Is my tractors battery a deep cycle battery

[LouNY]

It's a battery to start your tractor and provide 12V during runtime. Pretty sure the battery size/type spec'd by the manufacturer is 100% adequate. Why one would want to find a physically larger battery and deviate from that is curious. Obviously getting one with higher CCA is good if you live in a cold climate, but beyond that I see no reason not to use the stock spec battery. Have you added extra accessories that draw a lot of power like a ton of lighting or a winch?

I would consider that to be the minimum acceptable battery that would likely work when everything is at 100%. Add in cold weather, wear and tear and then you end up with poor or not starting.
Just as I consider most "code" and other specs to be minimums and I prefer to go past minimums.

 

[BigBlue1]

Fair enough. I've not had any battery issues that would lead me to do so and I live in MN with very cold and very hot conditions. But obviously YMMV.

 

[ifarmak]

Most tractor batteries, especially the ones that come with models like yours, aren't deep cycle; they're more likely to be standard SLI (starting, lighting, ignition) batteries. These are designed to give a big power burst for starting the engine rather than the sustained power output you'd expect from a deep cycle battery.

Given your Interstate brand battery has been with you for a solid 9 years (pretty impressive, by the way!), it sounds like it's done its duty honorably. Charging it might give it a bit of life back temporarily, but considering its age, you might be on the right track thinking about a replacement.

When you go to charge it, just use a standard automotive battery charger, not one specifically for deep cycle batteries. Keep an eye on it, though. If it doesn't hold the charge, it's time to bid it farewell and get a new one.