L3200 battery - is it special?

   / L3200 battery - is it special? #11  
At least the bigger JD's and CNH's mount their starting batteries midships unlike say Kubota or New Holland or a raft of other manufacturers that put the starting batteries out front where the cooling fan can suck the acid vapors through the aluminum finned rads and where they are subjected to constant pounding. Midship is always better, Too bad it's not used often in smaller units.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #12  
At least the bigger JD's and CNH's mount their starting batteries midships unlike say Kubota or New Holland or a raft of other manufacturers that put the starting batteries out front where the cooling fan can suck the acid vapors through the aluminum finned rads and where they are subjected to constant pounding. Midship is always better, Too bad it's not used often in smaller units.
Perhaps they mount them so far forward cause I believe heat also effects the life of batteries. Anyone know if the discounted interstate batteries you can buy at Costco same qaulity as all interstates? One thing I learned from other more knowledgeable folks is weight has a lot to with qaulity. the heavier the lead acid battery the denser/ greater thickness of the plates making it more durable and longer it lasts. When I compare batteries with similar cca I usually buy the heavier one.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #13  
10 years is way past useful life, I change mine out at 5 max. To me, starting batteries are a consumable item and I need my tractors to start with no issues, winter or summer. measure the battery tray, length, width and available height clearance and get the largest battery with the most CCA that will fit with the correct terminal post locations.
I disagree about the years. Useful life is useful life, not some arbitrary number of years. I replace a battery only when it needs to be replaced as evidenced by starting sluggishness or failure. Clearly the OP in this thread needs to replace his battery. Simple case. I agree completely with your approach of replacing batteries with the largest/highest CCA that will fit with correct terminal configuration.

I replaced my 2011 MF 2660 battery last month because it no longer started reliably in cooler weather. It was a 1050 CCA battery that came new in the tractor also bought new in early 2011. That battery saw 11.5 years of excellent useful life and was manufactured 12 years ago. I never had to use a jump or a charger on that tractor at any point in 11 years. My opinion is that lead acid storage battery life is primarily determined by the number and depth of charge/discharge cycles and only secondarily by other factors such as age, extreme operating temperatures, etc. The failure mode being sludge and debris forming on/around the plates and depletion of electrode materials. Certainly high vibration can influence that demise for the same failure mode. The original battery on my 2000 F-250 pickup lasted 10 years and was replaced only because I was going into ski country and extreme cold, had slightly sluggish cranking, and did not want grief hundreds of miles from home during a vacation. That F-250 was low mileage and fits the charge/discharge cycle theory of primary failure mode.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #14  
Not an AGM fan. Flooded jars work just fine for me. I'm an Interstate person. :Like I said previously, I consider a battery to be a consumable so it's 5 and out for me. I depend in my units starting reliably winter and summer.
Interstate has a very good and detailed evaluation of the AGM technology and why they are superior to old tech normal batteries. See Cost is the ONLY downside of an AGM battery I can find and they are becoming more and more common too.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #15  
I have a 10 year old Kubota L3200 and the battery barely cranks in cold weather. I’m fact, it usually doesn’t start without a jump or fast charge. After 10 years, well, that seems like excellent life for a battery.

I’ve been reading that I should not use an automotive battery as a replacement that matches CCA, but instead should use a deep-cycle farm tractor only battery, one more ruggedly built because of the excessive vibrations tractors go through.

I’ve checked Tractor Supply and all the auto supply stores but not seeing one that matches original specs 40A, 550 CCA, and rugged case and physical dimensions that fit the tray. I’d like to avoid a Kubota dealer but only because I’m guessing a steep price.

Any recommendations?
In your case it is pretty clear you just need to replace your battery. It owes you nothing, you've gotten many good years from it, its' useful life is over. But you also raised some other issues worth comment.

First, there is no such thing as a 'deep-cycle farm tractor only battery.' In study of battery types/technology it is very worth noting that batteries designed for deep cycle (typically marine applications) have thicker plates and thus stand vibration (and deep discharge use) better than normal car/truck/tractor batteries of the traditional flooded-chamber type. There is such a wide variety of tractor applications I don't know that one can draw definite generalities on best battery type. Deep cycle batteries are intended for applications where there are long periods of discharge without constant or regular charging but they will work fine for "cranking" applications too, just not as high an amperage output. I will say that batteries designed for deep cycle use SHOULD be better for rough and tumble environs than plain car batteries because of the thicker plates. Deep cycle batteries (with thick plates) are sort of a defense against the very high vibration environs which you may or may not have. However. if you go that way, you need to pay more attention to the CCA ratings because deep cycle/thick plate batteries tend to have lower CCA ratings (e.g. lower amperage output) than the same size standard battery and CCA is your main spec for being able to crank in very cold weather.

