What Battery?

[rScotty]

"a 26 hp motor don't need a huge expensive battery"

And....just how did you arrive at that conclusion?
It does get cold in Kansas, and CCA is important for cold weather.
My little 12 HP Gravely walk behind requires a group 24 (?) car battery.

I'd agree. A group 24 car battery is about right for 30 hp and under compacts. Group 24 has plenty of CCA. There's no penalty for extra CCA.

Newer diesels with their computer systems and glow plugs seem to start far better than the old ones did.
Our Big JD310 100 hp takes two large size 34? 12 volts batteries in parallel . Our Kubota M59 at 59 hp came stock with a smallish battery which still works well, probably a group 24. Smallest car size...
The larger the motor, the more amperage the starter pulls in order to spin all that metal and cold oil fast enough to ignite the fuel.

I'd go with a group 24 if it will physically fit. Make sure the terminal pattern is the same. I like the AGM types myself because they don't leak acid. Worththe cost....Wish Kubota had come with an AGM. But the old original wet cell from 2007 still works fine at zero degrees.

 

[oldballs]

Hum-m-m...... Maybe I'll just keep on using the OE (430 CCA) till it fails. So far, I keep it on a maintainer and it starts okay. I'm just not used to batteries lasting this long. It is a group 51R best I can tell. Thanks for all of your replies.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[radios1]

Hum-m-m...... Maybe I'll just keep on using the OE (430 CCA) till it fails. So far, I keep it on a maintainer and it starts okay. I'm just not used to batteries lasting this long. It is a group 51R best I can tell. Thanks for all of your replies.

Cheers,
Mike

430 CCA is the CCA of a lawn tractor battery!.. it depends on what you want to pay for, and if a larger battery will fit the available space, or if space can be made to fit a larger battery, that would be nice. just hope the alternator is large enough to properly charge the larger battery.. yes, larger batteries need more charging current for the same discharge condition as a smaller battery..

 

[Gary Fowler]

I just watched a YouTube video of the test guy (dont recall the name but he does a lot of independent product testing) where he compared batteries from Walmart, O'Reilly's, Auto Zone, DieHard and Optima. The Walmart did the best of all of them in price, CCA, charge time and lowest voltage drop during extended use.
I was really surprised.

 

[5030]

Good batteries I have used are Deka, John Deere Strongbox, Kubota, Autozone Duralast, and Interstate.

I used to buy Diehard Gold batteries but quit buying them a few years ago because of dead cells in them.

Kubota branded flooded cell batteries are Interstates.

 

[nyone]

The channel name is "project farm on youtube. The Wal-Mart battery did pretty well for the money and I have had real good luck with them.
Don't rule out Exide. There available at HD. I have had two for 8yrs.

 

[nyone]

Kubota branded flooded cell batteries are Interstates.

Interstate battery are made by Johnson controls. They make like 3 other brands of batterys.

 

[msb1766]

Here is the video they are taking about:
Which Car Battery is Best? Let's find out! - YouTube

 

[5030]

My cardinal rule of thumb with ANY flooded cell or wet charged (including AGM) battery is:

1. Never buy a battery that has dust on the top of it.
2. Always buy from a volume dealer
3. Forget about the little date thingy's, meaningless.

Any wet charged battery, AGM included, begins it's life when charged at the factory. The longer the battery sits around after it's built, the shorter it's in service lifespan becomes, why it's important to buy your battery from a volume seller like Walmart for instance or a heavy truck dealership because they turn over batteries quickly so you are very likely to get one that was made not long ago.

Never buy a battery that has dust on the top. That battery has been sitting around for a long time waiting for someone to take ity home and all the time it's been sitting idle, it's still having a slow chemical reaction inside (sulfating) and that is what renders a flooded cell battery useless.

Finally, heat kills a battery, not cold. Cold lowers the amperage output because it slows the reaction inside but it's heat that really destroys the battery internally, not cold. The reason flooded cell starting batteries 'seem' to fail during the first cold snap is because the battery was weakened during the hot summer months and when it gets cold, the added amperage requirement when starting a cold engine overcomes the weak battery's ability to supply the required amperage.

That only applies to wet batteries, flooded cell or AGM, not Li-Ion or any hybrid battery.

 

[5030]

I'd agree. A group 24 car battery is about right for 30 hp and under compacts. Group 24 has plenty of CCA. There's no penalty for extra CCA.

Newer diesels with their computer systems and glow plugs seem to start far better than the old ones did.
Our Big JD310 100 hp takes two large size 34? 12 volts batteries in parallel . Our Kubota M59 at 59 hp came stock with a smallish battery which still works well, probably a group 24. Smallest car size...
The larger the motor, the more amperage the starter pulls in order to spin all that metal and cold oil fast enough to ignite the fuel.

I'd go with a group 24 if it will physically fit. Make sure the terminal pattern is the same. I like the AGM types myself because they don't leak acid. Worththe cost....Wish Kubota had come with an AGM. But the old original wet cell from 2007 still works fine at zero degrees.

I use the biggest batteries that will fit the battery tray in both my M9's following my rules of engagement fir flooded cell batteries. Bought 2 Delphi Group 34, 1100 CCA flooded cell jars to replace the Yuhasa's thaat came OEM in my M9's.

I always install the largest battery that will fir in the battery tray in everything I own, including cars and trucks.

One thing I do with my tractors is, I have a mechanical disconnect on the negative battery post and I break the battery out of the circuit when the tractors sit idle for long periods. That way there is no parasitic loss and the batteries will maintain their charge all winter when not in use. Typically, a wet cell battery will only lose about 5% of it's total charge per month sitting idle.