My turn to buy a battery

[David Wayne]

I never reply to threads concerning "how long my battery lasted" for fear of jinxing mine.
Well times up, just had to replace the original in my 2005 Kubota L3400. I don't expect
the new one will last half as long.

David

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Mine only lasted about a year and a half. Luckily they put an Interstate in it, ran over to the Interstate Dealer and got a brand new one for free.99!!!

Forgot to add.. The old one leaked pretty bad causing a bunch of corrosion. Nothing crazy awful but still a pain to clean up and deal with going forward. The Interstate guy hemmed and hawed a bit about giving me a new one but saw the catastrophic failure of their product and had pity on me.

 

[RandyT]

My original Interstate lasted 6 months and replaced under warranty. The replacement battery lasted 18 months and then replaced under warranty again. I have had the best luck with Napa batteries in my tractor. Battery lasted 6 years. New battery is another Napa and has been in use for a year now. The first Napa battery was the 5th battery in my tractor. So 4 batteries in the first 9 years.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Strange. I buy the Interstate Group 34 #8850241 from Costco for around $90. It is a 1000CA/800CCA battery. Best price Iv found for the capability. I adapt them for everything. There are ~10 in service - no special preventive maintenance. MTBF is around 10yrs. The only failure I had w/i 3yr replacement was probably my fault. Costco gave me a new one.

 

[5030]

My take on flooded cell batteries..
1. Brand don't matter unless it really cheap
2. I never buy a battery from a mom and pop shop, always a volume dealer.
3. I never buy a battery with dust on top
4. I always buy the largest sized batter that will fit in my battery tray.

Flooded cell batteries begin their useful life when the electrolyte is added so if the battery is sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting to be bought, it's slowly depleting it's useful life. Just because you buy it 'new', it's not new at all. It's busy shedding lead oxide inside (suphating) and that is what eventually kills a flooded cell battery. Brand is not important at all.

Finally, when I buy a new battery I trickle charge it until it's 'full' before I install it. Batteries all loose charge when sitting. and I change out ALL my starting batteries every 5 years, no exceptions. I need my units to start reliably.

I always buy any battery with the most CCA I can get. The higher the CCA rating is, the more lead plates there are inside.

Right now I'm running Delphi Group 31's with 1200 CCA in each of my tractors and I bought them both at a volume dealer, a heavy truck dealership. Most heavy truck dealerships have a heavy turnover in starting batteries.

That 'new' battery you buy in reality isn't new at all.

 

[oosik]

I replaced my OEM battery two years ago. It was ten years old. It still worked - but you know how that can go. I got a new Odyssey group 31 AGM battery. 1150 CCA. Spins the starter like a tornado.

 

[5030]

I replaced my OEM battery two years ago. It was ten years old. It still worked - but you know how that can go. I got a new Odyssey group 31 AGM battery. 1150 CCA. Spins the starter like a tornado.

Not all that impressed with AGM's in general. Cost is very high and AGM's are not really meant to be starting batteries. Having said that, I do have a Hawker in my KLR and it's been a good battery. Optima's (Johnson Controls) on the other hand are IMO, overpriced junk.

As a rule, any flooded cell battery after 5 years is living on borrowed time. Besides air filters on tractors, starting batteries and their physical connections have to be the most ignored components.

Finally, it's not the cold that kills a battery, it's the summer heat that kills them. The reason why the expire at the first cold snap is because a cold engine requires more starting amps than a warm one and that old battery cannot deliver the beans anymore.

 

[Teachu2]

The Exide battery that came in my Kioti celebrated it's 7th birthday by refusing to take a charge. It was a messy one, leaving behind lots of acid droppings. I decided to eliminate that mess, and research lead me to the NAPA The Legend Premium AGM Group 34 battery. Pulled the old battery, scrubbed the battery compartment with a mixture of water and baking soda, rinsed thoroughly, blew it out, sprayed it with Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer, followed up with Rustoleum 2X Pro. Let it dry overnight, replaced the positive cable clamp, installed the new battery with dielectric grease, and am very happy with the power it delivers. Paid $177 OTD for it with the new clamp. Time will tell how long it lasts, but I shouldn't have acid spillage!

 

[deereman75]

I have actually had pretty good luck with Kubota branded batteries. They're priced on par with the cheap junk that has given me trouble, but seem to hold up as well as any battery I've used.

 

[Doughknob]

My take on flooded cell batteries..
1. Brand don't matter unless it really cheap

I always buy any battery with the most CCA I can get. The higher the CCA rating is, the more lead plates there are inside.

Brand do matter in any given size. Some brands use more lead with different geometries inside.

Also, CCA can be had with different plate geometries. But physical size is certainly a big part of more CCA too.