Lets talk car/truck/tractor batteries ??

[KennyG]

For my cars and trucks, I replace the batteries after 6 winters. I base this on the logic that one service call will cost more than the extra few years are worth. In the last 30 years or so I've only had one battery fail. That was in a car I had loaned to my son and forgot about the battery age. It was 7 years old. The tractor battery I will run to failure. It's going into it's 7th winter now. I don't worry much about the brand but I buy them at an auto parts store and not a discount store.

 

[California]

For my cars and trucks, I replace the batteries after 6 winters. ... The tractor battery I will run to failure. It's going into it's 7th winter now.

My cheapskate approach: Cars have to start every time. The tractor isn't so critical, I could charge it in the barn or even carry a jumper battery down to it if I ever had to. (never have).

So if a car battery still seems good at year 4~5 I'll replace it and move that retired battery to the tractor until its unusable. The car remains reliable, the tractor is parked where I could plug in a charger if I needed to so it is sufficiently reliable for my use, too. No point in buying a new tractor battery before I've gotten my money's worth.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So if a car battery still seems good at year 4~5 I'll replace it and move that retired battery to the tractor until its unusable.

That's what I do too, as the batts keep going down the line to less used equipment until they are junk.

SR

 

[JerryK]

I was doing real good with the battery rotate down to the tractor thing. I converted my old JD 2240 to side terminal, and my 20hp JD 420. Then I sold the 2240. Just bought a new 2016 Colorado, and the durn thing has a top terminal. Now, my best laid plans are running amok... RATS..!!!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

When it comes to batts, NAPA and many others, have conversions to convert anything to anything... lol

I keep a supply of them around, to put what ever batt. in what ever I want...

SR

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

I have all my vehicles - tractor, Jeep & motorcycle - on battery tenders. Keeping the batteries fully charged seems to help them last longer.

There's no "seems" about it. That's fact. Discharging is the #2 enemy of a lead-acid battery. Sitting discharged is the #1 enemy.

 

[QRTRHRS]

If you have a Dodge Ram, go with the Optima's. Many's an owner that had an acid leak from the vibration. The 2090 Case tractor I used to own came with new batteries. Been some time so I cannot recall the name but it was from one of the major tractor brands. When they died, I put in some big Wal-Mart's. That big Consolidated Diesel spun over like never before, lol!

Way back when, I have actually made many a delivery to the Deka facilities. Good folks to work with. It's been a number of years but I am thinking that you could go there to buy "blems"?

 

[Fallon]

Think about it. Low voltage creates resistance. Resistance creates heat which is the killer of starters. Now because of the low voltage your alternator must work harder creating more heat and then resistance. It's a vicious endless cycle.

For this reason all my stuff gets a new battery every 36 months. I believe because of this is the reason I have never had to replace a starter or alternator on anything I have owned but have on tons of friends and customers stuff. Usually when I do they comment that they just had to change the battery after 5 or 6 years.

Chris

Resistance has nothing to do with voltage in that context. It's a fixed property of the electrical system, not the power source. As wiring ages & corodes, resitance will go up, but running 12v or 120v across the same wire & there will be the same percentage of voltage drop. A low battery won't create resistance.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Resistance has nothing to do with voltage in that context. It's a fixed property of the electrical system, not the power source. As wiring ages & corodes, resitance will go up, but running 12v or 120v across the same wire & there will be the same percentage of voltage drop. A low battery won't create resistance.

Thank you for that important correction. I had missed that post or I would have chimed in.

 

[JJZ 109]

That's amaking. I've never had a battery make it past 4 yrs, maybe 5.

Replaced the battery in my 2007 (purchased August 2006) Mustang in summer 2015. So I got 9 years out of it. But in reality the car is only driven from late April until mid to late October and then put away for the winter months. But the battery has always been on a tender in the off season. I've owned the car 10 years and it has just over 28k on it.
Back to the original topic - we just had an Interstate battery store open locally. So whenever a battery goes on me, I've been replacing with Interstate. So far I've only done one on a Ferris zero turn mower and a deep cycle for the camper. I guess it's kind of an experiment to see how they last.