Another Battery!

[John_Mc]

On a related subject have been pleasantly surprised by these newfangled capacitor jump starters.
Amazon.com

That appears to be a lithium battery jump starter, not a capacitor-based one. Have you actually used the brand in the link? I'm in the market for one one of these days.

 

[dj1701]

The JD strongbox battery that came with the 4320 lasted 14 years. The battery that came with my F150 lasted 6 years. I never did anything to maintain them. Actually, I never give the batteries a second thought.

 

[John_Mc]

The JD strongbox battery that came with the 4320 lasted 14 years. The battery that came with my F150 lasted 6 years. I never did anything to maintain them. Actually, I never give the batteries a second thought.

Do you use both regularly? 14 years is great life for a tractor battery, given the heat, vibration, and occasional periods of disuse that many tractor batteries see.

Lead acid batteries like to be fully charged. They will self-discharge over time even if the vehicle in which they are installed has no "phantom loads". Modern vehicles tend to have more phantom loads, so the battery drains more quickly when idle. Regular use keeps them topped off from the vehicle's charging system. Sitting idle for extended periods without a maintainer causes sulfatation, shortening the life.

 

[Smokeydog]

That appears to be a lithium battery jump starter, not a capacitor-based one. Have you actually used the brand in the link? I'm in the market for one one of these days.

I’m no expert on how it works. It has a small battery of several cell phones worth but uses I would think capacitor tech to deliver the punch in amps to start a vehicle.

Yes I have used that one. AUXITO brand LED light upgraded also. Started Dodge diesel with two batteries that just clicked and B26 tractor with completely dead battery. Drops the charge to 73-86% so needs recharging after use. Did start the B26 several times from one charge till I eventually replaced the battery. Self discharges so need to check charge every 3 months.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I have a fairly large Noco jump starter, and it helped fire up my Peterbilt once.

Took for granted it has lithium batteries so just like with the cordless tool batteries, it only gets charged when under supervision.

Maybe that's overly cautious, but I'd hate to lose the garage and everything in it to a battery technology I don't fully trust.

 

[SmallChange]

I've given up on trying to get long life out of batteries. The trouble a dead battery causes me is often ten times what I'd save postponing the purchase a year or two. I replace them every 3 years. That keeps things available for unexpected tire failures....

 

[lilranch2001]

The only thing I am absolutely sure about a battery, is once you let the charge go flat, you have shortened the life of the battery by a huge percentage

 

[Flogger]

I tend to buy batteries from Walmart and Interstate. Both offer multiple grades and I buy the better grades for the heavier plate construction. The only special treatment they get from me is an occasional start and run if they are not used on a regular basis. I would be pretty disappointed if I only got 5 years. Typically they go over 10 years for me. Regular short life in a battery is an indication of a problem over charging or a drain. One thing I always do is apply No Ox Ide A to the terminals EVERY time they are disturbed. Dialectric grease does an excellent job of protecting insidious moisture but not much else.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

The only thing I am absolutely sure about a battery, is once you let the charge go flat, you have shortened the life of the battery by a huge percentage

Very true. And apparently Odyssey batteries really don't like it.

 

[varmint]

Religion, politics and batteries! Always a topic with a lot of viewpoints. The L3400 I bought used in 2014 came with a Napa battery, and it's still in there, always starting perfectly. I use the tractor rarely, less than 25 hours a years sometimes, and I do stick a $5 Harbor Freight maintainer on it when I know it's going to sit for more than a couple weeks.