6 Volt Battery Quality

[Colin King]

I have found that the last two 6 volt batteries (both NAPA Commercial duty) haven't been up to the service I need from them. I replaced my last battery after less than 3 years (while the battery prior to that one lasted 10 years). The battery I have in the tractor now has almost no power if the temperatures are 10*F or less (it's only 9 months old). This is on a tractor that gets used daily in the Minnesota cold.

Has anyone else noticed a decline in battery quality? Is it across all 6 volt manufacturers? Any recommendations for a line that seems to perform better?

Colin

 

[teddy52food]

Are you getting it charged up fully? What does the hydrometer say?

 

[hd6gtom]

When you FIRST get a lead acid battery, doesn't matter what brand, you should put it on a trickle charger for 24-48 hours, give it a real deep charge. They will last a good long time then.

 

[Dollar Bill]

Any recommendations for a line that seems to perform better?

Look for Deka/East Penn P/N 901MF - 6V, 640 CCA

 

[Bruce (VA)]

As Dollar Bill said, any brand made by East Penn. Deka sold around here.

I use Battery Tender brand float chargers on all my tractors & old cars. I usually get 8-9 years out of a battery.
75 Tips

 

[steve19438]

rumor has it that East Penn and Excide make batteries for NAPA labeling.

one article said to check MSDS label on battery for manufactures code. then google is your friend.

 

[oldtanker]

Colin, got an Auto Value near you? they carry decka (spell?) I have only heard good things about them. I myself have been using Interstate but can't comment on the quality of 6 volt batteries as I got rid of them years ago. Everything is 12 volt here now.

Rick

 

[vidaliaman]

don't forget to polarize your genny after battery install, i too use the tender in the winter

 

[Ultradog MN]

Colin, you mention it is a commercial duty.
I've gotten away from buying commercial rated batteries of any kind as the warranty on them is not good at all.
Two of my tractors are diesels and they call for a 4DLT which is a huge - 80 lb, $180? battery.
But since they are commercial duty you get a 1 year pro rated warranty and that's it.
I've had two of them now that failed in under 2 years.
No more. The last battery I bought is a smaller automotive rated battery but it came with a 3 or 4 year prorated warranty. It cost about 30% less too.
I don't know about the commercial 6V batteries - if you can get better warranties on them than you can with a 12V commercial job but I have learned to pay as much attention to battery warranties as I do battery price.

 

[Dean]

Bingo.

I've had good service from Deka. NAPA, not so much.

Dean

 

[Dean]

Do you regularly charge your battery during periods of non use? Allowing a storage battery to self discharge during extended periods of non use will shorten the life. I fully charge all storage batteries every 4 or 5 weeks during periods of non use.

Have you ever run it flat? Fully discharging a storage battery will also shorten the life.

Dean

 

[doublebass73]

My 9N has a Duracell group 1. It's 2 1/2 years old and has been great so far, time will tell. It's started the tractor in temps as low as -20 F.

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley]

The cheap/bargain house batteries do not last long, have poor lifespans, and can be bad out of the box/out of the store. I'm not sure who supplies NAPA. First, invest in a good, reliable brand like DEKA, EAST PENN (DURACELL), or INTERSTATE. Next, avoid the 'commercial', deep cycle, golf cart, and automotive types. A 6V tractor battery should be the AG GROUP 1 type; a 12V battery should be a GRP 25 or GRP 35 type Invest in a good float charger. The BATTERY TEDNER JR. model is popular -about $30. Note I didn't say 'trickle charger'. They are two different animals. A float charger will maintain a full charge and automatically shut off until the battery reaches a slightly discharged state then automatically kick back on until it is fully charged. A trickle charger will not shut of and overcharging the battery will result and thus ruin it. You just can't slap a battery charger on a battery and think it will get charged correctly. If the battery is bad, it won't sustain a full charge. The specific gravity on each cell must be met. You can verify it with a hydrometer. Your trusty, local starter/alternator shop can bench test the battery on their special machine, under load, and tell you if the battery is good or bad. Most auto parts stores also can test them. It is also a good idea to start and run the tractor every 3 or 4 weeks, driving it around so generator can work on charging battery properly. Keep the Float Charger connected when tractor is not in use. If the tractor is stored outside, remove the battery and put it in the barn, shed, or garage. Keep the tractor tarped real good if outside as well. As Dean said, the worse thing that destroys battery life is the constant fully discharging and then re-charging. A good 6V AG battery should give at minimum 5 years life. The last one I had lasted 8 years. I now have a Battery Tender Jr. and am keeping tabs on lifespan. One other very important thing to be certain of is that the entire wiring system is correct. If the wiring is incorrect, you will have charging/non starting issues regardless if it is the OEM 6V/POS GRN system or 12V/NEG GRN changeover. Taking wiring shortcuts is the usual culprit. Lighting hookups also are a big root cause of poor wiring.


