour.
2.±
For longer term storage, disconnect the battery cable.
3.±
Every other week, plug a charger into the vehicle’s NATO receptacle and
fully charge the battery set. The ProHD is an approved charger for the
SATS and comes with NSN 6130-01-500-3401.
CW3 (R) Tom Pigorsh
Ft Carson, CO
Editor’s note:
Thanks for the heads up!
What up,
Gomez?
But a
bad fuel
filter
can cause
this type of
trouble, too.
HEMTT -A4…
Thrifty Troubleshooting TriCk
Compact Skid
Loader…
ahh…Another
wonderful
day at JBLM,
Washington.
Man,
I’ve got
these
HEMTT
-A4s to
fix…
Hey, we
just
fixed a
couple of trucks with
those same problems!
One runs
rough
and
vibrates…
…and the other one
loses power
under
heavy loads and when going up steep hills.
Our troubleshooting
suggested there might be a
problem with the electronic
control module (ECM).
Here are
three ways
to
stop
needless
battery
replacement.
and I’m
really likin’
all three!
So we
changed out
the fuel filter
to see what
would happen…
Yeah. But
you never
know when
dirty fuel
or a piece of
crud might
clog it up.
And it’s a lot
cheaper to
change out
a fuel filter
than to replace
electronic
components.
So maybe
you should
check the fuel
filter
before
doing other
trouble-
shooting.
…and
the
problem
went
away!
I guess it
wouldn’t hurt to
try that trick.
The fuel filters can
get dirty even with
regular servicing.
Didn’t the fuel filter get
changed during services?
with tighter
budgets, it
makes sense to
try to save a
unit’s cents.
730 16-17.indd
1-2
7/22/13
3:40 PM
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