Stock battery is dragging after only 11 years

[Garandman]

Lot of shipping problems on Amazon. Optima has dealers on their website, a local auto parts store stocked everything: yellow, red and blue.

 

[Garandman]

Lot of shipping problems on Amazon. Optima has dealers on their website, a local auto parts store stocked everything: yellow, red and blue.

 

[Beaux Duke]

Final follow up
The old Optima I put in the L48 to tide me over the winter went to the great recycling yard in the sky yesterday.
Bought in January of 2005, recycled in April of 2017.
Over the last 6 months I've had to replace the battery in everything I own except my 2500 HD which was replaced in 2013. 5 in total. 4 Optimas and 1 Autocraft for my wife's Chrysler 300.

 

[JRobyn]

The Cub mower was getting grumpy about starting. The battery in it (by PO) was a Tractor Supply 300CCA with a 2001 date code. So I assumed it needed replacing. To my surprise, it meters at 12.65vdc, every cell checks OK with the hydro, and it will still put out over 250 amps according to the load tester!

Not sure who manufactured TSC "Husky" batteries in 2001, but they did good by me!

 

[Gem99ultra]

Final follow up
The old Optima I put in the L48 to tide me over the winter went to the great recycling yard in the sky yesterday.
Bought in January of 2005, recycled in April of 2017.
Over the last 6 months I've had to replace the battery in everything I own except my 2500 HD which was replaced in 2013. 5 in total. 4 Optimas and 1 Autocraft for my wife's Chrysler 300.

Do you need a special battery charger for Optima batteries?

 

[Casco1]

I may have you beat. I'm running a 2001 L3710 with the original factory battery. Every winter I expect it to die and it refuses to.

 

[fried1765]

I may have you beat. I'm running a 2001 L3710 with the original factory battery. Every winter I expect it to die and it refuses to.

Yeah.....but the Optima costs a bunch, so you should buy one of those......not!
When yours finally does die, just buy one at Walmart, and keep a decent float charger on it.
Going that route, you may even get Optima life or better, and your wallet will remain a bit healthier.

 

[asylum575]

November will make 10 years on my BX battery.
Last spring it needed a charge, so I thought this spring would be it.
it's been fine so far. I did notice it getting a bit weak as I kept on trying to start with a bad PTO switch.
This thread has made me optimistic for another couple of years.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My one bad experience with Optima battery that failed after 1 year (original purchase OEM battery) put me on the path of no more Optima batteries especially when I learned the replacement cost. My local distributor (NAPA) didn't even stock them because no one wanted to pay the price. I bought instead a NAPA 84 Legend battery for about half the cost of an Optima and it lasted 7 years. I bought the same battery for a replacement and if it goes 7years, I will have beat everyone's longevity test @14 years for the equivalent cost of one Optima.
The Legend was working perfectly until it shorted out internally. It went from 13.7 volts to 2 volts instantly and wouldn't take a charge. The NAPA dealer said that is generally what happens to older batteries, lead deposits slough off and settle in the bottom and eventually short out the cells.

 

[Grateful11]

Did someone say Optima batteries? Was watching the news the other day and this popped up. Seems two 18 wheelers got tangled up and one supposedly lost 15 pallets of batteries. There were other views of the mess, not all were Optima's. The reason it caught my eye was I had just replaced the battery on the JD X720 the day before with a Deka battery.