Starters

[Ohio_Bill]

I have got a half dozen pieces of equipment with diesel engines . Loaders , tractor , truck , sawmill  and forklift . Seems like one of them is always having a starter problem . So trips to the rebuild shop are frequent . I don't seem to get more than 2 years or less from a rebuilt starter . After rebuilding some of them several times I have begun to replace with new gear reduction  starters and have not had one fail yet . In most cases the new starters cost less than having the old ones rebuilt . So looks like I am going to replace rather than repair .

[carhartted]

As I was reading your post I was thinking gear reduction starters sound like a solution. I've also found gear reduction starters take less power to run so work better if the machine has a charging system that's less than optimal.   

The mining trucks I work on all have air starters. Work great as long as air lines don't freeze.

[moodnacreek]

Put one in my '91 diesel pick up over 10 years ago and still going.

[bandmiller2]

Bill, name brand starters should last so long you will have forgotten when you installed them. I would suspect most of the equipment is not used every day it sits and the battery voltage drops, that pure poison to a starter. On most of my machinery I make up heavier battery cables. Of course your having good luck with the reduction starters. Consider trickle chargers to keep batteries topped off. Frank C.

[carhartted]

Along the lines of battery cables and trickle chargers I would include master switches. I put a master switch in every piece of equipment I've got. My equipment sits for 6 months during the winter and will fire right up in the spring.

[Ohio_Bill]

Great suggestions guys . I am now able to park all the equipment under roof and with power available so no excuse for a low battery . Not saying I don't have low batteries but I don't have a excuse . I don't have master switches on all of my equipment but I'm working on that .  Seems like a lot of old equipment develops parasitic current draw of some type and master switches work wonders with that problem .

[Kbeitz]

Check out battery minders or tenders. They sell real cheap on E-bay.