Batteries- Deere or Napa

Randy G

Member
Deere wants $184.00 for Strong Box each and Napa wants $110.00 each for my 2940. Currently has Strong Boxes in it. Is the $148.00 for 2 difference in price worth it? What would you choose and why? I just hobby farm.

RG
 
we have been getting 14 to 15 years out our John Deere batteries that are in our main equipment 8400, 7800, 3020, 4710 sprayer. 3020 batteries were dead about a week after we finish beans this spring (i think i may have left a switch on on the seed wagon after i cleaned out the auger) so we charged them up and had the dealer test them and the guy said it still has 90 some percent of its power on one, other one was quite a bit weaker in the 30% area i think he said, but these batteries were made in 2002, pretty good for 14 years if you ask me.

i cant knock napa batteries as i have no experience with them but i would not expect that kind of service out of them
 
I have had conversations with numerous people regarding who's batteries are the best and who's batteries are junk. I have been told there are truly only a handful of battery manufacturers out there, with numerous companies attaching their label to those batteries. There are some brands I refuse to put into any piece of equipment I have, and I have had some pleasant surprises, too. We had a set of Partsmaster batteries in a 6030 John Deere, lasting 13 years. We have never had a battery last that long in a tractor! I have no idea who manufactured those batteries, and it would not entirely surprise me to find out today the company producing those batteries for Partsmaster is a different company from the one who made them back now 15 or 16 years ago, when we put them in that 6030. We have a 2004 Dodge diesel pickup with the original batteries in it today, 12 years after it was purchased. I have had no luck with Exide or Cenex batteries (which I believe are made by Exide). Every Delco battery I have had has lasted a long time, and thus far, my Interstate batteries seem to be holding up well. In our vehicles, and until recently, I have replaced at least one battery in every vehicle we have owned, until the last one I had traded off. Every replacement battery was the largest in terms of Cold Cranking Amps I could install, and had a minimum of a 60 month warranty. I purchased it used when it was 4 years old, and I traded it for another car after owning it for just over 7 years. I did not every have any trouble with that battery, nor did I have difficulties starting that car. The one sound conclusion I CAN come to is anything you can do to cause reduce the strain on those batteries while starting will definitely add to longevity. That Dodge diesel pickup NEVER gets used in the winter time, unless absolutely necessary, and it is plugged in to help aid in starting. It also uses 5W-40 synthetic engine oil in the crankcase. That car I mentioned, which I never replaced the battery in while I owned it, had nothing but synthetic 5W-20 engine oil in the crankcase, which I know helped in cold weather starting in the winter, as the car was my daily driver. With respect to the NAPA, I have had no experience with their batteries. The John Deere Strongbox batteries I have in some of our equipment have done their job adequately. Most of our farm tractors rarely run in the winter, except for the snow removal machines. When used at any time, especially if the fall weather is cool and in the winter, the block heaters are plugged in to aid in cold weather starting AND warm up. I firmly believe those little things one can do to aid in quick start up and less strain on the starter and battery powering that starter, will aid in battery life!
 
Buy the battery with the best full replacement warranty. Recent trends show a partial return to strong replacement warranties in some brands while others have a flat one year warranty. As a previous poster said, there are only 2-3 battery mfg who make and private label all the other brands.
 
Exide make JD batteries but there not your run of the mill exides. They have welded plastic dividers/ insulators in them! My dodge cummins exides are same size but more power. That power has to come with a compromise .
 
Batteries come in different CCA ranges for the same size battery.
The local NAPA dealer here stocks the cheaper battery but can get the
better battery. Doesn't make sense to me.
Be sure you compare apples to apples.
I haven't used Deere batteries for years because I wasn't getting
any better service from them than other brands. Some only lasted a
year. I don't know how long others lasted because I sold the tractors.
 
I have been in one battery factory, just west of Salina Kansas, Not much to them, but i have had excellent luck with the old Exide brand.
 
I just took out a strongbox that lasted 12 years 1 month in our JD 4600. I had an extra car battery that is only 1 year old, that's what I put in. I don't think I would spend 184 dollars for one, I think mine was a freak!
 
I have the best luck with Carquest batteries. never had one that didn't last 9 years.

I can tell you about DEERE batteries. My dad bought two in May for his combine. One went bad in July. he took it to Deere for adjustment. They charged him more to adjust his two month old battery than he paid for it!
 

There maybe 2-3 battery manufactures , half a dozen tire manufactures and there is half a dozen companies manufacturing lubricant . Doesn't mean everything out the door is identical. Product is built to spec for who every hired that manufacture to manufacture the battery, tires or oil.
Compare the batteries. What is the CCA , amp hours and warrenty differences?
 
All our 12V batteries in tractors were Strongbox. I have blown two of them up in a 2630 in the last five years, and several others not last to my expectations.
Since then, we had an O'Reillys Auto Parts move into town, and they offer a discount based on my employer, with batteries it runs around 30%. Makes it nearly impossible not to buy theirs. I won't go back to Deere.
 
had a friend that owned a napa store few years ago.at that time there were three grades of batteries.he wouldn't stock or sell the cheaper ones.i put the best ones in last semi I had.we weighed them and they were nine pounds each heavier then ones I took out.had them six years with no trouble.sold truck so don't know how long they lasted..knew a guy that was cheap and bought cheap on sale batteries from dealer and was always replaceing them
 
(quoted from post at 23:22:20 05/25/16) I have the best luck with Carquest batteries. never had one that didn't last 9 years.

I can tell you about DEERE batteries. My dad bought two in May for his combine. One went bad in July. he took it to Deere for adjustment. They charged him more to adjust his two month old battery than he paid for it!

Something fishy about that story.
 
I had good luck with the 2 Napa batteries in my 2550, so when they needed replaced, that is what I bought. Was told that the current batteries are made by East Penn.

John
 

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