Returning batteries for warranty claim

[5030]

Deka is one of the last manufacturing companies left in Pennsylvania of any recognizable size (East Penn Manufacturing). Can you believe that? They aren’t even really that big

We had Bethlehem Steel, US Steel, Lukens Steel, Westinghouse, The Pennsylvania Railroad….all those legacy unforgettable names now just a memory….all made in China now.

Now PA’s 2 biggest employers are the Federal Government and health care systems.

Yippee!!!

You forgot about Sharon Steel btw and Carpenter Technologies has a big stainless mill west of Philly as well.... and Alcoa Aluminum has a large operation in central PA as well.

Lukens was never that big to begin with I might add.

 

[Hay Dude]

Depending on continued updates… too much invested now.

I think you will like Deka if they are similar to my older Deka battery.

I’m beginning to think the batteries froze

 

[grsthegreat]

They could have, but a fully charged battery is supposed to not freeze until -80°F according to exide technology….or so they say. But a discharged unit can freeze at 32° or so.

but i have my doubts as to the truth to this.

 

[Hay Dude]

They could have, but a fully charged battery is supposed to not freeze until -80°F according to exide technology….or so they say. But a discharged unit can freeze at 32° or so.

but i have my doubts as to the truth to this.

Maybe previous owner put new batteries in it and the battery shut off switch had a glitch in it and left power on all night?

I notice the B-pillar switches stay lit until the automatic battery disconnect switch clicks.
There’s also a manual battery disconnect switch next to the operators seat. I may have to do the battery disconnect myself until I can trust the auto switch is working.

 

[5030]

I dislike 'automatic' stuff. Put a master disconnect on the negative battery terminal (I use a knife type) to isolate the jars from the circuits entirely. My batteries never freeze in the barn because they are fully charged when they go to sleep for the winter.

 

[BleedingOrange]

So, did you actually get them to warranty the old batteries ?

 

[Hay Dude]

No, they refused and if they froze like I’m thinking, they won’t warrantee them.
I don’t want any of their JUNK batteries anymore anyway.
As previously said, I bought 3 new dump truck batteries from them through my repair shop and one was no good in less than a year.

My feeling is they buy their batteries from East Penn, but I was told East Penn makes different quality levels of batteries for different big buyers. I tend to think the NAPA versions are on the low end and the DEKA versions are on the high end????

 

[RjCorazza]

No, they refused and if they froze like I’m thinking, they won’t warrantee them.
I don’t want any of their JUNK batteries anymore anyway

I think you will like the Deka batteries. I have had good service from them over the years. I was leaning towards a charging problem through most of this thread because of the low charging voltage. Those bad batteries were sucking down huge amps.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think you will like the Deka batteries. I have had good service from them over the years. I was leaning towards a charging problem through most of this thread because of the low charging voltage. Those bad batteries were sucking down huge amps.

Right. They can no longer hold a charge. NAPA charged them and after 2 or 3 pretty brief cranking attempts, they were dead again.
They wouldn’t even jump start with a large John Deere jump starting cart.

I probably won’t be a customer at that NAPA store anymore, but honestly, I think the batteries froze, so I kind of have to temper my ill feelings a bit…

 

[LittleBill21]

Right. They can no longer hold a charge. NAPA charged them and after 2 or 3 pretty brief cranking attempts, they were dead again.
They wouldn’t even jump start with a large John Deere jump starting cart.

I probably won’t be a customer at that NAPA store anymore, but honestly, I think the batteries froze, so I kind of have to temper my ill feelings a bit…

just go to a different store, frozen battery's generally have swollen cases.

 

[Hay Dude]

just go to a different store,

Too late little bill21, I have work to do that doesn’t allow me time to drive around lugging 2 50 pound batteries under each arm to other napa dealers and wait for another overnight charging.

frozen battery's generally have swollen cases.

Maybe mine didn’t do what “generally” happens. I don’t know, I’m not a battery scientist.
Only have so much time to run around to different NAPA stores fighting with store managers before $400 seems like a bargain for 2 new batteries. lol

 

[FERLING]

900CCA NAPA “Legend” Batteries dated 11/23 are at 12V and 700 CCA.

In 50* temps, they don’t have enough a$$ left to turn tractor over, so I took them back to NAPA.
NAPA dealer says “leave them overnight and we will test CCA tomorrow after long charge”.

They hook a NAPA tester up to it now and it says 12V 702CCA on one and 12V and 698CCA on the other.

I’m sure an overnight charge will bring them back to life, but will it last?

