Another Battery!

[HAR]

I replaced my OEM battery in 2009 with an Interstate, not because it needed it, I was just leery of a battery that old.
However, in Dec 2022, I had a cold weather start issue, and looking back at my battery, decided that it was time to replace that, which I did with a NAPA battery, only because it was available right away. I can only hope that the NAPA lasts as long as the OEM and maybe as long as the Interstate? When and if it comes time for another battery, I think I might go with ordering another Interstate.

 

[MikeyCrews]

I used to have this problem, so I changed my approach. I bought a jump box...$50 bucks on amazon. I bought the gooloo 3000. This thing will jump my ford 5610 off app 10 times prior to having to charge it again. It will also jump my F550 7.3 off numerous time between charges. You can charge this on a mode c phone charger in you truck when needed. Im through buying expensive batteries. My last big battery for my tractor was $200. Never again.

 

[tuffy1]

I've switched all, except my car and truck, to AGM batteries. An AGM loses 1% of its charge per month but a lead acid will lose 10%.
I live in upstate NY, and we have approx. 6 months of summer and winter. AGMs last better than anything I've used in the past.

 

[Reapoman]

Caterpillar sells good batteries for around the same price as store bought brands. They are made for severe duty so they stand up to rough rides.

Another thing to check. Take a voltage meter and put one lead on the negative and the other one a few different spots on the top, plastic part of the battery. Many times you will have a current draw from the top of the battery due to dirt and moisture buildup. It’s important to keep the top of your batteries clean to help prevent this from happening. It’s like a slow, continuous short between the posts, thus shortening the battery life.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Optima were garbage.

Actually they were great, until the company changed owners. After that they were hit or miss, and now they've been getting better again.

 

[walnutman]

NAPA batteries used to be know for quality. They are Deka batteries made in Pennsylvania.... but... I recently had a brand new one in a rat rod. I let a chick start the car and when she shut it off she turned it back to acc. Battery was drawn down to death for over a week. I'm 65 and in all of my life I have never had a battery go to crap after one discharge. It was brand new. I actually called Deka and talked to an engineer. He alluded to them not all being made in PA. He told me to charge it overnight and call him next day with a voltage measurement. It was 9v. He said the battery was finished. I took it back and they tested it and confirmed it. Got a replacement for free.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Trickle charger!!! I have a CETK on my John Deere 4310 one on my 5000 watt Honda generator...

Calling a Ctek a trickle charger is a slap in the face. They are very good battery maintainers.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I have a hate relationship with batteries. I want a gadget with the following features:

• desulfator
  

  PulseTech Desufation Products | Forklift-Battery-Charger.com

  PulseTech Desulfation Products for forklift battery desulfation and maintenance, 12 volt to 48 volt models.

  forklift-battery-charger.com
  works off battery

I bought a couple of 12s and one 24 V recently, once I found this much cheaper alternative to the Canadus. They 12s were $44 each.

Too early to tell if they're equally effective.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I used to have this problem, so I changed my approach. I bought a jump box...$50 bucks on amazon. Im through buying expensive batteries. My last big battery for my tractor was $200. Never again.

Unfortunately you "solved" one problem and created another.

Now your alternators are hating life.

 

[Skypuppy]

I went out to use the tractor and move some wood chips around. Turned the key and nada, zilch, no clicking, no lights on dash, nothing. 5 years and 21 days on the Legend from Napa. I was sort of surprised because ever since I put that Legend in on 8-01-2019 it's had a BatteryMinder 1500 hooked up and plugged in.

I was hoping that would get me 10-15 years of life from the battery, but nope! So I'm not sure if the battery just had a specific lifespan or if my BatteryMinder Chargers are just not up to snuff; or I was expecting/hoping for to much! Probably the last!

I guess I'll just have to stick with a 5 year lifespan on batteries. I know that's what a lot of you have all said but I was sort of hoping to beat the odds and get a battery to last for a really long time! I ran down to Napa and got another one and I'm still "hoping" for a "long" lifespan but I'm not going to hold my breath!!

$110.00 in 2019 and $224.00 in 2024, $114.00 difference for the same darn item - that "probably" won't even last 5 years this time! Go figure!!
Oh well, I need my beast to fire up at any moment that I have the need so that's what it takes. It's just sorta hard to accept that big of a change in cost for the same darn thing!!

Did it actually crank with the new battery? The battery in my BX2660 was new in 2009 and it is still going strong. However, the tractor is almost impossible to crank now due to corrosion. I've cleaned almost every contact point except two and at least it will try to start, where before I cleaned those points, not even the dash lights would come on.

 

[vallefarm]

For me the shaking of the battery caused the wires to break and terminals to rip off the studs but the battery actually still works as a camper light today but using a desulfating charger from 1998. These are smaller frame batteries but I still say optima glass batteries are garbage.

