Battery problems- ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

[boustany]

My Case 580 C had 2 huge 6 volt batteries in series. They were old and barely turned the engine over when it was cold. I went to Wall Mart & picked up a 12 volt battery with lots of cranking amps and that also fit my car. I made an 'adaptor' out of 2x4s and installed the battery. Worked like a charm.

The good news was, besides costing very little and being off the shelf, the battery came with a good guarantee (not that I ever needed it). 'Industrial' batteries usually don't have any, and cost much more, are hard to find, and so on.

The thing to remember is 12 volts is 12 volts, 400 amps is 400 amps. Wether it comes out of a few hundred D-cells or lead acid, the motor doesn't know the difference.

 

[Gatorboy]

The hard part is finding a battery to fit. My battery is about 6" wide and 18" long with the two terminals on the short side.

==========================
|
| + Positive
|
| - Negative
|
==========================

Also, my tractor has a 96HP engine so I need a battery with about 900 CCA.

 

[Egon]

JDgreen227:

The ATV battery has a much rougher service life than a car battery. Vibration and bouncing are very hard on batteries.

Egon

 

[PineRidge]

Egon you can mount an Optima battery on its side and it won't leak. Thats rough service!

Dave why not buy a convention battery and lengthen the battery cable. They aren's a lot of money. I had a welding supply house make one up for me special for my last rig.

 

[Egon]

Rough service means lots of vibration and hard knocks.

Egon

 

[PineRidge]

Egon I think it qualifies but I may be wrong:

Inside this unusual battery is a six-pack of SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY®. Traditional batteries have a stack of thick lead plates surrounded by acid. But OPTIMA® batteries feature two thin lead plates wound into a tight spiral cell, with an absorbent glass-mat in between to hold the electrolyte solution.This unique design allows for more power and increased energy, resulting in quick, reliable starts. OPTIMA batteries are the first and only batteries to feature SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY.

It'll last up to 2 times longer than other batteries.
It can sit unused 3 times longer than other batteries.
It is over 15 times more resistant to vibration than other batteries.
It's nonspillable and can mount in almost any position.
It provides constant performance quality keeping your battery running at the same level even as it's being discharged.
It provides more power in the inital 1, 3, 5, and 10 seconds of the vehicle starting process than comparably rated conventional lead acid batteries.

OPTIMA Batteries are built to take a beating.

The OPTIMA Red Top Starting Battery will perform extremely well, often providing up to two to three times longer life than conventional batteries. If the vehicle has few or no after-market accessories and uses a stock or upgraded alternator, the OPTIMA Red Top Starting Battery is the appropriate choice.

 

[Egon]

Pine ridge:

I sure wouldn't mind the new spiral wrapped batteries in all my stuff. They are probably the best on the market.

Egon

 

[PineRidge]

Egon I have no past experience with Optima as I only just bought one myself a month ago. However if they live up to their claims then they are worth the extra money that they initially cost. They do appear to be a superior battery, and I have not had any acid problems since I installed it. Time will tell.

 

[RobertN]

I've used red and yellow top. All the Medic/ambulance around here use dual yellow tops(they have a major draw with lights, ect). My BIL has them in his Jeep. His are about 8 years old, and still winch fine.

 

[RobertN]

Harley and some aftermaket suppliers offer gel cell batteries now. We have them in our FXRS's. Before, even a good battery only lasted a year, maybe two if lucky. Thier clean too. No overflow to put acid on the chrome...