Good Old Interstates

rusty6

Well-known Member
I finally replaced the old Interstate workaholics on my 1660 CIH combine last week. The voltmeter was giving erratic, mostly low, readings so
I figured the 18 year old batteries would be the most likely weak link. Wrong! The voltmeter is still reading the same with the new batteries
so I've got a new alternator in the parts bin waiting to install.
The old Interstates are retired to the spare battery department for now. I installed one on the 730 Case diesel this morning but have not run
it yet. Its a bit amazing when I realize I bought those batteries in August of 1998.
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I think you now hold the all time battery life record ! Better call Guinness ! Those ones need in the record books.
 
Must be a record. I got 12 or 14 yrs. out a 6 volt Farm/Fleet batt. a few years ago and about ten out F/F batt. in a garden tractor. The rest of them last between 2 and 7 years.
 
gOT A 2003 wAL-MART BATTERY IN A OLD TRACTOR THAT RUNS LESS THAN 10HOURS A YEAR



Got a 2003 Wal-mart battery in a tractor that runs less than 10 hours a year...and sits outside...works everytime. Just changed Exide batteries in the 2470 Case that are less than 3 years old and are complete junk. 925 amp-hour batteries that test 175 and 190 after a full charge.
 
As some of you may know, I just purchased a 1977 Kubota L185DT tractor. It had been in a metal building for 15 - 20 years. A couple weeks before I picked it up, I grabbed the battery out of it, just to see if it would take a charge. The battery is a Sears DieHard Gold Series. I'm in New England, so this thing has been through many very cold winters. It took a while for the needle on my charger to even acknowledge something was hooked up to it, but it finally started to move. After a couple days the battery was fully charged. I took it to NAPA to have it tested under load. It passed with flying colors! I couldn't believe it. I have started the tractor several times since owning it and all is well. I was amazed!
I have also had very good luck with the 6 volt batteries I've put in my 9N, but no where near the years that were on that DieHard.
 
Bought a Interstate battery for a Allis lawn tractor 9 years ago. Took it to a show and has been sitting since. This year was Allis again so charged the battery and fired the engine...good to go. Been thru 9 winters and still works. The new ones don't seem to be that good, 5-6 years is all I get in a big tractor.
 
(quoted from post at 14:41:22 09/14/17) Must be a record. I got 12 or 14 yrs. out a 6 volt Farm/Fleet batt. a few years ago and about ten out F/F batt. in a garden tractor. The rest of them last between 2 and 7 years.

Correction, I bought those INterstates in August of 99. They were only out of the combine once when we had to r and r the hydrostatic pump. Other than that they were on the combine, connected up all year round. I might have put a charger on them once through the winter when I thought of it but they received no special treatment.
I got almost as good service from Case IH batteries in the 7130 magnum tractor. I think they went 15 years and then suddenly one day were as dead as could be.
 
I have one in an FE35 Ferguson that gets used regularly in the summer. I'm guessing on the high or low side of fifteen years. It'll spin the starter for about 20 sec. before slowing down. I've been threatening to replace it for a few years but it still holds a charge and seldom needs a boost, despite being undersized, so I'll see how much longer I can go. I do have to charge it in the spring. Local mechanic sells them. I've had good luck with them over the years.
 

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