Battery finally bit the dust

[Gary Fowler]

Well after more than 5 years of mostly setting idle, my LS P7010 battery died. After setting unused since last fall, I went out today to crank it up so I could till up the garden. Battery was 1 volt. I got it cranked with my battery charger on engine Start and unhooked my row hippers, hooked up the tiller and tilled up my small garden. After about 30 minutes of use, it started again after I stopped in when back in the shed. I hooked up the battery charger and it said 12.7 volts. I will let it charge for a day or so till it shows full charge but I doubt it will hold for very long.
The battery is more than 5 years old so that is about as much as I have ever gotten from a battery although my 2009 Kubota B26 still cranks up but it gets used at least once a week weather permitting. It did set for much of December and January without cranking and still made it. Right now it is the winner for longevity. I will for sure look for another one of the same brand to replace it when it is time.

Anyone else with an older model LS have a good or bad battery story?

 

[dickfoster]

You might want to pick up a tender charger and leave it connected to the battery when the tractor is parked and is not going to be used for extended periods.

Letting batteries die or not completely recharge, leads to sulphation which is the leading cause of battery demise. As the plates become coated with sulphide crystals the plates are essentially insulated so the battery holds less and less charge until they finally become incapable of holding any charge. A tender charger only supplies a small amount of current that is only good for maintaining battery charge, not for recharging a dead battery.

Better yet, spend the bucks to get an AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery and keep that charged. AGMs last longer and deliver more power while they also pack more power in the same space as a standard wet cell types. AGM types are also less prone to being damaged from shock and vibration. There are several makes of AGM batteries but currently I prefer the Odyssey brand. These do cost a lot more than wet cells but I think they are worth it.

There are also charges which apply pulses of AC current that will eventually break down the sulphides on the battery plates so you can often recover what appears to be useless battery that's ready for the trash heap. Sometimes, not always depending on how far gone the battery is. It usually takes some time to recover a bad battery with a desulfator. Desulfators are typically also tender charges that can be left connected to the battery indefinitely.

For those without power in the storage shed, there are also solar chargers that aren't very expensive which will also help maintain battery charge. Many autoparts stores carry them as do RV places and boating suppliers.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have 3 battery maintainers and 3 battery chargers. The battery has never failed to start other than last winter one time and a complete charge up fixed it till again this year. I charged it back up again. It is a pain to put on a charger or maintainer, due to having to unlock the grill guard,(not a problem just two pins to lock back, then open the hood to access the battery. The problem is you can hardly get between it and the FEL to do this or you have to climb up on the FEL bucket to reach the pins, then step back off or risk slipping off. I suppose I should make a bridle that I can permanently attach to the battery like I have for my fuel pump then let the connectors dangle off the front. This may be a good project for today since I have nothing else to do.

 

[dickfoster]

I have 3 battery maintainers and 3 battery chargers. The battery has never failed to start other than last winter one time and a complete charge up fixed it till again this year. I charged it back up again. It is a pain to put on a charger or maintainer, due to having to unlock the grill guard,(not a problem just two pins to lock back, then open the hood to access the battery. The problem is you can hardly get between it and the FEL to do this or you have to climb up on the FEL bucket to reach the pins, then step back off or risk slipping off. I suppose I should make a bridle that I can permanently attach to the battery like I have for my fuel pump then let the connectors dangle off the front. This may be a good project for today since I have nothing else to do.

I'm getting ready to install a tender charger in my new tractor but it's will be permanently installed and connected to the battery with the AC cord hanging out like a block heater for connection to an extension cord when parked. As soon as this stock wet cell gives up the ghost, an AGM battery is going in.

I might get around to installing a heavy duty high current connector to the battery too so lifting the hood won't be necessary for jumping starting etc. although I lift the hood now when I park it just to keep the rodents from taking up residence and chowing down on the wiring. I hate rats.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Many batteries fail just because the water level gets down below the plates. I try and check mine once a year.

I personally don't believe in the desulphator (pulse) technology at all. It is a good way to keep a battery fully charged without boiling it however.

If I was installing a maintainer permanently, I would definitely install an inline fuse, close to the battery. The other thing is, I always disconnect a charger, especially an electronic one, before starting an engine. I don't know if this is necessary, but those electronic chargers cost enough.

 

[dickfoster]

Many batteries fail just because the water level gets down below the plates. I try and check mine once a year.

I personally don't believe in the desulphator (pulse) technology at all. It is a good way to keep a battery fully charged without boiling it however.

Yes many do and that will do it too but most ultimately fail from sulphation which is mostly a form of misuse from disuse.

I do because I've actually saved a couple of batteries using one. It paid for itself with the first one saved. However, it does take time and patience. Of course you could always make your own, the info is out there but they aren't really all that expensive.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would like to see two identical batteries disected, one with the technology applied and one not, to form a better opinion. Not that I would know what to look for. I would probably just end up with holes in my clothes.

 

[dickfoster]

I would like to see two identical batteries disected, one with the technology applied and one not, to form a better opinion. Not that I would know what to look for. I would probably just end up with holes in my clothes.

LOL You'd find some icky stuff on the plates of the bad one.