Lets talk car/truck/tractor batteries ??

[jack707]

Auto zone battery's are good

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's all about weight. Something is rotten when the replacement battery is much lighter then the old one.

I replaced my Diesel Mule Battery Today. It wasn't turning over any more. It was an Energizer Battery from Walmart. I thought it might be five or so years old. Try 11 years! That battery didn't owe me anything, and I bought another at Walmart.

I tried to buy the last battery from my Kawi Dealer, but they (Kawi) couldn't get their crap together. They sent a Motorcyle Battery and then insisted that was the right number. So I just went to Walmart.

 

[TomSeller]

That's right about when they sold the company, IIRC. There's a common theme across many automotive forums: Those who bought before the sale are very happy with them, and scoff at all the complaining, those who bought after the sale are complaining.

I've seen a few from people who bought before, and used to be die-hard (pardon me) Optima fans, but who also bought after the sale, and they are the loudest complainers.

I've never owned one, but I know what I'm seeing on various forums, and it's very consistent.

I think you have lost track of a decade. It seems my "junk" 6 year old Optima was made in Mexico 10 years after Johnson bought them. I have had good luck, they are good batteries.

Johnson Controls Announces Acquisition of Gylling Optima Batteries AB

 

[clemsonfor]

I don't have much to contribute re batteries but FWIW here's what I know:

Kid at Autozone told me he was farm-raised and a combo Start/Deep Cycle battery is preferable for equipment that is used only in harvest season etc, because it tolerates long storage better. I got a good price on their high amperage version.

I learned after a couple of years that Autozone's, at least, can't tolerate the vibration and jouncing of a farm tractor. Reading online I concluded I lost it because the crud that naturally falls off the plates gets stirred up too much in this application, making the plates ineffective. The ordinary battery that replaced it has served several years now.

Regular lead acid car batteries tolerate storage better than deep cycle or those combo type batteries.

As for batteries I like. I had good success out of walmart batteries, but several years back they stopped the prorate on batteries. I believe there made by Johnson controls which do not have a great track record but I had good success on them I just stopped buying them since they stopped the prorate warrenty on new batteries. I have recently bought advance batteries cause you can get $30-40 off them all the time. NOw there higher than other places but that discount brings them back to a good price.


@HHR I put one of those $48 batteries in my tractor this year. We will see how long it lasts. The battery it replaced was a really no name private label battery from the small place I bought the tractor. I milked that battery for several years with solar chargers and jumping etc. It would only hold up a few days when I replaced it. But before the end it would go down from holding a charge for a month to a few weeks to a week and then finially I got rid of it when It would only stay up for a few days. But wow it had been week for way longer than those last few years cause the new one spins the starter like crazy!

 

[clemsonfor]

You realize there are like 3 battery companies that make all the batteries out there, right? And that they are all pretty much the same? Just don't buy the cheapest crap you can find as they will have spec'd them really poorly. Beyond that, extra money spent will not likely help you in any way. Talking about regular starter batteries here...

Truth, but private labels are sometimes a different spec than the label name sake, but not always.

 

[clemsonfor]

That's amaking. I've never had a battery make it past 4 yrs, maybe 5.

I get 5 to 8 years out of most batteries. But we don't have the cold that you do, so maybe that's a factor. I don't replace many alternators and starters either, the ones I have replaced have all been on vehicles that are at least 15 years old and have 250,000 miles on them.

 

[DK35vince]

I get 5 to 8 years out of most batteries. But we don't have the cold that you do, so maybe that's a factor. I don't replace many alternators and starters either, the ones I have replaced have all been on vehicles that are at least 15 years old and have 250,000 miles on them.

I get 8-11 years out of most batteries.

 

[k0ua]

That's amaking. I've never had a battery make it past 4 yrs, maybe 5.

10 is my record, but several 8 years. Don't ever run a starter type battery down. You have just taken years off of its life.

 

[Garandman]

//I've seen a few from people who bought before, and used to be die-hard (pardon me) Optima fans, but who also bought after the sale, and they are the loudest complainers.//

I have two of them and researched the matter thoroughly before buying.

When Johnson Controls bought them in 2000, they started production in Mexico. By 2009 they'd transferred all production there. For several years during that decade the failure rate was higher than it had been. But that's old news by now and I've had one for three years and one for five years with no problems.

We have a Subaru WRX and it's a little front heavy. Switching to the Optima Red Top saved 10 lbs hung out in front of the axle compared to OEM. In fact some people even use LiFe motorcycle batteries (5-7 lbs) for competition but they can't do cold starts. I've started the WRX at -22 F with the Optima. That said we bought an Odyssey AGM [branded Diehard Platinum] for the wife's minivan, which has a ton of accessory loads. I think it weighs 53 lbs!

Truth, but private labels are sometimes a different spec than the label name sake, but not always.

The easiest way to tell is how long the free replacement warranty is. If they're the same, usually so is the battery.

 

[dickfoster]

But before the end it would go down from holding a charge for a month to a few weeks to a week and then finially I got rid of it when It would only stay up for a few days.

This is the typical case of how sulphation kills off a battery. One of those pulsing chargers will prevent it.
As for long term storage, try and Odyssey AGM sometime, they also do better in cold temps than others.