Batteries for all your collection?

[TC10284 109]

For those of us that collect a lot of WH tractors, what do others do for batteries? Do you get/maintain the appropriate size SLA battery for each tractor, or do you do something different? I've considered getting something like a couple UB12180 or UB12350 AGM batteries that is more "portable" so that I can take it to each tractor for when I use them. I'm talking close to 30 tractors.

I rotate which tractor gets used each time I need to mow to help keep them in operation/maintained. 

 

Going this route, it would be nicer to have a quick disconnect though.

What do you guys do? 

Edited July 20, 2020 by TC10284

[ebinmaine 63,149]

We have 2 tractors that are the go-to rigs.

Those have their own batteries.

Trina's 867 uses the standard u1 garden tractor battery.

My Cinnamon Horse c-160 has a group 51 battery that I got from a car salvage yard.

The other tractors use all the same battery which is another u1. I've changed the battery bolts and battery tray hold on fasteners  over to wing nut type to make swapping things a little easier.

[cschannuth 3,795]

I only have five tractors and two of those are not electric start. And the other three I buy the biggest, best batteries I can and always have them on a trickle charger. A couple of my batteries are approaching 10 years old and are still going strong.

[TC10284 109]

31 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

We have 2 tractors that are the go-to rigs.

Those have their own batteries.

Trina's 867 uses the standard u1 garden tractor battery.

My Cinnamon Horse c-160 has a group 51 battery that I got from a car salvage yard.

The other tractors use all the same battery which is another u1. I've changed the battery bolts and battery tray hold on fasteners  over to wing nut type to make swapping things a little easier.

 

I like the wingnut idea. I've already had a few run-ins with a slipped adjustable wrench touching metal from positive, or slipping/touching both terminals...

Edited July 20, 2020 by TC10284

[TC10284 109]

Just now, cschannuth said:

I only have five tractors and two of those are not electric start. And the other three I buy the biggest, best batteries I can and always have them on a trickle charger. A couple of my batteries are approaching 10 years old and are still going strong.

 

Good info. This past winter I took out all batteries and brought them in/kept rotating them on trickle chargers. 

I have most on solar chargers during spring/summer/fall. 

[ebinmaine 63,149]

3 minutes ago, TC10284 said:

wrench touching metal from positive

 

I've hand-built the wiring harnesses in all of our tractors. When I make up a battery cable I make them BOTH long enough to reach the opposite corner of the battery. All of ours are older models with the battery mounted to the frame and I would much much rather have the negative cable next to the metal belt guard so as to avoid showers of pretty sparks.

 

[SylvanLakeWH 24,149]

Only have 2 but both are just cheapo Wally world specials kept on a trickle chargers...

 

No issues 4 + years...

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 10,499]

Always disconnect the negative cable first and the positive cable second or last.

Always connect the positive cable first and the negative cable second or last.

You won't see any sparks unless you deliberately lay a wrench across the posts. 

 

Garry

[Stepney 2,314]

I have three currently but since we have no shows this year, I only run them in sequence mowing a few lawns every week. And only two of the three need batteries, since my Raider 9/12 was repowered with a brand new K301 rope start magneto engine. 

Amazing how easy they start when they have about 15 hours of time..

As such, I keep one battery between the two electric start models and one common battery for my stationary engines.. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Stepney

[WHX?? 46,793]

I have over 25 tractors all but three have batteries. I just use the cheap 20- 30 buck wally batteries but remove them all in winter, bring them in a heated  shop and rotate them on tenders. Usually get 5-6 years out of even the cheapest. Snow machines stay in year round but are always on tenders. When I am walking by a particular tractor that has not  been started in awhile I hop on for a joy ride! 

[TC10284 109]

31 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

I have over 25 tractors all but three have batteries. I just use the cheap 20- 30 buck wally batteries but remove them all in winter, bring them in a heated  shop and rotate them on tenders. Usually get 5-6 years out of even the cheapest. Snow machines stay in year round but are always on tenders. When I am walking by a particular tractor that has not  been started in awhile I hop on for a joy ride! 

