good 6V battery

[riverbend]

The H is acting like it is time for a new battery. I have been getting NAPA batteries, they last 2-3 years and it is time for another $100 battery. 12V car batteries seem to last 5-7 years without a problem. Is there a 6V that is made better ? The last time I looked at the gel or matt batteries, they did not like generators or something.

Are there better batteries available today ?

Thanks

Greg

 

[fastfarmall]

In my opinion 6 volt dont last as lomg, but is it tied down so there no, or very little vibration? I put a piece of conveyor belting on the bottom ,besides.

 

[Jim Becker]

I doubt there are more than one or two factories that make group 1 batteries any more. It probably doesn't matter where you buy it, you will end up with the same thing. I try to check the date sticker on any I buy to avoid ones that were on the shelf somewhere for too long. Fleet-Farm has a group 1 for about $55.

No matter what battery you use, I consider a battery maintainer to be the best investment you can make. Wal-Mart has good ones from Schumacher for about $20. Don't waste your money on the cheap ones from the off-brand tool stores.

 

[pete 23]

Hard to find a good 6 volt battery now days. Just no demand in that size anymore. I have same problem with the one H I left on 6 volts. Wish now I would have just gone to 12 but wanted to keep this one original.

 

[fastfarmall]

A little battery maintainer is a good investment. if there going to make the winter here.

 

[gab]

Think my 6v farm/fleet batt. in my Super C is 5-6 years old. The batt. before this one was about 11 years old, also farm/fleet.

 

[Old weldor]

If your going to use a six volt, buy a group two, they have more cold cranking amps. Group one batterys are too small. Also like others have said, a battery maintainer will extend the life. Wall mart sells a very good one for twenty bucks. The six volt in my 50 ford car is six years old.

 

[jeffcat]

Two things.. you can get an Optima six volt from Interstate. Expensive but boy they work. Also pick up a good charger. Here is a picture of it.

 

[rhtx55]

I got tired of the same issue, finally broke down & bought an Optima 6 volt battery. No more starting or charging issues. Been three years now & still starting like the day I bought it.

 

[Red Mercury]

I am a purist and keep all of my electrical systems original, right down to the dual 6V batteries on my WD-9's. I have also had the same problem with Willard 6V batteries that would last less than 2 years. I have had the same bad experience with Exide batteries. I started buying Pow-R-Surge batteries and have had the same set of 6 Volt batteries in a WD-9 for 6 years without a problem. I have also bought a few Pow-R-Surge 12V batteries. The bonus is that there is a younger man in my area that runs an auto electric repair shop and he sells the batteries. I get to support a great small business and he gives me great service.

As Jim said, watch out for batteries that have been on the shelf too long. I bought a 6 volt from an Acklands-Grainger dealer several years ago and the "kid" behind the counter brought me a new battery that was covered with a thick layer of dust. Dummy me, I took it home and it was stone dead and I realized that the date sticker on it was 3 years old. Some dealers don't sell many 6V batteries so they can easily be trying to sell their old stock. Getting a warranty replacement was very difficult as well.

 

[Jim Becker]

Like I said, one or two factories that make group 1 batteries. I wasn't familiar with Pow-R-Surge batteries. So I checked their web site and found out why -- they are a Canadian distributor, no USA presence. Their batteries are made by East Penn Manufacturing (Deka). Fleet-Farm's store brand batteries are made the same place.

 

[DR. EVIL]

The 12V Die Hard battery on my Super H is finally needing to be replaced. Had to put the charger on it for an hour to start to clean up the snow last weekend. But that battery is either NINETEEN or TWENTY YEARS OLD! Only thing I always do is disconnect the ground cable any time the tractor sits not running more than a few minutes. Only takes a couple seconds to hook up/disconnect. No trickle charger ever used, don't even own one. The Delco 10si alternator does a great job of charging the battery, totally trouble-free.

Sounds like converting the old letter series to 12V alternators pays for itself in battery replacement savings alone.

 

[WellWorn]

The Exide 6V (from TSC) that I took of my SA is about 10 years old, It was abused in it's early life because the gen/regulator didn't work until I got it, and the charge sat pretty low most of the time (former owner was a slacker). Ever since then, it's started it in the coldest of weather. Then again, it was used frequently and I adjusted the regulator to keep it at 6.92V at high idle. After fixing the charging system 8 years ago, it never needed a jump or trickle charge until the regulator got beyond repair last year and I changed to 12V with a Delcotron. I'm glad I made the switch, as the genny had to really work to keep up with lights moving snow in the winter, and it's now a lot handier providing a jump to reluctant vehicles.