I’ve had to jump them a couple times and after tractor is running, makes about 13+ on the voltmeter and theres no electrical system light on.

https://buyersguide.org/jump-starters/t/best?m=e&d=t&c=646148723019&p=&oid=kwd-378211066505&lp=9009553&li=&nw=g&nts=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRhx6iiBcP8lM8bZwTOhSsaIRuc8MRMRXEaQaVP-vOd1mx2uM7R5bflBoCEREQAvD_BwE&tdid=9826996&gad_source=1

Buy one of above. If tractor cranks with it then you know battery isn't strong enough / not holding charge. Can be battery being drained while setting or bad wiring / corroded connection.
(I have same problem. If I figure my problem out I will update you. I use battery tender or jump box. Once cranked my does alright for a couple of days. (New Holland Workmaster 50. Made in 2015)

 

[billknecht]

Not helpful for your current situation, but next time buy from Costco. Interstate batteries free replacement within 3 years no questions asked

I've bought Interstate for my cars for years. Not thrilled that they bill themselves as a religious organization (because there's no telling how THAT plays out), but, at least for now, I set that aside in favor of product quality.

For farm products, however, I shop at our local farm store. Reason? Because ranchers and farmers have a low tolerance for poor quality. If something fails to hold up, they're not shy about telling the store manager, and the store manager's not shy about dumping substandard goods.

 

[jjeff]

One thing I do know is putting an old piece of foam or rubber in the bottom of battery tray seems to help prolong the battery life, for vibration dampening, that and using smart trickle chargers. Got over 8 yrs of reliable use with a yuasa power sports battery all my equipment, boats, and vehicles have some sort of extra dampening on them. I also test every new battery I buy with a conductance tester before I install.

 

[BleedingOrange]

I agree with jjeff, I cut a piece of conveyor belt so it fits into each battery tray.

 

[sixdogs]

I've bought Interstate for my cars for years. Not thrilled that they bill themselves as a religious organization (because there's no telling how THAT plays out), but, at least for now, I set that aside in favor of product quality.

For farm products, however, I shop at our local farm store. Reason? Because ranchers and farmers have a low tolerance for poor quality. If something fails to hold up, they're not shy about telling the store manager, and the store manager's not shy about dumping substandard goods.

I've also had good results with Sam's Club high end commercial AGM batteries. Pricy but I never had one blow acid all over my metal work and they seem to last forever with a smart charger on it just before it gets cold. Keep the charge up.

One thing I do know is putting an old piece of foam or rubber in the bottom of battery tray seems to help prolong the battery life, for vibration dampening, that and using smart trickle chargers. Got over 8 yrs of reliable use with a yuasa power sports battery all my equipment, boats, and vehicles have some sort of extra dampening on them. I also test every new battery I buy with a conductance tester before I install.

The rubber under the battery is a great idea.

Using the modern smart chargers--I use 3A and 5A Genius brand charger and getting 10-12 -13 years is typical. But I do fear batteries made the last couple years because I think they are made cheaper.

 

[Hay Dude]

One thing I do know is putting an old piece of foam or rubber in the bottom of battery tray seems to help prolong the battery life, for vibration dampening, that and using smart trickle chargers. Got over 8 yrs of reliable use with a yuasa power sports battery all my equipment, boats, and vehicles have some sort of extra dampening on them. I also test every new battery I buy with a conductance tester before I install.

My dad taught me to use a small piece of plywood. I do this if the bottom of the battery compartment is metal. Many farm tractor battery compartments are plastic now which seems like it might be an improvement at absorbing vibrations.

I should have followed up on this thread, thanks for keeping it going.

I DO have a parasitic battery draw coming from somewhere. The automatic battery switch does NOT always work. There is a manual battery switch disconnect in the cab I have been using.

Still don’t have all the answers. The tractor sat for about a week with batteries switch disconnected. I connected them via switch and it started right up. That same day I was working on fixing some lighting issues. I had the key on for maybe an hour with some of the lights on, definitely not enough time to draw batteries down. Went to start tractor and it would not turn over fast enough to start. WTH????

There’s still something going on I have to dig into deeper.

1. Automatic battery switch disconnect isn’t working properly. This is an issue, but not the main issue. Its a related issue that would be nice to resolve, especially with a parasitic draw.

2. The batteries have a decent parasitic draw if the switch is not disconnected, but I don’t know what it is and haven’t had time to mess around with it. I will in the next few weeks.

Thanks for keeping this topic going and the suggestions. I will be using the tractor all summer for baling and I dread dead batteries-even with significant jump starting capability, it‘s a waste of time