Best lawn tractor battery

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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Who sells the best and cheap lawn tractor battery?

I have a relatively new Sears Craftsman mower and the battery lasted around 1.5 seasons and now the battery is toast and I have to jump start it every time and its horrible because a new mower shouldn't be like this. (sears battery warranty is useless)

I was going to autozone because I have great luck with their duralast gold batteries in the car but the last one I had didn't seem to last very long like the older ones. Then I checked the reviews for duralast lawn and tractor batteries and there was nothing but negative reviews. So it looks like that might be 50 dollars down the toilet.

What do you guys run. And no I am not interested in an ugly optima for 200 dollars. What is cheap and effective out there?
 
I just realized that the factory battery in my John Deere is 12 years old this season. I guess that's a pretty good battery?!?
 
Rani, it's not the battery's fault. Any wet cell battery must be run for a length of time to maintain a charge. Our car batteries last a long time because we drive them often and a charge is maintained. Don't drive it for a while and it usually goes weak. Just like our lawn and garden equipment.
Add to that the lower amperage of the smaller battery and they don't usually last long.
I have seen some last as long as 7-8 years. 12 years is amazing or well maintained.
Leaving our lawn tractors out in the elements also does not help in battery life.
I have had my best service out of Interstate batteries. When I had my Small engine shop they were all that I sold. My customers were happy.
 
I have a Diehard Gold in mine. Tagged 3/10, so this would be the start of season six. Cranked right over after sitting in the garage not run since fall.
Unfortunately what was good 5-10 years ago doesn't necessarily mean todays product is the same. could be a different manufacturer. For many years Kenmore was actually whirlpool. I have a Kenmore fridge that is several years old that is LG. Last I looked they are rebranding Maytag... No idea who makes their batteries.
 
I've had the best luck with Interstate batteries. Interstate was the o/e battery in my rider I bought in 2000 and it lasted nearly 10 years. The one it in now started after sitting all winter, no charge needed.
Dallas
 
zkx14 said:
I have a Diehard Gold in mine. Tagged 3/10, so this would be the start of season six. Cranked right over after sitting in the garage not run since fall.
Unfortunately what was good 5-10 years ago doesn't necessarily mean todays product is the same. could be a different manufacturer. For many years Kenmore was actually whirlpool. I have a Kenmore fridge that is several years old that is LG. Last I looked they are rebranding Maytag...
Click to expand...

Kenmore still seems like a good product line .....my family always buys Kenmore and they had a fridge from the late 70s (Coppertone) and I remember it went out right after I moved in with them in the early 2000s. Then the replacement to the one was replaced last summer and not because it went out but just because its not in fashion anymore. The new ones are sleek black and talk to you and have a little chime when you leave the door open too long and have bright LED lights and the freezer is on the bottom which is a problem because now I cant reach the top shelf of the fridge. :???:

Definitely a sears family, but its seems they have slipped out of grace on a few items. Now some of the power tools at harbor freight are competing real well at a much lower cost.
 
MOBodyman said:
I've had the best luck with Interstate batteries. Interstate was the o/e battery in my rider I bought in 2000 and it lasted nearly 10 years. The one it in now started after sitting all winter, no charge needed.
Dallas
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that's a thought ...I have heard great review about interstate for car batteries.
 
That was a good question. Never thought about it but right on time, going to pick up one Monday.
 
Uhh.....Most all of these batteries are the same except for the case color and labels.
The majority are made by Johnson Controls. When you buy a vendors more expensive
version (ex. 84 month vs. 60 month) you're usually just buying a longer warranty. The
actual battery is the same. there can be exceptions but this is the usual situation.
 
Old Man Mopar said:
Uhh.....Most all of these batteries are the same except for the case color and labels.
The majority are made by Johnson Controls. When you buy a vendors more expensive
version (ex. 84 month vs. 60 month) you're usually just buying a longer warranty. The
actual battery is the same. there can be exceptions but this is the usual situation.
Click to expand...

X2. plus as was mentioned, a battery maintainer will save / protect almost any battery for years and years. A lead-acid battery cannot withstand being in a discharged state for long. Especially those small garden tractor ones. when they go dead a couple times, they often won't recover. I like interstate.
 
Whichever one is on sale. Is this a trick question?
 
bighammer said:
X2. plus as was mentioned, a battery maintainer will save / protect almost any battery for years and years. A lead-acid battery cannot withstand being in a discharged state for long. Especially those small garden tractor ones. when they go dead a couple times, they often won't recover. I like interstate.
Click to expand...

X2... Got tired of swapping different good batteries, to different project cars,lol. Have a eight year old group 27 trunk mounted set up,lights like new.(car still not driven, in storage) A budget trickle charger(auto shut off...) ,gets put on the battery every three months. So far,it's good.
 
Hand crank the blade to start it! Interstate works for me and a trickle charger over winter.
 
I actually have had to hand crank our Tobacco Farm Tractor. 1938 Case model SC 6vt , 4cyl Gasoline. But...I like Deka Batteries
 
Everything you never wanted to know about batteries and more:
http://www.batteryfaq.org
And you still won't know what the best battery is...
There are definitly internal differences even with same manufacturer. I dealt with this for years on forklift batteries . At a few $K each you need to compare. But we still got bad cells in 'good' batteries. For a lawn tractor battery, most of the warranties are only going to last long enough to cover you if it's junk from day one. I would just make sure it's got the recommended CCA or higher. If it's not a big price gap, go with the 'gold' level. After that - go with Robs answer.
 
My original lawn tractor battery only lasted one season.
After replacing it with one from tractor supply, and keeping a trickle charger on it.
Has been fine for several years.

I have a 04 Honda 4-wheeler that I bought new, it still has the original battery.
Trickle chargers are the way to make battery's last.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/dtn-021-0123/overview/

I have this one, and you can buy the extra pig-tails to use on multiple vehicles.
 
for the last 3 decades a lawn mover batt would last 1 1/2 yr max. NO trickly charge. I bought a Sears mow( looks like a cheap club cadet), ( you guys call a klawn tractor?), the batt in it is now 3 yrs old, still starts like new? ( great batt whatever it is???) their tractor is JUNK!!!! one blade spindle went out at 26 hours, the warranty was good for 25. they sent me one for half price, ($ 135 total ) since they are a good co!??? LOL it is made of aluminum!!! LOL

I used to buy their appliances, quite that 6-7 yrs ago. I will never buy anything from them again! ( except maybe a mower batt!????) LOL
ihand tools anymore! just me............
 
Part of this might be lack of voltage regulation in the mower charging system. They are a simple mag and a diode, generally speaking.
 
Yeah those mag and diode jobs, work to maintain the voltage during the peak season useage. Once the battery has gone down, and sulfation sets in,the battery needs help. This is where a good computerized charger/maintainer/tender, pays for itself. Alternatively, the human can be the computer, but it requires a level of dedication, that most people are unwilling or unable to give .
 
Yeah, and a hot summer day with a big lawn they just might overcharge, too!!
 
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