[i:654c4848f0][b:654c4848f0]<font size="4">Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)</font>[/b:654c4848f0][/i:654c4848f0]<table width="100" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td height="25" colspan="2" bgcolor="#CC0000">

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="3">*9N653I* & *8NI55I3*</font>​

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[bmack95hd]

Everyone who mentioned the East Penn/Deka are right on. Have sold them but also use them in all of my equipment and vehicles. Money well spent.

 

[Colin King]

That's really interesting, Jerry. If you walk into our NAPA and tell them it's ag or industrial use, they'll hook you up with a Commercial Duty battery. I just kind of figured they were a heavier duty battery than regular automotive batteries. And they're not cheap. The 6v will set you back a good $100 the 12v I use in the diesel was $140! However, the 12v has served me well now since 2013 and I've not treated it well.

Thanks for the tips!
Colin

 

[Colin King]

Thanks! I've heard really good things about them, too. I'm not sure that I can purchase them locally, but I'll ask around.

 

[Colin King]

Thanks, Tim, for your detailed reply. I appreciate it. I've never seen the Dekka sold locally, but I do know I can get Interstate from the local Ag tire dealership. I might give them a try. My 8N is our farm's primary utility tractor, so it gets daily use with a minimum of 30 minutes/day. It's not an issue of charging nor of draining the battery. And it's an otherwise easy starting tractor. It's definitely a battery quality issue. The same model battery, NAPA p/n 7244, purchased 7 years ago, reliably started a 2N I owned in temps in excess of -20*F. And as I mentioned to Jerry, this is not a cheap battery and the series is presumably for Ag/heavy equipment use. At least that is how NAPA seems to be marketing it. Anyway, thank you again for your thoughts and your help! And I always enjoy your articles in the N News. Please keep them coming.

Colin

 

[Colin King]

That's exactly what I need from a battery. Sounds like your Duracell is a Dekka.

Thanks for the help.
Colin

 

[Colin King]

There's no need to charge it or use a float charger since this battery is on our farm's primary utility tractor. The 8N gets daily use and is run long enough for the battery to charge, >30 minutes/day. No, I've never run this battery flat. I have a history with this battery p/n (7224) and good performance from it. My gut is either NAPA changed suppliers or changed quality standards recently.

Colin

 

[Colin King]

Hi Rick,

We do have a National Bushing, but I think that's Auto Value now, isn't it. Good tip! Thank you! I can also get Interstate. I'll try one of those. Thanks for the help!

A Merry Christmas to you and the family!
Colin

 

[Colin King]

Thank you!

 

[Colin King]

I'll look into that! Thanks, Bruce!

 

[Colin King]

I like part numbers Thank you!

 

[Colin King]

Thanks for the good advice!

 

[Colin King]

I don't have a battery hydrometer, but maybe I should pick one up and test it. A visual inspection shows that the electrolite is at the correct level. Maybe the battery is freezing? If the temp is below 10*F, it has no performance. If the air temp bumps up a mere couple of degrees to 15*F, it performs like a champ.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I should have made this point when I posted before. Some batteries are likely considered commercial rated just by their size and shape.
For example, I doubt a battery like a 4DLT is used in anything but tractors, big trucks, heavy equipment and the like. Thus the commercial rating.
I'm NOT starting the whole 6V/12V thing here but you may find 6V batteries also fall into that commercial/industrial catagory.
All I'm saying is it pays to shop for the best warranty as well as the price.
That's a 12" wooden ruler sitting on the smaller battery and the larger one is a 4DLT which only lasted about 20 months.
Oh, and thanks for starting this thread.
It reminded me to bring my battery in and get it on the charger.
Stay warm.

 

[Hobo,NC]

Check it with a voltmeter no hydrometer needed... The only time I use a hydrometer is if to waist my time it will not tell you anything a voltmeter will so why waist my time... So you have the need to find the cell that's low/bad with a hydrometer a voltmeter is gonna show the same damm thing its just a total number... Knock the surface charge off and go from there...

As recommended I charge every battery I install unless it 12.6V rite out of the box... If its not 12.6 rite out of the box I quick charge it and load test it before I let it go...

I don't need to go any deeper on how I quick charge it cuss very few have a charger that will throw the coal to it... To get down and dirty you need a load tester that will bring it to its knees and a charger that will burn the house down...

