Best battery

   / Best battery #1  

aspg4

Silver Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2015
Messages
107
Location
texarkana, ar
Tractor
Massey Fergerson 135, TYM 554
I have a 55 hp TYM that has an Interstate battery that has lasted little over 7 years. (pretty good). I realize that there are only a few companies that make batteries and they just put the various name brand on the different batteries. Just wondering which battery seems to be holding up the best. Walmart has best price and warranty...
 
   / Best battery #3  
Get the best deal and don’t be afraid to ask if they have a return or blemish in the back. When I need a battery my first call is the local interstate warehouse because they sell blemishes for $30 I have never had an issue with one but the drawback is the warranty is only 90 days. The battery in my wife’s car is a blemish and it’s going on 6 years 3 of my tractors have them and my boat
 
   / Best battery #4  
I purchase heavy duty battery with best cranking amps at the time...Delco,Interstate etc.they last 8+ years.
 
   / Best battery #5  
Couple things to keep in mind when buying a flooded cell battery...

1. Never buy a battery from a retailer without first looking at it. If it's dusty on top, don't buy it. Flooded cell batteries (and AGM's) begin their useful life when the electrolyte is added at the factory so the longer they sit waiting for you to purchase it, the LESS time the battery has before it fails (usually from sulfation of the plates and shorts out internally).

2. Lift the battery before buying it. The heavier it is, the more lead alloy it contains and the more lead alloy, the better.

3. Always TRICKLE charge a new battery before installing it at less than 2 amps, preferably at one amp, at least overnight. Batteries like to be fully charged before using and a batter sitting on a shelf waiting to be purchased will always discharge while sitting.

4. Always clean the terminals on the battery with a terminal cleaner (Harbor Freight sells a nice one for about 3 bucks) and brighten the cable clamps too inside before installing. After installing and tightening the clamps, apply an anti corrosion to both terminals (I use di-electric grease myself).

If you can see inside the cells, make sure they are full and if not, top up with DISTILLED WATER, not tap water. Tap water contains minerals that will cause internal shorts.

One thing I do and that is, if the tractor sits for a long time unused, I disconnect the battery from the electrical circuit, using a battery disconnect knife switch on the NEGATIVE terminal of the battery. If you remove the battery from the circuit, the internal discharge rate is very small and it won't freeze in the winter anyway. A fully charged battery is good to minus 30 (f).
 
   / Best battery #6  
Best battery I have had over the years has been ODYSSEY AGM batteries... Believe one in Jeep is about 8-9 years old and Jeep start like magic every time...

 
   / Best battery #8  
For years the dealership sold Interstate and good value.

Somewhere along the line it changed? We were getting more claims where previous near zero.

By far the most amazing battery I’ve owned is my OEM Kubota BX23.

2004 to 2022… how is this even possible?

I learned through TBN my battery is made by Deka which does not seem to have much of a presence on the West coast.

Second best is OEM Delco green eye… I would have to do the math but 12+ years and never failed but cranking slower.
 
   / Best battery #9  
In reality even a top brand flooded cell battery is only good for a maximum of 5 years. While it may seem just fine, with a heavy amperage demand load on it, it will not deliver. reason being is the plates are shedding lead oxide with every charge-discharge (which is a fact of the chemical reaction taking place) and that lead oxide will decrease the amperage delivered and eventually short out the plates.

The Yuhasa group 31 I had in my one Kubota M9, lasted 7 years as well but It was never placed under a heavy load situation either.

My rule of thumb is, I renew every 5 years now, especially in the tractor that does wintertime snow removal. I buy all my starting batteries for a local big truck dealer that also has a repair facility and they go through a lot of batteries so their stock is always fresh and recently charged with electrolyte.

I pay little or no attention to what brand I use. I do pay attention to how new the battery is however. Something I don't have to be concerned with because of their rapid turnover. Big trucks demand a high CCA rating as well so the 31's I buy have a high CCA rating.

A 31 is a large battery, probably too large dimensionally for most of the tractors on this site.
 
   / Best battery #10  
How to explain the remarkable longevity of my OEM BX23 battery...

I'm simply baffled.

Tractor stored in door to daylight basement and temp is very consistent 55-60 year round... end of season small battery tender used for a couple of months straight.

Diesel are said to tax batteries but what gives?

If I found the holy grail I would jump on it because of the 40 or so automotive batteries I have in use...
 
 
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