Battery Shot?

Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
910
Location
Scituate MA
My second year with a used Huqavarna tractor. husqvarna yth150

Just trying to fire it up/change oil/plug for spring. Replaced spark plug.

Trickle charged overnight because it wouldn't start. Started. Ran for 5 mins. Tried to start 30 mins. later and wouldn't start and not much cranking
just died. Charged it again overnight last night and shot some starter fluid in the air filter area (sorry, is that the right place) and it started.

Sounds like a new battery does it? Guessing 3 years old battery. If it is battery, any recommendations?
 
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Originally Posted by coopns
Tickle charged overnight

Did it giggle?
smile.gif


What is the size of the battery? I think Yuasa is a well respected brand in smaller/OPE/motorcyle type batteries.
 
Probably, but need to know the voltage after charging. Make sure they are fully charged before winter. I unhook mine to eliminate any draw. Sometimes i put it on a float charger in my garage.
 
Originally Posted by coopns
My second year with a used Huqavarna tractor. husqvarna yth150

Just trying to fire it up/change oil/plug for spring. Replaced spark plug.

Trickle charged overnight because it wouldn't start. Started. Ran for 5 mins. Tried to start 30 mins. later and wouldn't start and not much cranking
just died. Charged it again overnight last night and shot some starter fluid in the air filter area (sorry, is that the right place) and it started.

Sounds like a new battery does it? Guessing 3 years old battery. If it is battery, any recommendations?



Most do not last too long if not on a battery maintainer over the winter.

NAPA should be an OK place for a battery. Check the date of manufacture. I would say one manufactured in 2020. HomeDepot probably has them also. You just don't want one that has been on the shelf since last summer.

Is a lawn tractor battery essential? May need to buy some Twinkies on same trip to make it an essential trip.
 
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The Briggs V-twin engine will act like the battery is weak when the valves get loose and the compression release feature stops working.

Measure voltage at the battery while trying to start, or load test it.

Wal-Mart usually sells the standard lawn tractor battery size in three grades. They don't last very long in any case so no reason to pay more.
 
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I hate to say it but 3 years is about it for these cheap U1 batteries. I always buy the highest CCA battery I can find but put a cap of $39 on it. I have tried the more expensive ones but if they lasted any longer it was not enough to justify the cost. I take mine out after the last cut of the season and bring it into the garage and charge it up and then check it and top it up every month or so. By the third or fourth season I am having to boost them to get the tractor started if it gets cold out. I thought about getting a wheel chair battery as they are Deep Cycle U1's and seem to be higher quality but they cost 2x-3x what a Walmart 300 CCA costs. Just make sure they are strapped down tight because the shock of bouncing around will kill them the first year.
 
Originally Posted by mk378

Wal-Mart usually sells the standard lawn tractor battery size in three grades. They don't last very long in any case so no reason to pay more.

With the automotive center being closed can you buy batteries at Wal-Mart right now?
 
After these small batteries discharge, they're typically shot, plus yours is 3 years old. Batteries plus has a Duracell to fit your Husky, 300 cca with a $10 rebate 6 month free exchange warranty for $47.00. For less than $40 after rebate, this sounds like a good deal.
 
These batteries are typically poor quality across the board.
There is really no advantage to buying an expensive one.
I have had a $46. John Deere battery last one year, while getting multiple years out of a $20 cheapo.
NAPA has one on sale this month for $23.99.
Many times this time of year, farm stores run deals w/rebates. The last I bought was at Rural King for $12.99 w/ a MIR.
 
Originally Posted by blufeb95
Originally Posted by mk378

Wal-Mart usually sells the standard lawn tractor battery size in three grades. They don't last very long in any case so no reason to pay more.

With the automotive center being closed can you buy batteries at Wal-Mart right now?

Depends on how your (local store) automotive center is set up. The one I go to, you can still walk into that area and they have the batteries on the rack, so you can grab it and checkout at the front registers, 24/7. If there is a core charge, you have to convince the cashier that they're supposed to take your old battery (leave it sit till a grunt can come get it) and give you a credit there. They can do that, have for me.

I get about 6 years out of the battery for my riding mower. It gets charged up around the end of November, then topped off in Feb or Mar, then voltage tested before first mowing of the year to be sure it won't discharge too deeply on that first start of the season. I used to leave a trickle charger on it all winter, then needed to use the charger for something else (didn't feel like buying or making more) and never looked back. IMO the main thing is just don't let it discharge TOO much then let it sit in that state. An otherwise healthy lead acid battery should have no problem sitting for ~3 months if there's no parasitic drain on it.
 
