JD Strongbox or Optima

[TractorGuy]

That is a good question^^^^
I use three stage marine battery chargers on my batteries designed to work with agm and other deep cycle batteres including gel type. It could be the reason some people are experiencing problems with the Optima agm batteries is they have the cheaper chargers.

I have had good service for everyday use from Walmart ever start batteries where these are not expected to sit for long periods of non use. Fpor my boat and camper I prefer the odyssey and die hards much better for storage and longer intervals between use. My small truck camper has the NAPA gel batteries and these work out great for it.

I have had good luck using these little $25 EverStart Batteries from Walmart. It started as a weight savings experiment in my Mustang. Then I put one on my gate opener and lastly my JD855. The 855 has a little smaller engine than the OPs and I live in N. FL so mine are not subjected to extreme cold but so far so good. Have not had the jump the tractor once even after sitting a couple of months without starting it.

As you can see by the date code this one was made in December, 2010 and it's still going strong in my V8 Mustang.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Batteries can drive you crazy! There is no way beyond sales talk and marketing to know what you are getting. This is such an ever changing business with manufacturers, suppliers and dealer networks changing all the time. I used to buy all my batteries at Walmart, but they were getting lighter and lighter and eventually did not perform to my expectations. I have been removing ten year old Yuasa Gelled lead acid batteries recently. Replacement ones, same rating and manufacture last two or three years, and are mysteriously much lighter in weight.

We are being dupped!

I try and put battery disconnect switches on my equipment. This may help to prevent the slight drain of the battery through the leakage of the diodes on the alternators. A healthy diesel, with a good starting system and battery should start at freezing after a month of not being used if not longer!

But back to Walmart. I used to believe in getting Big expensive "Industrial" batteries but found that they didn't last any longer, so might as well buy cheap ones. Always wanted to try JD strongbox but have no idea what I am really buying. A friend works at a place that uses maybe a couple thousand commercial batteries a year and I get the impression that they really don't know what they are getting either! It's all just Sales talk, in other words, most of the time pure B.S.!

 

[jenkinsph]

industrial Toys,
You may be correct about batteries in general for instance I don't have much trouble with any of the batteries holding a charge for several months. Everything I have seems to start up and spins over well enough with the cheaper Walmart batteries. I have found that the Odyssey and their rebranded Die Hard Platinum agm batteries seem to work much better for my trolling motor. The cheaper batteries for starting batteries do not have to draw down much at all if the equipment is in good shape and seem to be a good value. I don't have any problems with drain down on my current vehicles but I do know that some vehicles are bad about this and a disconnect is a good idea in those cases.

 

[rod330]

I'm a believer in BatteryMINDer products. In addition to a trickle charge, the desulfinator mode will dramatically extend the life of your battery. My 2006 Honda ATV is still on the factory battery and I have several other car batteries from 2008 and 2009 that are working great. Last winter, as an experiment, I brought an Optima Redtop back from the dead by letting it charge / desulfinate for 3 months. Nope, I don't work for BatteryMINDer.

 

[GoodGuy]

Hi everyone....thanks for your comments. I bought a JD Strongbox for a couple reasons, the big one was that it was $148.50 & the Optima was $239.90. The JD shows 500cca where the Optima is 425. Also I didn't need to fabricate new holding brackets or such. Time will tell.......

 

[Mighty Dodge]

I put a Strongbox in my 4200 3-1/2 years ago...so far so good. The Strongbox has a single vent on the caps, for piece of mind I put a piece of vinyl tubing on the vent and ran it down along the frame so if it did outgas it wouldn't mess up the trans cooler.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just for what it's worth. I had a discussion with our Ontario Interstate Battery Rep today about another matter but picked his brain some. Yes, weight does usually contribute to the quality and capacity of the battery. In other words, be wary of batteries that just seem kind of lighter then you think they should be. That kind of describes the Walmart batteries I bought lately and that didn't perform well.

 

[ultrarunner]

I was 100% Interstate... we sold them at work and had a zone distributer that was one hardworking fool... built the business and 12 years later, split his territory and we landed with someone else... service was next to nonexistent... no more hot shot deliveries, etc...

I bought one for my BMW 2 years ago and it failed... went to Interstate and was told there was no warranty since it was bought wholesale... that did it for me...

I now use a jobber that handles lots of oddball batteries and they are cheaper and so far have delivered as promised.

Best 12 volt ever was the 13 year old Delco Green Eye in Mom's 2001 Corolla... Delco dropped the Green Eye and batteries are not made outside the USA

My Kubota battery is 11 years old and going strong...

Elk makes good batteries for alarm panels... they claim no recycled material is used.

 

[sjbcountry]

Does anyone have trouble with Strongbox batteruies?----i have had a lot of problems and deere will not stand behind them

 

[beenthere]

No problem with Deere batteries. Have them in everything.

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