battery opinions

washita · Jul 10, 2013

well, after six years and 300 hours the battery finally died, any opinions on a quality battery at reasonable price, would like to put in an optima battery but the price is a little restrictive at the moment (tuition, books etc.etc.) unfortunately the 51 series batteries appear pricey compared to automotive and lawn and garden batteries

woodlandfarms · Jul 10, 2013

Any deep cranking battery is going to do you well. I personally like Interstate (they make the Optima but there regular batteries are good). Also Costco has good batteries.

WilliamBos · Jul 10, 2013

woodlandfarms said:
Any deep cranking battery is going to do you well. I personally like Interstate (they make the Optima but there regular batteries are good). Also Costco has good batteries.

Incorrect!! Johnson controls owns Optima, curious which colour Optima would be suited though?

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/fountain/230657-batteries-3.html

creekbend · Jul 10, 2013

I, personally, have had good results with the Interstate Brand. Just my thoughts.

2458n · Jul 10, 2013

Our local wrecking yard sells used batteries out of diesel pick ups for 20.00 with exchange. They are in literally everything I own right now. Little John Deere riding mower does not know it has a dual terminal 900 cold cranking amp battery.

sam5570 · Jul 11, 2013

creekbend said:
I, personally, have had good results with the Interstate Brand. Just my thoughts.

+ 1 I have had good results with interstate as well.

MossRoad · Jul 11, 2013

wa****a said:
well, after six years and 300 hours the battery finally died, any opinions on a quality battery at reasonable price, would like to put in an optima battery but the price is a little restrictive at the moment (tuition, books etc.etc.) unfortunately the 51 series batteries appear pricey compared to automotive and lawn and garden batteries

I'm not sure of the battery size and location on your PT425.
On my 2001 PT425 the space is very limited and I had to go with an exact replacement case size. I have had good luck with the Autozone house brand battery that was the same size as my original. I think I lost my factory battery at 6-7 years, then replaced it with the Autozone house brand. It lasted about 5 years as well, so you are right on track. When it died, I took it back to Autozone for size comparison and they checked my account record, saw it was still under warranty and sold me a replacement battery at the price I paid for the original, plus a little off for pro-rating 5 years of service. Anyhow, I don't know if you have priced batteries lately, but it was original about a 50 buck battery. 5 years later, it was about a 100 buck battery. They gave it to me for the 5 year old price. I didn't aske them. They told me, that's the way the warranty works. Also, I buy all my car and truck parts at Autozone. They have a really generous lifetime warranty and they keep your records on the computer for all your vehicles. I've had several parts go bad after years of service, taken them back and gotten free replacement just by them checking my phone number. I'm really happy with Autozone.

:thumbsup:

ponytug · Jul 11, 2013

Around here Costco has the ones for the 1445 at a reasonable price. My local Sears was the only other group that had the size that I needed in stock. Like MR, basically nothing else fits in the battery holder, so I need to have the factory battery size.

Given how long your battery has lasted, it would seem unlikely that your tractor needs the performance characteristics of an Optima. (Cool technology, but probably overkill for a PT, and certainly not for limited budgets.)

My factory battery died pretty early, two + years, but the Costco replacement is going strong at four years.

FWIW, it is a good time to clean the battery clamps and spray them with a protective film.

All the best,

Peter

woodlandfarms · Jul 11, 2013

WilliamBos said:
Incorrect!! Johnson controls owns Optima, curious which colour Optima would be suited though?

Batteries - Page 3

Good to know..

woodlandfarms · Jul 11, 2013

I just realized that wa****a has the 425. I was thinking he had the 1430 so while I stand by my manufacturer suggestion, I have no clue if they will fit.

BigBoyinMS · Jul 11, 2013

WilliamBos said:
Incorrect!! Johnson controls owns Optima, curious which colour Optima would be suited though?

Batteries - Page 3

Johnson Controls makes batteries branded Interstate, Optima, Wal-Mart, DieHard, Duralast (Autozone) and many others. In fact, they are the largest battery supplier in North America.

EE_Bota · Jul 11, 2013

I looked at Optima twice, and each time, I took a voltmeter with me, and the Optima's were down on voltage. So anymore, I take a meter and try to buy a "fresh" battery, though I have yet to buy Optima.

