Raider 12 replacement battery winter

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

My cheap-o walmart U1 battery is starting to bite the dust again (barely able to crank it over fully charged, and ozzing everywhere) after 3 years on my 68' Raider and I am looking into a new battery for winter as I now have a plow setup. I was thinking of either getting the original 22NF battery that came with it or running a mazda mita battery which is a U1 size. Is the AGM worth the extra money over the 22nF even in the smaller size? I think the vibrations keep killing the cheapo batteries and I am trying to make sure I can leave it out in the cold and not have a problem starting in the winter. It does get down to 0F or below zero every once in a while. I don't think I want to go all the way to a 22nF AGM as it is $200. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by mmmmmdonuts

[ebinmaine 68,136]

I've been mulling this one over myself over the last year or two and the conclusion that I personally have come to is that I'm going to stick to the inexpensive batteries and try to keep them on a trickle charger whenever possible.

 

I'm not exactly what you would refer to as a scientific expert on batteries but I've sold them in the past in the auto parts industry.

My own experience living in Massachusetts and now Maine is that a battery does not particularly like being blow about 25 - 30 degrees and above about 85 or so.

I can't honestly say that I do the best about taking care of them in the hot weather especially, but if I know I'm not going to be running a battery for 3 or 4 days or more during the cold season I bring them into the basement.

 

Just a week or two ago I was talking to the shop that I deal with locally for small engine and machinery type stuff. He was saying that his customers basically get two or three seasons out of a u1 battery if they don't maintain it, 3 to 5 seasons if they do.

 

I have no specific opposition to the AGM batteries but I couldn't justify spending two or three times the cost on something like that unless I honestly thought I was going to get eight or 10 seasons out of that battery.

 

 

My two cents.... 

[pfrederi 17,848]

The 22NF battery in my JD GT235 garden tractor is getting weaker but it is the original and 18 years old.  not used in the winter but used a lot the rest of the year and it hasn't been bothered by vibration.  I agree with Eric i don't see the AGM as worth the premium.  i put Optima batteries (they can look like a 6 pack) on two of my big tractors.  One of those is getting weaker and  is only 6 years old.  They are powerful when new. (mine are only half a 6 pack )

[Achto 27,717]

I've had good luck with a standard 22nf battery in my Raider so far, but it's only 2 years old & the tractor hibernates through the winter. One practice that I have with any new wet cell battery is to put it on a trickle charger for at least 12hrs before I install it. It is important to have a full charge before you put load on them for the first time.

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

I guess I have a few issues. I know the tractor in the summer routinely will see 85F+ as I store it in a portable garage. The winter it will be in a location closer to the house but I don't want to remove a battery all the time all winter long, especially considering it routinely snows a few inches every few days seemingly.. 

 

I only run mow with it once a month now since acquiring a 520H. So I might keep a plow on it in the future all year.

 

The other reason I ask the question of the AGM vs flooded is the Raider vibrates way more than the other two GTs I own especially when mowing. I have been leaning go to go with the 22NF and hope to get 5-6 years out of it but if you told me the Mazda mitia battery would last twice as long or would perform much better in the extreme hot and cold I would do that. 

[ebinmaine 68,136]

I don't know if or how much it would help you with the vibration situation but I use this stuff to help absorb some of it. It's the type of felt that you would put on the bottom of furniture.

Keeps the battery right tight in the tray.

 

 

 

 

 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,374]

The best thing you can do in the winter is keep a trickle charger of some sort on all cold season long I got 8 years out of my last AutoZone battery in my anniversary 520 that way.

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

Just wanted to update this thread with what I ultimately went with and want to share a deal with others if they want to do something similar.

 

Checking Deka’s website (East Penn Battery Manufacturer) says that my Raider uses a Group 51R battery which is very similar in size to the 22NF battery but is way more available.

 

Looking online today, I saw a Champion Group 51R AGM battery at pep boys for 25% the list price of $199 down to $149 with a 4 year warranty. There are many other batteries on sale as well if you need another size for any other reason.

 

Link is here: https://www.pepboys.com/champion-agm-battery-group-size-51r/product/2071617?quantity=1

 

But wait it gets better. In ADDITION there is a $40 mail in rebate offer for a visa card for AGM batteries through 2/22.

