Another Battery!

[vallefarm]

For me the shaking of the battery caused the wires to break and terminals to rip off the studs but the battery actually still works as a camper light today but using a desulfating charger from 1998. These are smaller frame batteries but I still say optima glass batteries are garbage.

 

[grsthegreat]

i bought 48 batteries last year, and so far this year have ordered 25. i used to use exide, now i use Deka sealed lead acid. Mostly group26R batteries. these are used on Generac generators which use active maintenance chargers. i can always get 5 years, mostly 7 years use. after this they CCA ratings drop to a level that i call iffy.

i dont want calls at 11pm for a dead battery, so i never let them go past 7 years.

i just last week had to make a trip out to a customer that was services 3 months ago. at that time i told him his 550CCA battery was down to 300ish CCA. should be replaced. he declined. last week i got a call its dead. he got hit with another service trip charge plus the battery. they never listen.

i dont fool with desulfating a battery. i played with it a bit, but never saw much improvement in battery reserve after i was done.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

i dont fool with desulfating a battery. i played with it a bit, but never saw much improvement in battery reserve after i was done.

Don't know about the reserve capacity, but whenever the L3800 (battery now 11 years old) begins to act a little sluggish when starting it I put a Canadus on it for a week or so.

Usually there's a noticeable difference within a day or two.

 

[grsthegreat]

i use a Midtronics battery analyzer plus a carbon pyle tester. I can really see what happens to reserve capacity and starting amperage on an older battery. with these devices, i can show homeowner whats happening. the Midtronics unit also shows if there's a bad cell.

 

[Gord Baker]

I went out to use the tractor and move some wood chips around. Turned the key and nada, zilch, no clicking, no lights on dash, nothing. 5 years and 21 days on the Legend from Napa. I was sort of surprised because ever since I put that Legend in on 8-01-2019 it's had a BatteryMinder 1500 hooked up and plugged in.

I was hoping that would get me 10-15 years of life from the battery, but nope! So I'm not sure if the battery just had a specific lifespan or if my BatteryMinder Chargers are just not up to snuff; or I was expecting/hoping for to much! Probably the last!

I guess I'll just have to stick with a 5 year lifespan on batteries. I know that's what a lot of you have all said but I was sort of hoping to beat the odds and get a battery to last for a really long time! I ran down to Napa and got another one and I'm still "hoping" for a "long" lifespan but I'm not going to hold my breath!!

$110.00 in 2019 and $224.00 in 2024, $114.00 difference for the same darn item - that "probably" won't even last 5 years this time! Go figure!!
Oh well, I need my beast to fire up at any moment that I have the need so that's what it takes. It's just sorta hard to accept that big of a change in cost for the same darn thing!!

10-15 Years???? Wrong Planet.
You were fortunate to get 5 years.

 

[Flogger]

KH? Restrictions against "price gauging" will mean controlled price at $224, but no batteries available. Maybe no fuel neither. Won't be a problem, though--before tractors we used oxen and horses. Raising and training oxen and building oxbows will become necessary skills. Some of us already know how to drive a team of horses. Oxen can't be that hard. One third of your land will go into raising feed for the animals. Are we all ready to go Green?

Green?? Have you ever seen what ox farts do to the environment???

 

[Flogger]

Look at the AGM batteries on Amazon. Not much more than a flooded type and will last a long time in an application that shakes them around a lot like a tractor.

If you use a name brand battery minder even a flooded type battery will last a long time in an application that is not used regularly like an antique vehicle or a tractor.

I gave up trying to keep batteries on all of my small engines and just use jumpers to start them when needed.

One thing I do on small engine equipment is use a small car battery whenever possible. They last much longer.

 

[Flogger]

I just remembered, the only automotive battery that had given me any grief were in my cj7 when I switched to the fancy AGM optima, those were warranty replaced twice in three years. After the third replacement they voided its warranty. Switched back to a die hard, ten years no issues. Optima were garbage.

Optima have never impressed me. I have never had much luck in anything from a motorcycle to a pickup. Much to fragile in my 20 things at once world.

 

[Joe1]

I live in a temperate climate on the Central Ca coast, so it's a relatively easy life for batteries. I replaced my last Walmart battery after 13 years. My J D 770 23 HP Yanmar Engine doesn't need a huge battery, but I buy the physically largest battery that will fit and the highest CCA I can, which is 50% higher than called for. I do not usually have a battery tender on it because it will start after sitting 3 months and will light off immediately. I've had good luck with their "Ever Start" group. It could be just blind dumb luck, but at their price point, they are a good choice for me.

 

[Grumpycat]

I personally think these battery tenders are not very good for battery life. They keep one charged that may otherwise go dead such as my Polaris. I bet I've put 5 batteries in that thing. They go dead in the garage because I don't use it enough. This last one has lasted a coupe of years I think. I tend to have really good service out of my batteries.

It depends a lot on the battery maintainer.

Some are fairly stupid. Others will cycle the battery every few weeks. Different cycles for different temperatures and battery chemistry. AGM is not quite the same as flooded lead-acid.