I don't have a answer for your 6V battery issue don't use them myself... I have switched after 38 years of push"n interstate battery's (go Kyle Busch) to AC Delco 42 mo free replacement anywhere from 50 to 25 nanos cheaper... The jury is still out if I made the right call... Interstate has gone stupid crazy on their pricing low bidder got the contract... Interstates warranty chucks was the icing on the cake...

 

[Ken(Ark)]

A 6.32v battery is fully charged where a 6.22v battery is at 75% . I would check you battery with a hydrometer and your generator output with a volt meter . Some of those generators had an adjustment ? or there may be something getting tired on the charging system ?

If i were betting money it would be the batteries are being made to a lower standard .

Here is some interesting reading on the subject .

https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/how_to_measure_state_of_charge

 

[Hobo,NC]

So whuts a hydrometer gonna tell ya you don't already know...

I was gonna mention in my other post...

Folks say charge it slooooooow if you have a late model car it taint slooooow... Its hammer down till the battery recovers 40,60,80 amps... Explain that....

Your tractor unless you run it a lot my best guess you never recover its in an undercharged state all the time... More than likely why folks do not get good service out of them...

 

[Ken(Ark)]

(quoted from post at 19:18:30 12/08/18)
So whuts a hydrometer gonna tell ya you don't already know...

Ell , I don't know , but I got two of them !

I have used them on known good fully charged batteries and they said they were not good . I get to use the City's Fluke amp clamp meters which are dead on accurate , so that helps . There is a temperature part of the equation also . I am saving money for a good carbon pile load tester , not that I really need one anymore , just want one . I have never heard the guy at the parts store check a battery and not say " You need a new battery"

I got one of them big roll around battery chargers 6v/12v 2/10/40/200 amp . The meter always shows in the green even on a battery that does not have enough power to crank the motor ??? and on the 200 amp start mode the meter never gets over 40 amps ??? But it gets it going quickly .

I read that the acid doesn't boil out , just the H2O so distilled water is all you need to replace . Also read that different manufactures used different levels of acid / H2O . I have not looked very hard but wonder how to test the acid percentage which is a big factor when using a hydrometer ???

Sold all of the farm trucks and hobby cars and stuff so I only use 4 batteries on the farm now . 12.5 volts + charged and all is good . When they die , which is at a lot younger age than the way they were made , I just buy a new one , which is what they are trying to get me to do anyway .

I did buy a small electronic amp / pulse charger / maintainer for the 4dlt tractor battery if I am going to let it set for more than a week . And I even bought a couple gallon jugs of distilled water for 97 cents at wally world , still burns my behind to pay for water .

I don't know if I want to use a rubber pad heater , magnetic heater , freeze plug , or hose heater , of just pointing the 40k btu kerosene at the side of the block under the intake manifold . The battery sure likes when I preheat the motor / fuel .

I figure that just like the wipe in go rags , If I actually listen to the pros and cons and discard the wife's tales the real answers will come out . Of course I am in no hurry since I am not having to stand behind my work to a paying customer . My chit breaks I can go to plan B and nobody cares .

 

[Hobo,NC]

When you get a good load tester it will all come together...
You vehicle is a load tester BTW it came with one built in... I would not be skeered of a HF 500 amp load tester I think they are $50 good enoufh for DIF'er use...

I have 3 a Christi, a sun that was used on the mayflower and just picked up a Sun Vat 40 for $40 I did buy a Sun tester for $25 off cracklist a few years ago for $25 its a dud I knew it when I brought it but WTF I was not making a dry run...

Hydrometers I am Hydrometer poor I picked up a box of the real deal a few years ago they are $150 Hydrometers all I use them for is to check antifreeze other than that they are a waist of my time...Those that have told ya the battery checked good but failed a Hydrometer test don't know how to check a battery... I am not arguing a Hydrometer lies I am arguing its a waist of time if you are trying to prove what you already know...

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley]

SPECIFIC GRAVITY. How do you "already know" what each cell is without a test? How do you know what the level should read? Manuals are an essential tool.

TPD

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 18:07:19 12/08/18) That's exactly what I need from a battery. Sounds like your Duracell is a Dekka.

Thanks for the help.
Colin

Technically not a Deka but it is made for Duracell by East Penn. So are a lot of the other brands you will find on the shelf.

TOH

 

[Colin King]

Glad I was somewhat helpful ;-)

 

[Colin King]

Thanks again, everyone, for all of your thoughts! I'm pretty convinced that NAPA has a quality issue here that I hope doesn't become a trend across manufactures - and might just be a one-off production fluke.

In the meantime, I've been using a set of 0 guage jumper cables and whatever 12 volts I have handy to get me going on some of the colder mornings.

Colin, MN