Replacing positive battery cable

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May 28, 2014
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Craftsman 17 hp riding lawnmower- replacing positive battery cable

I'm going to assume that this will work

The only question I have is,the small wire coming off of the battery cable. Does this plug back into the black harness with the 20-amp fuse? I can't tell from looking at the picture.
 
If your existing cable doesn't have a connection to to this, just tape it up & you should be fine. They often add unnecessary connections to make it a universal fit all
 
If your existing cable doesn't have a connection to to this, just tape it up & you should be fine. They often add unnecessary connections to make it a universal fit all

Yeah the original positive cable has a small red wire that plugs into a black wire harness with a fuse. I'm assuming that it's used in the wiring setup for the tractor to start.
 
$25? Holy crap. Go down to your local car audio store and have them hook you up with a scrap piece of good quality 8awg and a couple of crimp terminals. If you talk nice to them they'll probably even crimp the ends on for you. That's something I would have done for $5 back when I was at a shop.
 
The main thing I'm trying to get figured out is how important that smaller red wire is,that's it.

I can buy just the regular battery cable cheaper that not the issue.
 
I have a completely different mower, but on my mower the small wire off the positive terminal is for all other electrical connections except starter power. These are thing like power to the ignition switch to close the starter relay, lights, and the connection for the alternator to recharge the battery. On my mower the large red wire only goes to the starter relay terminal and there are no other wires connected to the relay terminal.
 
I'll have to do more research on some other forums dealing with lawn equipment since nobody here has any experience with this type of repairs.
 
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The main thing I'm trying to get figured out is how important that smaller red wire is,that's it.

I can buy just the regular battery cable cheaper that not the issue.
If the original has the small butt connection, connect the new cable assembly the same way, the color of the wire which the pigtail connects to is irrelevent. The small wire (w/fuse) likely goes to the ammeter (if equiped) then to the ignition switch and the heavy end goes to the starting solenoid. It's not a big deal to replace if you connect it in the same manner as the original. Just disconnect the negative off the battery first, install your new cable and then reconnect the negative battery lead.
 
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$25? Holy crap. Go down to your local car audio store and have them hook you up with a scrap piece of good quality 8awg and a couple of crimp terminals. If you talk nice to them they'll probably even crimp the ends on for you. That's something I would have done for $5 back when I was at a shop.

Around here that’s like saying go down to your local VCR repair shop or Blockbuster. Lol.
 
I guess I’m confused. You’re asking if the little red wire coming off the battery cable on the Husky part is the same as what you already have? What else could it be for? You have the existing part. Compare that to what you see in the photo. The small wire feeds everything except for the starter. Ignition for example or perhaps a fuel pump, headlights or gauge.

If the connections aren’t the same, you’ll have to splice it. No big deal. Can you not find the original part?

My only concern is the wire gauge. Only you will be able to tell that since you have the parts. If you don’t have any electric accessories you should be fine and it has the fuse too.
 
Yes that small wire is important. It supplies power to the ignition switch and the machine can't start without it.

A potential upgrade would be to put a separate terminal on the small wire and connect it to the same post on the solenoid with the big wire from the battery. Then the battery wire is a generic part it doesn't need to have a branch in it.
 
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