9 years from my original Battery

[TCJatko]

Who knows why batteries last? I have a 2000 Dodge Stratus bought new in January 2000 with the original battery still going strong. I don't dare look at it; I'm afraid to disturb anything.

 

[1stDeuce]

Further research since Ive posted seem they are much heavier indicating more lead in them.

Yup. I think you'll find that if you buy a new tractor today, the battery is lighter than the same one from 10 or 15 years ago, and it will probably not last as long as some of our "old" batteries currently do...

Basically, it comes down a couple of factors:
How much abuse the battery gets, which includes letting it run down in storage, running it down with accessories and the vehicle not running, etc.

How much lead surface area is in it (sorta related to CCA...) to resist the effects of sulfation. (weight of the battery)

How much love the battery gets, including keeping it on a trickle charger and warm if stored for the winter, making sure you never run it down very far, not ever running it dead, running a desulfate on it once in a while if you believe in that sort of thing, (I do...) keeping the water up, washing off any corrosion or fuzz once in a while, etc.

Do as much good as you can from that list and you'll probably have good battery life. The more bad stuff that applies to your battery, the shorter the battery life will likely be.

 

[JWR]

SO WHY ARE THE ORIGINAL BATTERIES better-stronger and last longer than the replacements do?

None of us know. I'm an electrical engineer and I don't know for sure either. But I believe, like most, that it is true. My best guess is that the original batteries in some brands are much more likely to be "really new" as opposed to being rebuilt/remanufactured or made with recycled materials. I have had such good luck with Ford Motor Co. orig batteries I have become convinced of that factor. Every time you buy a battery you are turning in an old "core" that ends up guess where. I'm guessing the higher the % of new materials the longer it lasts if other things are equal (e.g. treatment, temperatures, heavy current loads, etc.) Secondly, my theory is that battery life is predominantly proportional to the number of charge and discharge cycles rather than calendar age. A low hours engine or a low mileage truck is more likely to have a battery last 10 years than high mileage/high hours per year vehicles.

 

[paulfun9]

The battery in my red dodge is now 15 years old and still going strong. It died a few times due to not being run during the winter but always seems to come back to life after a night on the trickle charger and the a 20 amp charge for about 15 min. So far I haven't had a battery last this long ever in anything and I have never even had to clean one bit of corrosion from the terminals.

SO based on this and my experience with cars/trucks/tractors that seem to eat batteries every couple years that all seem to accumulate lots of corrosion from the terminals I am inclined to think it has a lot to do with the electrical system its tied to just as much as the quality of the battery.

 

[JRobyn]

F-I-L has a Cub Cadet 7260 tractor that the battery has died in. Best we can tell, about 5 years use. It had a little group 26R. The mount will easily take up to a 10-1/2" wide battery, so following old and oft-repeated advice here on TBN, I trekked off to Sam's to see what was the highest CCA they had that would fit. I like Sam's because they still have a 36 month full replacement warranty on most of their batteries (not pro-rated).

Bought a group 34, 10-1/4" wide and a fraction less tall than the original. Now I can put a good battery mat under it. The battery I took out was (IIRC) 550 CCA. The new replacement is a whopping 950 CCA! It was by far the highest of anything on the shelf at Sam's, including some huge industrial/truck batteries! The real surprise is that the replacement weighs at least 50% more than the old one! It must be CRAMMED with lead. F-I-L can probably take off a few of his suitcase weights. I'm betting that it lasts much better.

 

[Sysop]

I've generally checked specs on all the batteries of a given size and bought whoever was selling the heaviest battery. I've always had life-span beyond the life-expectancy. Lead nor acid is light weight, batteries with more of the internal juice giving goodness naturally weigh more.

 

[Mike_Kanzer]

I have 11 years on my L3830 battery. Oh crap! Now that I said that it will probably be dead tomorrow.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I had the original BMW battery in a 02 325ci, I sold it two years ago with that same battery.

My tractor is an 05 and as far as I know the battery is original, never paid that close attention to the battery. Only had it 6 months.

I believe there is only 2 manufacturers of batteries in the United States so the battery that Walmart sells isn't much diff from the advanced battery, only diff is the class of battery. Most the time the warranty is the price changer.

 

[asylum575]

I致e had the original battery in my BX since Nov 2007.
Just went out to start it up and battery is weak.
Will trickle charge it and see what happens. It has been very cold this winter and I know I僧 on borrowed time.

 

[sixdogs]

Dont think Ive ever had a battery last that long in my lifetime.

Any particular make that most are using as a replacement? Original kubota battery just too high dollar for me

I used to get 4 years out of a battery and called it good. Then I discovered the new "smart" chargers that also repair and desulphate the battery. I charge each fall late in the season and now I get 10, 11 and 12 years out of good batteries. Those old high power chargers just cooked the dickins out of the battery and killed more than they cured is what I have learned. There are others but I have a Genius 3.5A and paid around $68 for it. I'm never going back. There are other threads on smart chargers.