Garden Tractor Battery

Tims A · Mar 15, 2012

Can anyone recommend garden tractor battery that will last more than a year??
Thanks,
Tim

Anonymous-0 · Mar 15, 2012

Mine from SEARS is 4 years old & is still good. Give them a try. Gerald

Jerry Coulter · Mar 15, 2012

I buy the strongest that Walmart sells. Not the 230CCA, rather the 350CCA and they last a long time. Only a couple dollars more.

DaveK(IN) · Mar 15, 2012

Maintainence is also important. Take it off in the fall and bring it inside. Give it a charge a couple of times over the winter and it will feel a lot more like working in the spring. Mine usually last 4 or 5 years. Last one was Rural King.

MSS3020 · Mar 15, 2012

Agree... I buy TSC brand for my four lawntractors. I also take the ones that I use to mow inside and the battery I leave in the one I use in the winter to haul my poo cart to dump I keep the trickle charger on it.. usually get 3-4..also depends on the crank amps of the battery you buy..

DownSouth · Mar 15, 2012

The last one I bought was about 3 years ago from TSC. I too had the one year at a time blues with cheap batteries. I then decided that maybe price may make the difference, so I pulled one of each out of the rack. The most expensive battery weighs half again more than the cheap battery, I can only assume that means more plates....and again....it's been in the mower 3 years now and still going strong. It was labled Briggs and Stratton, but not doubt still made by Exide as all the batts they have are Exide.
HTH

bo · Mar 15, 2012

No battery you buy will last long unless you put a float charger on it during down time..like winter. I routinely get 6-7 years out of the small tractor batteries but I have $20 float charger on them all winter. Note, I said a "float" charger ..not a trickle charger.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 15, 2012

I buy mine from NAPA and Tractor supply. I buy only the 360 cca battery. On the average I get three years and have several that got five years.Never take them out of tractor but keep them on a battery maintainer when not in use and on them all winter.

RayP(MI) · Mar 15, 2012

If you can get a conventional automobile (small size) battery in there, do so. WILL PROBABLY LAST FAR LONGER. Conventional lawnmower batteries don't seem to have much longivity.

old · Mar 15, 2012

Pretty much does not matter where you buy a battery theses days since there are only around 3 places that make them so if you buy at Wal-Mart of NAPA or TSC you stand a good chance you are buying the same brand battery from all 3 stores just different decals on them

rustred · Mar 15, 2012

mine is going on 7 yrs. in my 1988 bolens i bought new. over 1000 hrs. on the this machine, thats a lot of grass cutting. bought batt. at napa.

LJD · Mar 15, 2012

You need to be more specific. What size battery? Many smaller lawn and garden tractors take the little batterys with the bolt-on sideways connectors - not round posts. BCI type U1 or U1R. Those versions come in several quality levels. All the ones I've seen on sale at NAPA, Tractor Supply, etc. are the cheapest versions with shortest lives. The better versions can last just as long as an auto battery. Big difference between the Huskee battery rated at 200 CA and a $26 pricetag - and the Briggs battery with many more plates rated at 460 CA and selling for over $40. Sears, Interstate and Deere also sell the much better versions.

Many bigger garden tractors - including the Bolens tube-frames take a narrow car battery originally made for 1960s Ford Falcons and later used in some Toyotas. Type 22NF. A type 45 will also work. Either will last just as long as car/truck battery.

Tims A · Mar 15, 2012

Thanks for all the help. I'll spend a little more and get a Sears. I have a 16hp Briggs twin that is a cold blooded engine. It's on a 95 Troy built from when Garden Way built good machines. Thanks again!
Tim

Ryan - WI · Mar 15, 2012

Any chance you can squeeze a car battery in there? I have car batteries in both of my John Deeres. I also helped the neighbor convert his sons' Polaris 6x6 to the same battery my wife's Highlander Hybrid takes. The battery isn't much bigger than a lawn and garden battery. It is a 51 Group.

Russ from MN · Mar 15, 2012

I think we got 7 years out of the original in our Husquvarna, it was an Interstate, they are a little better than average. I have always just bought whatever is on sale, you can still buy a basic battery for $20-$25, and they last me about 4-5 years, without warm storage or a float charger.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 15, 2012

Buy a battery you can check with a hydrometer and do monthly checks in the off season.Big auto batteries wont stand being idle for 6 months.

pete 23 · Mar 15, 2012

Keep it clean, dry and fully charged. I doubt if your machine has any electronic parasite load on it but might be a good idea to check. If so, you will have to unhook the ground during long shut down periods or keep a float charger on it. All lead acid battery's self discharge depending on the temp they are stored at. The warmer it is the faster they discharge. Keeping it fully charged is the secret to long life. No memory problems with these batteries. Also watch the date of mfg when buying. Sitting on the shelf in a store for a couple of months it is discharging.

Don-Wi · Mar 15, 2012

Justtook the battery out of our JD 425 to charge it this year. Was replaced in early 07. I forget the name brand, but it's a more expensive one. The charge said it was sulphated so I put it on the desulphate program (Dad's got a pretty fancy charger...) and the next day the charger said I had a full battery. Put it in and it cranked it over like new. Looks like we should be getting atleast 6 years out of this battery now...

BTW- No float or trickle charge, just leave it in and this spring it was a little weak so I pulled it out and charged it. First time it's been out all this while.

Donovan from Wisconsin

ss55 · Mar 15, 2012

To extend the life of a battery try re-charging it every month or two in the off season. It's worked for me. Definetly bring it inside to keep it from freezing in winter too.

luv2wrench · Mar 15, 2012

i find this topic funny. I work a Large GM shop. Our batteries sit on the parts self for up to a year before we move some of them. Who knows how long they sit at the distributors warehouse before hand. Common batteries sell fast 78 and 75 series batteries but we also sell batteries for everything from a VW to a Space Shuttle. Those sit around a long time before they get sold. I ask the parts manager for a good deal on the batteries that celeabrate a birthday and that are small top posts that fit in smaller tractors. Half price and they last 5 years atleast.

Bobfish1 · Mar 16, 2012

Just bought a Snapper ZTR with an 18 hp Briggs yesterday and it has a motor cycle or atv type of battery. I wonder if they last longer? Not enough room to put in a bigger size battery.

El Toro · Mar 16, 2012

I have one of Walmart's best battery in my garden tractor. It has the side mount for the battery cables so it clears the hood. It's at least 10 years old. Hal
PS: You can see the battery in this picture.

Geo-TH,In · Mar 16, 2012

I use excide batteries I buy from Rural King. They always run a sale in the spring. $20 and a $5 mail in rebate. I have 2 batteries still in service with May 2008 dates on them.

Your problem may be your garden tractor and not the battery. Install a new battery and before you make the last connection install an ammeter to measure the current drain. 0 ma is good anything else will cause battery failure over the winter. I have found the diodes in the charging system to leak draining the battery. As stated below watch the battery charge.

I like excide batteries because I can measure the condition of the batteries with a hydrometer. You may want to invest in a battery minder, I did. Also remove the battery in the winter and fully charge it on the bench.
George

El Toro · Mar 16, 2012

I also use a hydrometer for checking the specific gravity in each cell and can be used for checking your antifreeze. A battery needs to be used so its discharged some and recharged.
I never had good luck with those small garden tractor batteries. I do use a Diehard motorcycle battery in my Troy Bilt tiller and it's 5 or 6 years old. I remove it in the Fall
and keep it in a dry place in the house. Here's
my hydrometer and a picture of Walmart's best battery.

LJD · Mar 16, 2012

That looks like a spectrometer to me.

Garden Tractor Battery

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads