GC1705 What Brand Battery Do You Like?

atsah · Dec 7, 2016

My battery is showing signs of needing replacement, it's charging fine but it turns over a little slow when it's cold, I want to nip it at the bud before it doesn't start in the middle of a blizzard..

sixdogs · Dec 7, 2016

Optima Red Top and keep it charged. Will go 10 to 15 years, even in the cold parts of Maine.
Get at Sam' Club or mail order (Summit Racing) and make it fit.

oosik · Dec 7, 2016

I've gone to Odyssey on my tractor. It has massive CCA and I do keep a battery tender on it. Both Optima & Odyssey are AGM type.

sixdogs · Dec 7, 2016

oosik said:
I've gone to Odyssey on my tractor. It has massive CCA and I do keep a battery tender on it. Both Optima & Odyssey are AGM type.

Excellent point I failed to make. Go with an AGM type so it doesn't leak and corrode surrounding sheet metal. Plus, it can handle vibration and bouncing around better.

atsah · Dec 9, 2016

I read the manual and it says that if there is a black circle on the battery it needs charging so I bought a floating charger, I'll try that. It says it the circle is white the battery is junk.

crazyal · Dec 10, 2016

Is this the battery on your 2 year old tractor? If so then I would be looking into something other than the battery. I would start off by making sure the terminals are free of any oxidization. From there I would check the charging system. You may need a new battery but after only a couple years I doubt that the battery is the cause, more likely the result of something else and in a couple years you could find yourself with another weak battery. My 6 year old battery that can sit for months without use shows no signs of weakening, I would assume yours should last as long as well.

atsah · Dec 10, 2016

crazyal said:
Is this the battery on your 2 year old tractor? If so then I would be looking into something other than the battery. I would start off by making sure the terminals are free of any oxidization. From there I would check the charging system. You may need a new battery but after only a couple years I doubt that the battery is the cause, more likely the result of something else and in a couple years you could find yourself with another weak battery. My 6 year old battery that can sit for months without use shows no signs of weakening, I would assume yours should last as long as well.

I checked the charging system and everything looks okay, The battery could be coming up on 4 years, the tractor was a left over from CCR in Essex Junction VT and sat there for a year. When the cold hit last week I noticed it was turning over a little slower than normal, I'll see what happens with the charger hooked up, I may very well need a battery and if I do I will buy an AGM battery for it..

sixdogs · Dec 10, 2016

atsah said:
I checked the charging system and everything looks okay, The battery could be coming up on 4 years, the tractor was a left over from CCR in Essex Junction VT and sat there for a year. When the cold hit last week I noticed it was turning over a little slower than normal, I'll see what happens with the charger hooked up, I may very well need a battery and if I do I will buy an AGM battery for it..

If you've got a newer tractor that's still tight and regular dino and not synthetic oil I would be surprised if it didn't turn over a little slower when it gets cold.

atsah · Dec 11, 2016

sixdogs said:
If you've got a newer tractor that's still tight and regular dino and not synthetic oil I would be surprised if it didn't turn over a little slower when it gets cold.

I run 5W40 Mobil 1 oil year round.. I put the floating charger on it yesterday, it took maybe six hours for it to go green, it has been on green "float" all day, it's been pretty cold here 2F last night and snow on the way.. If the battery was junk it would have a white circle on the battery and the charger would be on red so I think a combination of not using it enough, age and the cold made me think the battery was on it's way out, I'll keep the tender on it for the winter and probably swap the battery out next fall unless when the warmer weather comes it acts up..

sixdogs · Dec 11, 2016

My guess is the battery is just fine. A cold battery makes things worse so if it's in a building with holes in it where the wind can get in or maybe with a dirt floor, that makes thing colder than in a shop attached to the house. Things turn pretty slow at 2 degrees and windy.

Next summer, have a dealer install a block heater that will heat the coolant and you will be all set for next year. Don't try to put it in yourself unless you have done it before since lots can go wrong.