REVISIT The Battery Question Small Equipment

[HillStreet]

I started a thread recently about keeping batteries charged during periods of little use on small power equipment such as lawn mowers and UTVs. Some of the commenters recommended battery minders, some said its a bad idea to run equipment during the winter, that I should just disconnect batteries and leave it alone. I can follow procedures for winter storage for the zero turn. The UTV I do like to use occasionally in winter even though it is not the best vehicle in snow.

So what do most folks do with your lawn mowers during the winter? Long term storage (4 months) is what is needed in Maine to keep it idle.

 

[ultrarunner]

In snow country we always pulled the batteries and brought them into a heated area...

 

[tomplum]

Battery health is maintained by keeping them reasonably charged, but not overcharged and certainly not left to discharge. A good quality battery tender will do that. Simply removing the - battery cable will prevent a parasitic draw from draining the battery. Begin storage with a full charge and top it off before using after storage is another excellent way to extend the battery's life.

Fuel deterioration is a more common issue and happens at a quicker rate in the carburetor as the fuel is exposed to the atmosphere in a small quantity with relatively large surface area. Using fuel stabilizers can help as well as running the engines for 15 minutes a month. So if you have an oil that will function in cold winter temps for your area, you can kill 2 birds with one stone and let the engine refresh the battery as well as cycling the fresher fuel into the carburetor.

 

[oosik]

My motorcycle - which spends its blissful life out in my only heated shed - I keep a vehicle specific battery tender/minder on the battery all the time. If the battery were easier to get at, I might just bring it inside - during the winter. But ease of access was never considered by the design engineers.

I bring the battery out of the JD riding mower inside and charge it with a battery tender about every two months.

I keep a battery tender on my Odyssey AGM battery in the tractor - all winter.

My pickup and Jeep - I have my OEM large tractor battery, inside, charged and on standby - that I can use as needed to jump - if its been too long since they were last started.

The last thing I do with the lawn mower and motorcycle is run a tank full of gas with Stabil thru them. This ensures the gas will still be OK in the spring.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I've migrated to adding 2-Prong pigtails to each of my batteries, the Harley's being the first. Motorcycle engineers seem to totally overlook battery accessibility.

I connect them with the pigtail sticking out in a discrete, but accessible, place so I can easily plug my battery maintainers or charges in quickly, with much effort at all. I do have a couple of battery chargers on hand, but rely on battery maintainers to keep everything all nice and cozy - and ready for use at anytime.

 

[WranglerX]

Only thing that I have that has battery tender is my generator and have to wonder if its a false sense of security if it sits a long period and battery just dies from old age and yes it has voltage but when I try to crank it.... Nothing (no longer capacity in battery) ....

My main backup is actually a jump box...

Dale

 

[mcfarmall]

Remove the battery and store in a heated area. Charge occasionally throughout the winter and keep the battery CLEAN!

 

[HillStreet]

I started a thread recently about keeping batteries charged during periods of little use on small power equipment such as lawn mowers and UTVs. Some of the commenters recommended battery minders, some said its a bad idea to run equipment during the winter, that I should just disconnect batteries and leave it alone. I can follow procedures for winter storage for the zero turn. The UTV I do like to use occasionally in winter even though it is not the best vehicle in snow.

Good responses everybody, thanks. I decided what to do. I bought a battery tender made by Mroinge that does a 4 step maintenance program that does not overcharge the battery. I also bought two 2-foot extensions that will connect to batteries by ring terminals, and the remote quick connect end will terminate in some discreet location. I will switch between ZTR and Polaris Ranger. That should keep them active. I prefer this method rather than pickle them and just let them sit all winter—I prefer to exercise them.