Safe Family Farms: handle batteries with care

1. Batteries contain sulphuric acid, which can cause considerable harm if it comes into contact with your skin. Always wear the correct personal protective equipment when handling a battery. They can also produce mixtures of hydrogen gas and oxygen which can explode if they come in contact with heat or sparks.

2. When removing a battery from a machine, always disconnect the ground cable first and mark the cables as positive and negative so that when a battery is reattached it is done correctly.

3.When replacing a battery, always ensure that it is secured correctly with the bracket supplied.

4.When attaching the leads to the new or freshly charged battery, always make sure contact is not made between the leads and any metal parts of the machine and make sure you connect the earth cable last so as to reduce the chance of sparks.

5. When jump-starting a machine, always attach the leads in the correct order – negative on the flat battery first followed by negative on the good battery, then positive on the flat battery and finally positive on the good battery.

6. If welding is required on the tractor, the cables should be removed from the battery in order to isolate the tractor’s electrical system from the surges caused by the welding process.

7. If welding an implement, if at all possible it should be removed from the tractor. If this is not possible, the battery leads should be removed and any control boxes for the machine should be unplugged to reduce the risk of damage being done.

8. When charging a battery, keep the charger as far from the battery as the cables will allow, and never leave the charger on top of the battery while it’s charging. Connect the clamps of the charger to the terminals on the battery, matching positive to positive and negative to negative.

9. Some chargers will automatically turn off when the battery is charged. Others will need to be turned off after a certain length of time. A useful tip is to use a timer plug on the charger so as to turn off the power after a set length of time. It is very easy to forget that you are charging a battery and overcharging may be dangerous.

10. Batteries should be checked annually for any cracks or possible defects. This will lower risk of the battery failing and also the chances of an acid leak in the machine or on a person when it is next handled.