You can charge a lawn mower battery with a trickle charger by simply connecting its cables to the terminals of the lawn mower battery. Hook up the charger with an electrical outlet as long as you ensure that the voltage and output settings match the battery.
That was a quick guide, but there are sub-steps involved in this process to clearly understand it and a few things you should know while taking care of while charging. You can read ahead to find out more.
Can You Trickle Charge a Lawn Mower Battery?
Yes, you can trickle charge a lawn mower battery, and it is quite an efficient way of charging your lawn mower battery. The main advantage of using a trickle charger is that you can slow down the speed at which the charger provides power and charge the battery.
This can be a good way of ensuring steadiness so the battery can work for longer. Further, compared to standard chargers, where overcharging can be a problem due to the high voltage supply, a trickle charger solves this issue by supplying a low voltage supply for a longer time,
How to hook up a lawn mower battery trickle charger
Step 1: Unplug the Charger
The first thing you should do is to disconnect and remove the charger from the electrical outlet so that you don’t get any shocks or injuries while connecting the charger to the battery. You must also wear safety gloves and glasses to provide an extra layer of protection.
Step 2: Find the Battery
The next step is to determine precisely the lawn mower battery is located. Usually, you can find the battery right beneath the seat, so check that out first. If you can’t find it there or figure out how to look for it, you can go through your lawn mower’s user manual. There might also be some online resources that can help you out.
Step 3: Connect the Cables
The trickle charger will have red and black jumper cables that you must connect to your battery to get it to charge. Ensure you connect the cables correctly during this step to prevent accidents.
To do this, take the red cable and attach it to the positive terminal of the lawn mower battery. Then, you can take the black cable and attach it to the battery’s negative terminal.
Step 4: Check the Voltage
An important step here is to check the voltage of your trickle charger and to ensure that it matches the voltage level of the battery itself. Lawn mower batteries generally come with 12 volts, mainly if they are recent or newer models.
Thus, having a voltage of 12 volts on your charger will be sufficient for the battery. If your charger has multiple voltage settings, you can switch it to 12 volts. It is necessary to have this kind of compatibility so that a steady charging rate can be maintained throughout while also preventing injuries and damage.
Another essential part of this step is to check the output of the trickle charger. This should ideally be lesser than ten amps, such as two to three amps. Anything too high might cause permanent damage to the battery.
Step 5: Connect the Charger
You can now plug the charger into the power outlet and turn it on to start charging. This will begin to deliver the charge to your battery slowly and steadily.
Step 6: Disconnect the Charger
Once the charging process is done, you can disconnect the cables from the battery by removing the black cable and then the red cable from the terminals. You can then start using your lawn mower again. Make sure you run your mower for some time so that it can get used to the charge again.
Most importantly, you should know how to use a trickle charger when charging a lawn mower battery because overcharging is a common cause of battery failure.
How Long Does It Take Trickle Charge a Lawn Mower Battery?
Trickle chargers tend to have a low output setting. This could be two to three amps or a bit higher than that. In this case, your lawn mower battery might take up a few hours to charge. This could even go up to 24 hours at a 2-amp output. Since this is a slow pace, you don’t need to worry too much about overcharging. However, ensure that you remove the battery from charging once you notice that the process is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It OK to Leave a Battery on Trickle Charge?
Yes, leaving a battery on trickle charge because these chargers run on very low output; that’s why charging takes place slowly. This also minimizes the risk of overcharging since the rate matches the pace at which the battery tends to self-discharge.
Is It Safe to Leave a Lawn Mower Battery Charging Overnight?
Yes, leaving a lawn mower battery charging overnight is safe. Because a trickle charger will take that long to charge your battery completely, making it to be stored for a long time
When Should You Use a Trickle Charger to Charge a Lawn Mower Battery?
Using a trickle charger to charge a lawn mower battery whenever you need to store the mower through the winter would be a good idea. You can also do this after winter, and you need to reuse the mower on your lawn. Similarly, if your lawn mower battery has died or drained out, you can use this method to charge it up again.
Is There a Difference Between a Trickle Charger and a Normal Charger?
Yes. A trickle charger uses a slow output and speed to transfer power or charge to the battery. This can take a long time and can be an excellent way to prevent overcharging.
On the other hand, a regular charger highlights speed. It powers up batteries with a much higher output. You should turn it off once the battery is fully charged unless the charger has an automatic switch-off setting. This is also better if you need to use a device immediately after charging it.
What Are Some Other Ways to Charge a Lawn Mower Battery?
You can use a car battery charger and connect jumper cables to the terminals of the lawn mower battery. Leaving the power on for a while will charge up the battery.
You can also jumpstart the lawn mower battery using a car battery directly. You simply need to connect jumper cables to the terminals of both batteries. Additionally, you can jumpstart using a portable jump starter or a screwdriver.
Are There Any Maintenance Measures to Keep the Battery Running for a Long Time?
You can carry out regular maintenance tricks to keep your lawn mower battery running for a long time. Ensure you clean up the batteries regularly to prevent corrosion. It might also help to service your lawn mower frequently to get rid of minor issues. This can improve the lifespan of the device as well. Use a trickle charger to make your battery last longer. Lastly, you must ensure that you store the lawn mower in good condition during winter.