The Forestry Forum

Winter has set in well and there is enough frost in the ground to get some firewood cut. I am cursing the last 20 or so inches of snow in the past week though. Things are just so much slower.

Today was out pushing logs from a pile of snow and then went to turn the machine off. Kept running so I went to disconnect the battery even though it has an alternator and I ended up with a nice little shock like touching plug wires.

The wiring diagram on my machine is a "krusty special" and has been flawless to date. I dont think I ever put new plug wires on the machine since I have had it. Is this simply a worn through plug wire? Ran fine jolting me as well.

Should add I never brush the snow off my machine and it melts of nicely when the engine warms up so might have a moisture short in there somewhere too. There is limited high voltage circuitry....coil primary to distributor which may have moisture, to plugs.

Last couple years have been cutting solid ash. This year working on a new road so took out some maple. Man that stuff is crazy heavy and seems like 3x the weight of ash. Guess I can cut less :)

The BATTERY cable zapped you?  Not plug wire?

Only high voltage can taze you so if its on the battery then youd be boiling it over from crazy hot charge.  Lights would be crazy bright etc.  

If you have a meter look at your resting battery voltage and your running battery voltage.  Id expect around 12.x and around 13.x respectively.  Be sure your alternator housing has a good ground right to batt.  Maybe its a alternator voltage regulator issue or maybe you got a dose of ignition coil.  

Oh I know I got a dose of the coil! Just need to track down from where.....

Check that you dont have any chaffed plug wires laying on power or ground i guess.  Maybe some rubber hoses for insulation where its needed?

I can recall trying to turn off a Ford 1 ton with a 460, and had to pull the coil wire off with insulated pliers in fear of getting a few thousand volts . Taking the battery off didn't work because the alternator keep feeding the coil to keep it running . Turned out that the ignition switch failed .  I never pulled ash with my 230 but maple is heavy -- throw on a few oak or yellow birch and she's really earning her keep !  :) :)