How long should a lawn tractor battery last

[gfretwell]

Assuming you have pretty much a 12 month mowing season. Mine is 3 1/2 years old and won't hold a charge for a week.

[Ralph Mowery]

I have found it can be anywhere from about 2 to 5 years. They could be like car batteries, some cost way less than others and hopefully the more expensive ones will last longer. If you get 3 years out of the average Walmart battery you are doing good.

If you have one that can be checked, do you look at the water level in it very often ?

[gfretwell]

Water is good, terminals clean, charging system working OK, zero current with the key off. I am guessing it may just be a bad battery. A few minutes on the charger and it starts, mow a while and it seems to be charged. (amps go down). Then it is OK for a while.

BTW I am not sure why people trash Walmart batteries. Johnson Controls makes them, along with a bunch of name brand batteries. The one in my truck just failed (would not hold a charge for 3 few weeks, as often as I use the truck), after 7 years.

[Ralph Mowery]

Maybe I should have not said Walmart. I really ment that you can get the same size battery from about $ 25 to almost $ 100. Hopefully the higher price battery will last longer.

However most of the lawn mower batteries I have bought for the $ 20 to $ 30 price range usually last about 3 years. The best one I have had was on a new John Deere and it lasted about 6 or 7 years. That was a 'hone owner' type and not the much better quality lawn tractor. The transaxal went out on it at about 300 hours. It got where it would not pull a small hill, but would do ok on flat ground. Gave it to my son and he is still using it but his yard is very flat.

[Buck Russell]

Heat, vibration, sulfation and improper charge system voltage/current kill a battery prematurely.

Here in Indiana, I get about 8 years on a Walmart battery installed in an Exmark mower with a smooth-running 28hp Kohler Command Pro engine.  I do keep a maintainer type charger on them over winter.

[Dean Hoffman]

I'd think it would last a little longer in a warm climate. You might get a good ATV/motorcycle battery from an auto parts store of comparable size. $100 or so. I put our batteries for summer equipment in the basement over the winter.

[Clare Snyder]

Johnson Controls makes some of the best (and the worst) batteries on the North American market today. Lawn tractors are a VISIOUS environment for a battery - lots of vibration. An AGM batterywithstands the vibration much better and it MAY be cost effective to go that route.

[gfretwell]

I would blame vibration if I had a cell connector failure or something but this just acts like an old tired battery. I really suspected that I had a drain of some kind in the system when it was off but I don't see anything on a pretty good amp meter. I am going to try it again next week and if it is good, I may pursue the drain thing more because I might just have a flaky switch or other contact that is open now.

[Clare Snyder]

definitely eliminate external issues - BUT

Vibration causes loss of active material from the plates. When the loose active material builds up in the bottom of the cell it compunds the problems caused by reduced active material by partially shorting the plates - causing accellerated self discharge.

By dumpingthe acid and rincing out the cells, then re-installing the settled out acid (no suspended plate material) a battery will very often "come back to life" with reduced capacity compared to new, but with restored charge retention

[rbowman]

fwiw I've had good luck with Yuasa batteries in the bikes. I do put them on a tender in the winter. I have no idea if they make lawn mower batteries. My mower starts with a brisk pull on the cord.

[rbowman]

Have you tried a desulphator?

I was going to brew one up but realized that by the time I rounded up the components I could buy a BatteryMinder. The cheapest models go for around $40. Beyond that you get more bells and whistles and the ability to handle more batteries at once. I just cycle it through the bike batteries throughout the winter and they're all ready to roll in the spring.

[Tekkie®]

[e-mail] posted for all of us...

Up North here mowing season is shorter. The original battery I got in my first mower was a PowerSonic and lasted 3years! New ones lasted 1 to 1-2 yrs if I was lucky. Of course, what did I expect with no maintenance? I did change the oil... Kept up with the battery water as IIRC the charge was unregulated off the starter... It sat out in the pump-house in the winter and no starting. Oh well, now they guy comes every other week for $35. The crew is done in a shorter time than it would take me to get my ass in gear...