Where to Buy Best Battery?

[DWCox]

For my JD 790, I would like to get a good solid non-oem battery. I have read that Optima makes a fine yellow top. Any recommendations? Best prices?

Thanks.

 

[radman1]

Lots of guys recommend Optima but the $$ makes it unattractive. I can buy 3 batteries for a the price of an optima. I usually buy at Wal-mart for my cars. For a few years Walmart had a terrible supplier for batteries. They have changed suppliers and now much better. However, for shock and abuse reasons you probably want a battery designed for tractors/construction. JD batteries have been good for me but you pay more. Most farm stores will have batteries made for tractors.

 

[vsteel]

Personally out of all of the batteries on the farm that I have used, I have far and away the best luck with Interstate batteries. I put Interstate in all of my machines that take batteries. They are priced a little higher but not Optima price by any means and they seem to have distributors all over.

I get about twice the life out of the Interstate batteries than I do any other brands. (Kmart, Walmart, NAPA, Sears). I just changed one out of my pickup at 10 years, not because it went bad, but because I had to get a battery for something else and I for the life of me couldn't remember how old it was. I just remembered it was really old.

 

[Willl]

I have read that Optima makes a fine yellow top.

And it fits just nicely in the 790 with no mods.

 

[DWCox]

And it fits just nicely in the 790 with no mods.

I did some digging and it appears that the Optima Yellow Top D51R is the closest fit for the 790. The dimensions for the oem JD battery are 9"x5.5"x8" (LxWxH). It appears the Optima D51R is 9.313"x5.063"x8.938".

Is this the correct battery?

There appear to be rumors, however, that this particular model has been discontinued by Optima. I then read other information that contradicts this rumor. Is there confirmation one way or the other?

Thanks.

 

[Willl]

Oops. Did it again. It's the red top I got in there.

 

[DWCox]

Thanks Willl, that Red Top looks like it will work perfect. I am going to poke around tomorrow to find the best price on it.

 

[Rara Avis]

Another vote for Interstate...

 

[TedLaRue]

Believe it or not, I bought a proper sized Interstate battery from my JD dealer for about the same price I'd have paid for a similar 3rd party battery, and it's already lasted as long as the OEM battery.

I question the other brands whose dollars/year value may be better or worse than Interstate's. If they cost two and a half times as much, will they last two and a half times as long as an ordinary battery?

 

[GONO2]

I put Interstate in mine last year - no regrets.