 

[grsthegreat]

i bought 48 batteries last year, and so far this year have ordered 25. i used to use exide, now i use Deka sealed lead acid. Mostly group26R batteries. these are used on Generac generators which use active maintenance chargers. i can always get 5 years, mostly 7 years use. after this they CCA ratings drop to a level that i call iffy.

i dont want calls at 11pm for a dead battery, so i never let them go past 7 years.

i just last week had to make a trip out to a customer that was services 3 months ago. at that time i told him his 550CCA battery was down to 300ish CCA. should be replaced. he declined. last week i got a call its dead. he got hit with another service trip charge plus the battery. they never listen.

i dont fool with desulfating a battery. i played with it a bit, but never saw much improvement in battery reserve after i was done.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

i dont fool with desulfating a battery. i played with it a bit, but never saw much improvement in battery reserve after i was done.

Don't know about the reserve capacity, but whenever the L3800 (battery now 11 years old) begins to act a little sluggish when starting it I put a Canadus on it for a week or so.

Usually there's a noticeable difference within a day or two.

 

[grsthegreat]

i use a Midtronics battery analyzer plus a carbon pyle tester. I can really see what happens to reserve capacity and starting amperage on an older battery. with these devices, i can show homeowner whats happening. the Midtronics unit also shows if there's a bad cell.

 

[Gord Baker]

I went out to use the tractor and move some wood chips around. Turned the key and nada, zilch, no clicking, no lights on dash, nothing. 5 years and 21 days on the Legend from Napa. I was sort of surprised because ever since I put that Legend in on 8-01-2019 it's had a BatteryMinder 1500 hooked up and plugged in.

I was hoping that would get me 10-15 years of life from the battery, but nope! So I'm not sure if the battery just had a specific lifespan or if my BatteryMinder Chargers are just not up to snuff; or I was expecting/hoping for to much! Probably the last!

I guess I'll just have to stick with a 5 year lifespan on batteries. I know that's what a lot of you have all said but I was sort of hoping to beat the odds and get a battery to last for a really long time! I ran down to Napa and got another one and I'm still "hoping" for a "long" lifespan but I'm not going to hold my breath!!

$110.00 in 2019 and $224.00 in 2024, $114.00 difference for the same darn item - that "probably" won't even last 5 years this time! Go figure!!
Oh well, I need my beast to fire up at any moment that I have the need so that's what it takes. It's just sorta hard to accept that big of a change in cost for the same darn thing!!

10-15 Years???? Wrong Planet.
You were fortunate to get 5 years.

 

[Flogger]

KH? Restrictions against "price gauging" will mean controlled price at $224, but no batteries available. Maybe no fuel neither. Won't be a problem, though--before tractors we used oxen and horses. Raising and training oxen and building oxbows will become necessary skills. Some of us already know how to drive a team of horses. Oxen can't be that hard. One third of your land will go into raising feed for the animals. Are we all ready to go Green?

Green?? Have you ever seen what ox farts do to the environment???

 

[Flogger]

Look at the AGM batteries on Amazon. Not much more than a flooded type and will last a long time in an application that shakes them around a lot like a tractor.

If you use a name brand battery minder even a flooded type battery will last a long time in an application that is not used regularly like an antique vehicle or a tractor.

I gave up trying to keep batteries on all of my small engines and just use jumpers to start them when needed.

One thing I do on small engine equipment is use a small car battery whenever possible. They last much longer.

 

[Flogger]

I just remembered, the only automotive battery that had given me any grief were in my cj7 when I switched to the fancy AGM optima, those were warranty replaced twice in three years. After the third replacement they voided its warranty. Switched back to a die hard, ten years no issues. Optima were garbage.

Optima have never impressed me. I have never had much luck in anything from a motorcycle to a pickup. Much to fragile in my 20 things at once world.

 

[Joe1]

I live in a temperate climate on the Central Ca coast, so it's a relatively easy life for batteries. I replaced my last Walmart battery after 13 years. My J D 770 23 HP Yanmar Engine doesn't need a huge battery, but I buy the physically largest battery that will fit and the highest CCA I can, which is 50% higher than called for. I do not usually have a battery tender on it because it will start after sitting 3 months and will light off immediately. I've had good luck with their "Ever Start" group. It could be just blind dumb luck, but at their price point, they are a good choice for me.

 

[Grumpycat]

I personally think these battery tenders are not very good for battery life. They keep one charged that may otherwise go dead such as my Polaris. I bet I've put 5 batteries in that thing. They go dead in the garage because I don't use it enough. This last one has lasted a coupe of years I think. I tend to have really good service out of my batteries.

It depends a lot on the battery maintainer.

Some are fairly stupid. Others will cycle the battery every few weeks. Different cycles for different temperatures and battery chemistry. AGM is not quite the same as flooded lead-acid.