Sometimes batteries get put on shelves and stay there so long, they self-discharge to an extent I dislike for a new battery.

cqaigy2 · Jul 12, 2013

Most, if not all lead acid type batteries discharge if not on a keeper. That's not the problem so much as issues with lead sulfate.

washita · Jul 15, 2013

installed a ''house brand'' battery from rural king and replaced the positive cable with a 00 cable to the starter (connector was cracked) discovered there was no star washer at the starter terminal on the starter and the battery cable was not making good contact now it starts like a champ

ponytug · Jul 15, 2013

That's great!
I also upgraded that cable, and added an upgraded ground system when I bought my PT, including a 0 ground strap to the engine, and grounds on the tub, and at the console (i.e. front half). I think you will like the improved starting/performance.

All the best,

Peter

MossRoad · Jul 15, 2013

Good to hear! :thumbsup:

Clumber · Jul 15, 2013

Several months ago, my pt425 was increasingly harder to start. The battery seem to lose power requiring frequent charging and jump starts. It eventually would not charge. I bought a nice smart charger which diagnosed that the battery was heavily sulfated and it would take 12+ hours to restore. The next day the charger said it could not restore it -- a new battery was needed.
I really needed to use my tractor so checked if the battery in my Honda CRV would fit. It did and the PT roared to life without the usual two to three cranks it normally took to start. The cranking amps in my car battery made a big difference.
So I started my quest to buy a new battery for the PT. My ignorance about batteries became apparent. After searching I found a great tutorial (see link below). It seemed like the best battery for the application was to emphasize starting instead of Deep Cycle types. The first choice was the AGM batteries which are specialty batteries that typically cost twice as much as a premium wet cell. However they store very well and do not tend to sulfate or degrade as easily as wet cell. There is little chance of a hydrogen gas explosion or corrosion when using these batteries; these are the safest lead acid batteries you can use. Sealed AGMs can be ordered online. However I could not wait several days for delivery. I could not find one locally, however, so I decided on the second choice, a Starting traditional lead acid battery with high cold cranking amps.
At issue was matching a battery size that would fit and max Cold Cranking Amps (CCAs). My only size restriction on my PT is 6 inches -- the distance between the gas tank and the heat shield where the battery sits. So the depth of the new battery has to be </= 6 inches. I quickly learned that there are hundreds of battery sizes enumerated by a strange code... the BCI size chart link below help me determine that my battery size was 51R. So it was easy searching for that size and picking one on CCAs and price. I decided on one from Tractor Supply that had a depth of 5 inches and has 450 CCAs. (see link). Almost 3 times the CCAs as the old battery. The PT now roars to life without hesitation.

Schumacher SC-10030A SpeedCharge Automatic Charger and Maintainer : Amazon.com : Automotive

BatteryStuff Articles | Guide to Understanding Flooded, AGM, and Gel Batteries

BCI Battery Group Size Chart

Exide Classic Auto/Truck/SUV Battery, 51RC - Tractor Supply Online Store

EE_Bota · Jul 16, 2013

cqaigy2 said:
Most, if not all lead acid type batteries discharge if not on a keeper. That's not the problem so much as issues with lead sulfate.

Sure...I am well studied on batteries. I don't care to pay premium money for a battery having 10.9 volts. I take great pains with my batteries, and when I ultimately have to buy one, I don't want to pay big bucks for a battery that has self-discharged much. My desulfating chargers MAY recover them just fine, but I want a NEW battery.

EE_Bota · Jul 16, 2013

I have several "smart chargers" and sometimes they are too smart for my wallet. So from time to time, I have to start with a conventional charger, and after that, the smart charger will do the desulfation task without balking.

Marks481 · Jul 16, 2013

Clumber said:
At issue was matching a battery size that would fit and max Cold Cranking Amps (CCAs). My only size restriction on my PT is 6 inches -- the distance between the gas tank and the heat shield where the battery sits.

Wish that was true of my 2005 PT-422. Unfortunately, the arrangement PT chose for that version only has room for a garden tractor sized battery underneath the exhaust manifold. That being said, I have not had any starting problems after I replaced my battery last year, even with the smaller size that my PT-422 allows.