Charging A New Battery?

KubotaBling · Nov 3, 2003

Well i go thru a bunch of batteries probaly 5 in last couple of years. I use a battery hydrometer on mine if it was a std core battery. Resting voltage would be the only indicator of your battery mystery eather letting it stand 24hrs or loading with electrical load 10-20a for 5-10minutes.

A good alternative is the spiral core batteries offered at sams club or walmart might have one.

My solution to it was a dry cell battery http://www.odysseyfactory.com/ or genisis battery. Supposidly they last 7-10yrs and are used in aircraft starter batteries of certian sizes. That's what i'm going to try there approx. $133 and alot lighter weight. probaly 10-12# vs 50.

They also have special tractor batteries and good range of replacement batteries.

normde2001 · Nov 4, 2003

Mike, I don't think you can beat an Optima battery, especially at those prices. It's always possible to get a bad one of any brand occasionally. Optima and Delco are the only totally sealed batteries, (no acid fumes ruining your tractor), that I am familiar with, and their Optima prices are down in the range of Delco.

ducati996 · Nov 4, 2003

I would be pissed if I brought home a bad "optima"
I brought one home but it didnt fit in my JD 4100..
The optimas have the weired cylindrical shape to it, and it was bigger than the spec's stated....Not sure where i could get a small 435 CCA delco sealed battery, any suggestions?

Duc

normde2001 · Nov 4, 2003

"Not sure where i could get a small 435 CCA delco sealed battery, any suggestions?"

K-Mart carries them in my area, (Fl), you might try them, if you have one. I have a 14 year old car, first Delco lasted 10 years, have 4 years on the second, absolutely no acid fumes.

yellowsocks93 · Nov 4, 2003

So your saying that the fumes from the batteries can wreck the radiator as well as the battery acid? So everybody who had a leaky battery with NH and JD may have radiator problems they don't know about? I don't know much about batteries. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

slowrev · Nov 5, 2003

Yes, a battery in front of a radiator will corrode the radiator eventually, if not sooner. It is a very poor engineering design.

yellowsocks93 · Nov 5, 2003

I don't see where else they could put the battery. There are no steps to put it in like larger ag tractors and the engine compartment is full with the engine on the smaller compacts.

KubotaBling · Nov 5, 2003

I have a modern cut that has ~20yrs the battery is in front of the radiator. No sign of corrosion.

and i think the dry cell batteries are superior to any spiral core batterys due to design. small and light weight with no liquid fluid to worry with.

Soundguy · Nov 5, 2003

There are lots of places other than in front of a radiator to put a battery... I've got two tractors with batteries under seats, and 2 with the battery, in a mid engine mount behind the dash.

Also, keep in mind, many paints are sulfuric acid resistant... A properly maintained radiator may be completely safe from the fumes, if the paint is intact.. etc... If it is waering thin.. don't see why you couldn't hit it with some more paint... every time a radiator leaves our local radiator shops, they paint them.. even if it is just a solder job... top to bottom paint.. etc.

Soundguy

yellowsocks93 · Nov 5, 2003

I can see moving the battery closer to the dash and moving the engine slightly forward but under the seat in a moden compact would be hard with the rockshaft and transmission components there. Are your tractors newer or really old? Just curious. I think if it was really a problem the companies would not have designed it that way. Or they did it just to cut cost somewhere.