In my experience the Exide batteries TSC sell last a lot longer than the WallyWorld ones made by Johnson Controls.

I'm going to pass the old 6V battery along to BIL's family, who have a fleet of old 6V stuff. It may last another few years.

FWIW, I had a Die-Hard that lasted over a dozen years too.

 

[Tom Fleming]

I have had good experience with the NAPA commercial 6v batteries. However, there is an important point that has been made that influences the life of any battery more than anything you can do.

Keep it up to correct charge. The trickle charger, with the automatic cycle is the best investment you can make to keep a battery alive in a vehicle or tractor that is not run on a consistent basis.

Nuff said.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

I think my 300u's battery is a Deka(sp?)brand.I have seen them at KOI parts houses before.But I bought the last 2 at my local Southern States feed store.They have lasted 7-8 yrs for me.Occasionally in winter I may put my charger on it if the tractor sets for several weeks,if I remember.Mark

 

[David G]

Sounds like a good time to convert it to 12V and be done with it. The Hitachi alternator fits up under the hood, looks original from the outside, a group 26 12V battery fits in the factory box.

 

[JRSutton]

funny that you post this - I've just been looking at these chargers. Trying to figure out the wide variation in pricing.

It's $64 on amazon, $40 at northern tool, $25 at TSC, and $15 at Lowes...

That's a big enough variation to make me think I'm missing something. But seems to be the same exact model.

Call me crazy, but I think I'll have to go with the $15 one from Lowes - unless somebody out there's been down this same path and knows of a difference?

 

[Tom Fleming]

I own 3 of them. Schumacher, 2 amp automatic trickle chargers. Bought them at walfart for $19.99 each on sale.

 

[jeffcat]

All I can tell ya is this one works just great. Make your choice cause I have seen it at auto zone too. These chargers ROCK.

 

[Jim Becker]

I got Schumacher maintainers from WalMart at 3 different times. They were all around $20 on sale and each time they were a different model. The first had straight sides, squareish corners, and a manual switch for 6/12 volts. The second was just like this. The third was shaped like the first but with automatic voltage sensing. Not having to set the voltage switch is nice. The manual switch model is probably discontinued anyway. The LED displays on this one seem a little harder to see, evidently not as bright as the others and normal to display more than one at the same time. It isn't that big a deal, but I like the others a little better.

Regular prices on these things seem to be all over the place. I always looked for whichever one was on sale in the $20 range. The current Lowes price is a really good deal.

 

[Farmallhal]

To add even more confusion to the pricing - back when OEM was still in business I got several of their 6 volt battery maintainers which were offered at various times throughout the year for $5 each. They have been excellent at keeping my 6 volt tractor batteries useable and I haven't had to replace one since using the maintainers. I have over the years been changing all of my tractor batteries (6 and 12 volt both) over to Interstate which might also play in the equation. I have yet to need to replace an Interstate battery. I just recently changed out a large 12 volt battery with the posts on the same end with an Interstate and I could tell by the weight of the one removed and the new one going in there was 10 to 15 pounds more battery in the Interstate over the Farm and Home model which had gotten too weak to start a diesel tractor. Without the maintainers and using Farm and Home store 6 volt batteries two years was about all I could expect if that from a 6 volt. I restored my Super C in 2010 and still have the 6 volt battery put in at that time which still works fine and is kept on a maintainer during the cold months of the off season between fall and spring, Hal.

 

[Jim Becker]

(quoted from post at 15:39:09 11/27/15). . . - back when OEM was still in business I got several of their 6 volt battery maintainers which were offered at various times throughout the year for $5 each. . .

I got some "on sale" at Harbor Freight (12-volt only). I don't know if theirs and OEMs were the same, but sure looked it. They worked OK except the red indicator light would stay on if a connection was lost (don't remember which side could be lost if not either). I also had one fail and the indicator stayed on, leaving everything looking normal but with it doing nothing. I've still got a couple of them but wouldn't use them unless I happen to come up short on the good ones.