Overcharging a lawnmower battery is not recommended as it poses some risk, including reducing its lifespan or overheating it. Unless you have a smart charger to do the automatic shut-off task, knowing the time to get your battery fully charged is of importance. So, how long does it take to charge a lawn mower battery?
How long does it take to charge a lawn mower battery?
Normally, a lawn mower battery is fully charged after about 1 hour if the setting to charge the battery is 12 volts with the output of 10 amps. But, keep in mind that this time length is not the one-size-fits-all answer as it depends on a couple of variables.
Battery capacity
Firstly, although most modern lawn mowers use 12-volt batteries, there are some other versions that use 6-volt batteries (available in some older riding mowers which are manufactured before 1980 and push mowers). And of course, these batteries have different charging times compared to the 12-volt batteries.
Charger & Charging rate
Another factor affecting the charging time is the charging rate you set. You have multiple options when charging your battery because many chargers come with a range of settings, starting at 2 amps all the way to 10 amps or higher.
The problem is, choosing to charge at an excessively high rate is like playing with fire and the battery may literally blow up. Setting the amps too low is also not a good choice for most lawn mower batteries because it could take an eternity to get the battery fully charged.
Check more: 10 Best Old Chainsaw Brands To Help You Tackle Tougher Tasks
Condition of battery
The condition of the battery is also an important factor. For example, a totally flat battery may not always get charged adequately at the normal rate of a new lawn mower battery and you may have to restart it and charge for more hours.
You might have to charge the battery longer than the normal of 1 hour if you choose a lower amp setting.
According to the expert’s opinion, if you do not need to use the lawn mower right away, the trickle charge setting is most recommended. It is because by using this charge rate, you allow the battery to get a truly comprehensive charge.
Trickle charging usually operates at about two amps, so it takes several hours to fully charge a lawn mower battery.
If you prefer lightning-fast charging and would rather use more amps, the charging time would be shorter. However, using the fast-charging rate (anything above 10-amps), you will put your battery at the risk of overheating and reduce its lifespan.
Last words,
The time it takes to charge a lawn mower battery varies depending on several factors such as what kind of charger do you use and what charging rate you set. For the standard setting which is 12 V and 10 amp, it takes about 1 hour for a lawn mower battery to gain enough juice. It is advisable that you should read the instruction manual for the time needed to charge your battery.