Secondly, there is no reason in the world to buy a replacement battery from a Kubota dealer or any tractor dealer unless they happen to be price competitive which they never are. 5030 said earlier that you should "measure the battery tray, length, width and available height clearance and get the largest battery with the most CCA that will fit with the correct terminal post locations." That is good advice. That is exactly what I (as an electrical engineer, proving absolutely nothing !) do. There are large varieties of automotive batteries (and marine batteries and deep cycle batteries, etc.) that can supply the 550 CCA that you indicate is specified or needed. Just do what 5030 said. OBTW, Advance Auto Parts has bought enough rights to market batteries with the DieHard name on them (which used to mean something when Sears Roebuck existed.) I doubt that the name means anything at all today but I liked the looks of their specs and their prices and bought one for my MF2660 last month. Both AutoZone and Advance Auto parts sell a fair selection of batteries labeled "Marine" including deep cycle and what they call "starting" as well as "dual purpose." You can take those terms to mean thick plates (deep cycle), medium thick plates (dual purpose) and traditional thinner plates like in cars/trucks (starting.) Use your own judgement.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #17  
Contrarian view here.
Tractors often see less usage then your car.
Longer idle times increase plate sulfation.
Standard batteries have fewer,thicker plates spaced further apart.
Thicker makes them more vibration resistant and more space between plates allows for more buildup before plates short out.
Just my opinion and experience.
Good Luck!
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #18  
Holy cow I had no idea the vibration resistance was 20x better than a old school flooded lead acid battery at least according to this info sale article. https://www.farmandfleet.com/blog/agm-battery-traditional-flooded-battery/
That Farm and Fleet site is a slightly condensed version of the same info seen at the Interstate website I mentioned in post #14 above in this thread. Largely agree.

There are a few technicalities that are glossed over in the Farm and Fleet article -- especially they say it can be mounted in any position, etc. which may or may not be true depending on venting. More and more modern batteries are not vented and use internal valving to avoid excessive pressure buildup. If the battery is NOT vented no doubt you could mount it in any position. But you would need to be sure it it is not vented before dorking around with oddball mounting positions. Sulfuric acid is the same liquid whether in a sealed or unsealed battery and whether in an AGM or traditional flooded case. Certainly using fiberglass mats as pads between the plates would make for a drastic improvement in shock and vibration resistance. Of course so. But there is still liquid acid running around in there and pools of the liquid besides what resides in the mats.

By the way "20X better vibration resistance" smells to me like a marketing claim more than a technical spec. Twenty times what? Twenty times the number of g's over what frequency range? etc, etc. And what resonance or "Q" relative to the shape/size of the battery cavity? The manufacturers or some industrial or govt lab may have measured such things but you can bet Farm and Fleet never did and cannot. I doubt any of us farming practitioners need to consider any of that anyway.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #19  
That Farm and Fleet site is a slightly condensed version of the same info seen at the Interstate website I mentioned in post #14 above in this thread. Largely agree.

There are a few technicalities that are glossed over in the Farm and Fleet article -- especially they say it can be mounted in any position, etc. which may or may not be true depending on venting. More and more modern batteries are not vented and use internal valving to avoid excessive pressure buildup. If the battery is NOT vented no doubt you could mount it in any position. But you would need to be sure it it is not vented before dorking around with oddball mounting positions. Sulfuric acid is the same liquid whether in a sealed or unsealed battery and whether in an AGM or traditional flooded case. Certainly using fiberglass mats as pads between the plates would make for a drastic improvement in shock and vibration resistance. Of course so. But there is still liquid acid running around in there and pools of the liquid besides what resides in the mats.

By the way "20X better vibration resistance" smells to me like a marketing claim more than a technical spec. Twenty times what? Twenty times the number of g's over what frequency range? etc, etc. And what resonance or "Q" relative to the shape/size of the battery cavity? The manufacturers or some industrial or govt lab may have measured such things but you can bet Farm and Fleet never did and cannot. I doubt any of us farming practitioners need to consider any of that anyway.
Yep probably 20x better than there cheapest battery, they do have there own brand or rebrand. Anyways learned a bit more about batteries reading this thread, not trying to hi jack it but Ive done a side by side comparison on battery weights for starting batteries with similar CCA and sizes the interstates were always a bit heavier according to specs listed.
 
   / L3200 battery - is it special? #20  
Contrarian view here.
Tractors often see less usage then your car.
Longer idle times increase plate sulfation.
Standard batteries have fewer,thicker plates spaced further apart.
Thicker makes them more vibration resistant and more space between plates allows for more buildup before plates short out.
Just my opinion and experience.
Good Luck!
English in forums (to establish what we mean) is so hard to be clear about compared to other forms of communication ! I'm not sure what you are giving a contrary (opposite) view about.

Tractors often see less usage then your car. Agree.
Longer idle times increase plate sulfation. Hmmm ? Plate sulfation is mostly the result of discharging isn't it? Does idling cause more sulfation? Could be, but why would it ?
Standard batteries have fewer, thicker plates spaced further apart. No, standard batteries have more & thinner plates than a similar size/capacity deep cycle battery. I assume you were comparing standard to deep cycle designs?
Thicker makes them more vibration resistant [has to be true] and more space between plates allows for more buildup before plates short out. Not so sure which design ends up with thicker space between plates.

Good to hear thoughts/experience.
 
 
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