b2400 battery oddity --

Unregistered2013 · Nov 21, 2009

so, i got the great idea

eek

to put "battery minder plus" trickle chargers on my junk, since i seem to have a lot of it -

it works okay on everything, except the b2400, which it seemed to kills its old battery --

so, i got a new battery -- and optima, and wrote it off to an old battery issue.

i used the bigger trickler on the optima to get it to 13V and then used the battery minder for a week -- with its green blinking -- meaning all is okay --

well, i went to start the b2400 today, and wouldn't start -- :|

i put the bigger trickler on it, and it charged up to 13.3V -- and that's with a new optima -- i thought "GREAT" --

-- the bastid turned over 4-5 times, and no starty -- and she ran well before all this gadgetry --

any thoughts? i have the charger back on the optima, but am losing faith.

THANKS!

jimbo64 · Nov 21, 2009

don't bet on the optima-had a one year old red one which wouldn't hold a charge-dead every week after sitting in a car with a switch that disconnected it. Autozone said it tested good and wouldn't honor the warrenty- replace with an exide from carquest at half the price and no further prob's. don't spend much money at autozone anymore and will own no more optimas

ibnxe · Nov 21, 2009

Before you condem the battery, put a voltmeter across the freshly charged battery terminals and crank it. If the battery is bad, the voltage will fall below 9.6 volts. If the voltage is above this, measure again, this time at the large starter terminal. It should read a little less than the voltage at the battery, due to losses over the distance of the cable. Be sure that the battery terminals are clean. The gray color on the battery posts is actually oxidation. Sand both the posts and the inside of the terminals before connecting the trerminals.

SeymourBota · Nov 23, 2009

I have one that works like a charm on by B2410 and also my BX2200.

sw03 · Nov 23, 2009

I had two optima and they are overpriced crap...In the end, it was 38 lbs in the trash...

BrokeSolid · Nov 25, 2009

in my dealings with cars, i learned to stay away from the red top optimas. however, the yellow tops have been worth every penny. i had three red's that crapped out on me way to early in their life. i have a 6 year old yellow that is still going strong. even my dealer told me that because i buy so many batteries, he recommend i stay away from the red ones and go with yellow. it's worked out so far.

FrogLick · Nov 25, 2009

So...what's the technological difference between red & yellow top Optimas that would make the yellow better? How are Optima batteries supposedly different for others to make them worth the higher price?

BrokeSolid · Nov 25, 2009

the yellows are deep cycle, and they have blue tops which i believe are marine batteries. also, they are either drycell or spill proof batteries(can't remember), so no fluid to add and you can put them in any position you see fit.

SeymourBota · Nov 25, 2009

BrokeSolid said:
in my dealings with cars, i learned to stay away from the red top optimas. however, the yellow tops have been worth every penny. i had three red's that crapped out on me way to early in their life. i have a 6 year old yellow that is still going strong. even my dealer told me that because i buy so many batteries, he recommend i stay away from the red ones and go with yellow. it's worked out so far.

Interesting- my experience with the red tops is exactly opposite. I have one that is now at 7 years old and powering my bowrider boat after spending 4 years in my truck.

Friends with yellow tops have had mixed experience.

I just bought my first yellow top, which is not the same 'deep cycle' as the marine blue.
The yellows are designed for high draw applications like large audio systems.

I didn't consider replacing the battery in my 2410 with an Optima- I bought the Kirkland battery listed for Kubota 2400/2410 service at Costco.
My battery tender works fine with it.

BrokeSolid · Nov 25, 2009

SeymourBota said:
Interesting- my experience with the red tops is exactly opposite. I have one that is now at 7 years old and powering my bowrider boat after spending 4 years in my truck.

Friends with yellow tops have had mixed experience.

I just bought my first yellow top, which is not the same 'deep cycle' as the marine blue.
The yellows are designed for high draw applications like large audio systems.

I didn't consider replacing the battery in my 2410 with an Optima- I bought the Kirkland battery listed for Kubota 2400/2410 service at Costco.
My battery tender works fine with it.

i really only had one red top go bad. The problem with me was the fact that i had them in vehicles that didn't run much, and also i lived in alaska during my red top expirence. seemed as though once they would go dead, i had a hard time bringing them back to life. i only had one red top survive longer than three years. the dealer suggested the yellow, and it seemed like my problems were solved. haven't had any problems since.

i shouldn't knock the reds i guess, because i do know guys that have had luck with them. just for me, they didn't work out.

either way i need the optimas because of battery location in my drag car, and in my 4x4 rig. my daily has them only because of uniformity. i doubt my B7500 will ever get an opitma either.