 

Link here for paper: http://img.rewardpromo.com/1/7806/23169.pdf

Link online submittal:  https://pepboysrebates.rewardpromo.com/#/home/current-offers

 

This brings me down to the $109+ tax for an AGM battery that I hope will last much, much longer than I have been getting with the current batteries and that are much better with vibration.

I will need to check my alternator a little more to ensure it is giving me the right voltage. Worse comes to worse I will put a diode or two in to ensure I am not overcharging the battery.

[tom2p 2,394]

3 years from a low cost walmart battery is probably fairly good - especially if they cost under $30 ?

 

but the issue I would have with the low cost walmart battery is the cold cranking amps might be low ... maybe around 250 ?

 

[ebinmaine 68,136]

6 minutes ago, tom2p said:

3 years from a low cost walmart battery is probably fairly good - especially if they cost under $30 ?

 

but the issue I would have with the low cost walmart battery is the cold cranking amps might be low ... maybe around 250 ?

 

Most are 230 CCA around here.

 

Some lower or higher.

 

I was having "fun" with Cinnamon Horse not wanting to start below about 20 or so.

 

Installed a 51r from the salvage yard.

 

Spins right over without issue below zero now.

 

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

11 hours ago, tom2p said:

3 years from a low cost walmart battery is probably fairly good - especially if they cost under $30 ?

 

but the issue I would have with the low cost walmart battery is the cold cranking amps might be low ... maybe around 250 ?

 

 

Typically I was not buying the under $30 from Walmart with the 230CCA. I was buying the 340CCA version which was closer to $50 typically for the battery. That is the one that lasted 3 years. I tried the 230CCA once and got a season out of it.

Like ebinMaine said under 30 degrees even I was having problems starting it. I had to jump start the tractor each time I was using it as charging the battery wasn’t doing much. This was even a problem in the cool fall mornings when I was out doing late season mowing and leaves.

 

During the summer it wouldn’t be uncommon for the tractor to sit for several weeks and I would need to again jump the tractor to use it. I have been looking into a solar maintainer as a possible solution the problem being where I park the tractors it is basically in the middle of the woods in one of those pop up garages full of tree cover. Otherwise I run hundreds of feet of extension cords to put on a maintainer then have to remember to move before I mow. I move the tractor to my shed near the house for plowing in the winter.

 

Originally, I wasn’t going to go with an AGM battery but for the cost and warranty I couldn’t pass it up.

[squonk 41,287]

230 CCA is plenty for a garden tractor. The problem comes in with the 30 to 40 yr. old cables. You can hang a Grip D1 off the back and gain lots of reserve capacity but minimal amps if the cables are shot

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

1 hour ago, squonk said:

230 CCA is plenty for a garden tractor. The problem comes in with the 30 to 40 yr. old cables. You can hang a Grip D1 off the back and gain lots of reserve capacity but minimal amps if the cables are shot

 

I had replaced 95% of the electrical wiring about 5-6 years ago when I did a major overhaul of the tractor. I have 2 or 4 gauge wire for battery to the starter and solenoid and 12AWG to the other things like lights. I use dielectric grease on the terminals. 

 

The battery terminals though were very corroded though for some reason. 

 

When a battery was in good shape and new I had no problem turning it over. It was always by the end of year 3 or 4 and I am replacing it. 

[tom2p 2,394]

1 hour ago, squonk said:

230 CCA is plenty for a garden tractor. The problem comes in with the 30 to 40 yr. old cables. You can hang a Grip D1 off the back and gain lots of reserve capacity but minimal amps if the cables are shot

 

while this might be the case for many - I would not purchase a battery with 230 CCA

 

got outstanding service from Sears Diehard batteries (Johnson ?) - they were rated at 340 CCA

 

when I could no longer get Sears Diehard batteries - I went with Duracell (East Penn / Deka ?) - rated at 350 CCA

 

CCA obviously not the only parameter to rate or rank batteries - but it's worked well for me 

 

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

I was using the  Walmart special. My other GTs that I more recently acquired use a tractor supply battery from 2017 and a Deka battery from 2014. Both are U1 size and I believe 340 CCA.