Connecting a second battery to a Ford 8340.

coronaextra

Hi there, the 8340 is a slight bit sluggish at starting these cold mornings and I was thinking of inserting a second battery. There seems to be plenty of space for one and I believe tractors shipped further north in Europe were equipped with a second battery.

I will fit the batteries in parallel (positive to positive and negative), what else will I need for the job?
Will I have to add anything inline to cope with the extra current produced?

any info would be appreciated!

Thanks for reading.

Slidey

That should be grand. I am not familiar with the set up these tractors but connect as you say and it should give you no trouble.

One point though, there is no point in putting in extra amps (i.e a second battery) if the leads going to the starter are of a poor quality.

Check the leads, especially the earth and if they look tatty, replace them.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Avns1s

I agree but would go further and say that if the cable, starter, alternator and battery were in good condition, then there is no need for, nor advantage to, adding a second battery.

coronaextra

Yes some people have said that too, I might strip down and clean all connections to see if it makes a difference before trying the extra battery.