Battery For 1998 MF 1250

[carolinarider]

1998 MF Tractor Model 1250 -Iseki TK532 3 cylinder 91.5 ci 651 hours on the tractor

Time for a third battery and yes I know, not many hours. The spec I have states a Yuasa 95D31R-MF. However, I cannot find that specific battery, so I just looked for a battery for the tractor by name and model.

Found one at Batteries Plus (well found a couple). Any reason I should not use one these, as along as it fits and has the battery terminals in the right place?

Duracell SL165M (850CCA)
Duracell SL124FM (725CCA)

There are other versions of the same battery SL165 vs SL165M.

Also found a "bunch" at NAPA.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/search?text=Battery&referer=v2

The local MF dealer is about 45 miles away. That is the other option. Just go there and make sure I get the correct one or is that "overkill"?

Thanks.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Basically, a lead acid battery is a lead acid battery. I’d take the old one into NAPA mid week, in the early to mid afternoon, and put it on the counter.

Locally they might not have it in stock, but would have one out of the warehouse in Salt lake the next day.

 

[JWR]

Agree with Jiggs 100%. The "correct" one will never be any better than some generic one like NAPA or Exide or whatever fits the hole and has the terminals in the right places. Those Duracells you are considering are probably way more expensive than necessary. For sure go check the cold cranking amps (CCA) on the OEM factory supplied battery or what should be documented in your owner's manual . I strongly suspect that the 725 to 850 CCA batteries you are looking at are overkill. In SC you are not in the subzero winter starting trouble zone. The 850CCA one is showing at $195 on the BatteriesPlus website. Tractor Supply shows a 650CCA battery for $110 (group size 65.) I'm a cheapskate on batteries and have learned over the years that battery guarantees that are prorated over some number of years are worthless. I also believe that lead acid batteries life is more accurately expressed in number of charging cycles rather than in years. I think you can find a plenty good enough battery for around $100 if you shop around. All that said, I will admit 12v lead acid car batteries have essentially doubled in real-life prices over the last few years.

 

[Roadworthy]

Lots of good information there. To that I would add measure the length, width, and height of the place you can put your battery. It may not be the same as the dimensions of the existing battery but perhaps a bit larger. This can help in you battery hunt. Bigger is generally better. Pay attention to the configuration of the terminals. They can affect whether your cables will reach.

 

[carolinarider]

Thank you all for the recommendations. I have always gotten good data here. I will do as recommend above.

Have the battery measurements. Like the idea of taking it to NAPA.

Well do that in the coming week.

Thanks again.

 

[eCRX]

Bigger is generally better.

Agreed. Especially in areas with extreme heat or cold. No reason not to go bigger if you can on a tractor as weight and envelope are much less of an issue. Longer\Wider battery tie-downs are easily available at auto parts stores.

Note that 'Group Code' or 'Group Size' (which is likely shown on your battery somewhere) will get you the right dimensions. Look for a '65' on your battery.

BCI Battery Group Size Chart

Knowing exact BCI group battery size helps finding new battery replacement, however, knowing just BCI group size is often not enough...

www.batteryequivalents.com

If you're a super-mega cheapskate and like to gamble a bit, you can also drive down to the auto wreckers. If you look carefully you might see date codes on batteries. New cars get into accidents all the time