I have a 1974 John Deere 310 diesel backhoe with two six volt batteries wired in series. Negative ground. I was wondering if I can just swap them out with a new 12 volt battery. Thanks for any help.
The short answer is yes, but you will probably have to install two 12 volt batteries wired in parallel if you plan to start it in winter, unless you have room for something like a 4D.
Check the CC amps of the 6 volt battery. Match it with a single 12 volt. You don't have to double the CC amps since amps are not additive in series like volts. This is doable since battery technology has gotten better since 1974. Try to stay away from batteries in parallel. ointhead Avoid self discharge and matching issues.
Thanks guys. I saw a 12 volt tractor battery at Tractor Supply Co. that will fit in the battery box and also a 12 volt at Wal-Mart that has 900 cca. So was just wondering if the 12 volts are essentially the same as the two 6 volts. I haven't had a problem in winter because I plug in the block heater and only start it when the temp gets above freezing.
Deere offered a 12V battery option on the 310 actually. The pair of 6 volts are indeed 12V when in series, cold crank rating is 850 amps I believe, so anything above that in a single 12V battery you should be golden.