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I've had a similar experience with my John Deere. The original battery went four seasons and I was able to get it to start once at the beginning of season five after a few hours on the charger. It ran fine that day but refused to start after any amount of charging after that. The original battery was rated at 190 CCA. I replaced that with a 230 CCA battery from Walmart for $25. Now it is season six for the machine and season two for the battery, and it is starting up just fine. The advice of buying the highest CCA rated battery in class is controversial in my book. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) are determined by the surface area of the plates in the battery. The only way to increase this within the confines of a specific battery size is to make them thinner. Thinner plates may wear out faster.

An undersized battery may wear out faster because it has to work harder to get the job done. An oversize battery might wear out faster due to the thinner plates. Think of this as a Goldilocks problem and find the battery with the CCA rating that is just right for your application.
 
Originally Posted by Astro_Guy
The advice of buying the highest CCA rated battery in class is controversial in my book. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) are determined by the surface area of the plates in the battery. The only way to increase this within the confines of a specific battery size is to make them thinner. Thinner plates may wear out faster.

An undersized battery may wear out faster because it has to work harder to get the job done. An oversize battery might wear out faster due to the thinner plates. Think of this as a Goldilocks problem and find the battery with the CCA rating that is just right for your application.


No that is not true. Higher CCA batteries of the same type (start vs start/run vs deep cycle vs vented vs sealed vs AGM, etc) have more lead in them, and tend to last longer not shorter. It is definitely not a matter of using thinner plates that wear out faster.

However if you're using equipment that only needs to start in warm weather, then you might consider getting a deep cycle battery instead, then you get substantially thicker plates with less surface area. If the ignition system is in poor shape you may not have enough CCA, so this is not a universal solution.

Further, if your battery is "oversized" and that means it has a higher Ah capacity, that means it discharges less with each use-event which also promotes longer life.
 
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Originally Posted by Dave9
Originally Posted by Astro_Guy
The advice of buying the highest CCA rated battery in class is controversial in my book. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) are determined by the surface area of the plates in the battery. The only way to increase this within the confines of a specific battery size is to make them thinner. Thinner plates may wear out faster.

An undersized battery may wear out faster because it has to work harder to get the job done. An oversize battery might wear out faster due to the thinner plates. Think of this as a Goldilocks problem and find the battery with the CCA rating that is just right for your application.


No that is not true. Higher CCA batteries of the same type (start vs start/run vs deep cycle vs vented vs sealed vs AGM, etc) have more lead in them, and tend to last longer not shorter. It is definitely not a matter of using thinner plates that wear out faster.

However if you're using equipment that only needs to start in warm weather, then you might consider getting a deep cycle battery instead, then you get substantially thicker plates with less surface area. If the ignition system is in poor shape you may not have enough CCA, so this is not a universal solution.

Further, if your battery is "oversized" and that means it has a higher Ah capacity, that means it discharges less with each use-event which also promotes longer life.
I respectfully disagree. Ah capacity is determined by the mass of the reactants, meaning lead and acid. CCA capacity is determined by the available surface area of the reactants. This is why deep cycle batteries have lower CCA ratings than typical starting batteries. Deep cycle batteries have thicker plates with greater spacing. This allows them to discharge further and then recharge with less potential for bridging the plates during the recharge cycle.

The best of all worlds in terms of lead-acid technology are the AGM batteries, but I digress.
 
Originally Posted by Lubener
If a new battery doesn't fix it, may be time to adust valve clearances.


+1

Does it crank over okay with a jump? If it still cranks slow with a jump the valves might be too tight and put more strain on the starter. These lawn and garden batteries are usually 3 year batteries, and sitting without use makes their lives even shorter. I got 8 years out of a lawn battery on my John Deere garden tractor, but it is also used year round and stored inside. That is the best case scenario. Most of the others last a max of 3 years in my experience. If you get a new battery, buy the highest amount of CCA you can find (usually 340 CCA) especially for a larger engine like a V-Twin. Also it's critical to make sure the cable ends are clean and tight.
 
Originally Posted by Astro_Guy
I respectfully disagree. Ah capacity is determined by the mass of the reactants, meaning lead and acid.


Only up to a point, then with less lead, the plate is destroyed faster.

Quote
CCA capacity is determined by the available surface area of the reactants.


Okay, but the thing is, more lead also can have more surface area, and we can see that lead weighs more and the same full batteries weigh more, unless you are suggesting that they put something else in to increase weight?

Quote
This is why deep cycle batteries have lower CCA ratings than typical starting batteries. Deep cycle batteries have thicker plates with greater spacing. This allows them to discharge further and then recharge with less potential for bridging the plates during the recharge cycle.


Yes, but nothing you wrote, goes against the higher CCA batteries having more lead in them. If they just make them in a higher surface area shape with the same amount of lead, they wouldn't weigh more.
 
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