 

Sweet - sounds pretty similar. 

[wallfish 15,923]

Batteries stay in the workers all the time

A jump box makes short work for moving, short rides or short use for the rest. Just clamp it on and go! Has it's own charger so it's always ready to go.

And you can pump up a tire if required too but it's slow

 

[TC10284 109]

54 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Batteries stay in the workers all the time

A jump box makes short work for moving, short rides or short use for the rest. Just clamp it on and go! Has it's own charger so it's always ready to go.

And you can pump up a tire if required too but it's slow

 

 

I actually have one of that exact same model! I do use it for short runs and just letting them run, and pumping up tires. I'm looking for something that will fit into the tractor and can use the tractor to mow with or work with, but quickly swap it out to another tractor or connect to a battery maintainer. 

[TC10284 109]

I think I'm going to try a UB12350 and UB12180 with handles and some wingnuts. 

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

How much cranking amps is needed for a kohler m12?

Edited December 23, 2020 by Maxwell-8

[ebinmaine 63,149]

12 minutes ago, Maxwell-8 said:

How much cranking amps is needed for a kohler m12?

Depends on the weather but I try to aim for about 275 to 295 minimum. 

 

There are a lot of batteries on the market that are 230 and those are marginal when really hot or really cold. 

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

Just now, ebinmaine said:

Depends on the weather but I try to aim for about 275 to 295 minimum. 

 

There are a lot of batteries on the market that are 230 and those are marginal when really hot or really cold. 

Thanks big time! 

 

[ebinmaine 63,149]

54 minutes ago, Maxwell-8 said:

Thanks big time! 

 

Just occurred to me now that on some of the older tractors like that 1970 Raider you got there MAY be a larger battery box which would hold a medium size car battery. 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

On 7/20/2020 at 6:50 PM, wallfish said:

Batteries stay in the workers all the time

A jump box makes short work for moving, short rides or short use for the rest. Just clamp it on and go! Has it's own charger so it's always ready to go.

And you can pump up a tire if required too but it's slow

 

I use mine a LOT!  I keep in inside, plugged in, warm and ready at all times.

Highly recommended!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I think I've found that the bigger AMP batteries last longer.  I suppose that as the smaller AMP ones fail they have too little left where the 420 AMPs fail but still have 200A or so left in them.

[ohiofarmer 3,157]

    My buddy Jay and I bought some surplus Yausa [they make batteries for Honda Motorcycles]. These are dry charge batteries and are $10 from him. The wharehouses that were selling stuff had stuff priced like a yard sale, and eventually you could buy anything that would fit on a 30"x40" pallet x7 feet high for $200. We had so many motorcycle chains and batteries that we had to get a different rig to haul them home as the trailer fenders were eating the tires.  Long story short is that i have a bunch of dry charge $10.00 batteries, but see no need to have them sitting around in stuff just for convienence.. Maybe gonna break out another one for snow duty, but with all i bought this year two batteries that are dying without the trickle charger and maybe one good one seems about right.

  Actually, i would rather spend some extra cash on some new inner tubes. When you think about being on the farm, it makes little sense to keep batteries in every engine you have.as some only get used once a year. Those lithium ion jump boxes are even really small now and my brother carries one all the time in his truck for getting caught out on the road and it is powerful enough for a diesel.

  A buddy has a Mazda Miata, and he wants a new battery, so I am gonna give him a knackered one as a trade in for core charge and the old one probably will fit a wheel Horse....trickle charge.

   Bet you figgured out by now that i am tight with a dollar.....

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I thought every farmer had to be "tight with a dollar."!

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

30 minutes ago, ohiofarmer said:

    My buddy Jay and I bought some surplus Yausa [they make batteries for Honda Motorcycles]. These are dry charge batteries and are $10 from him. The wharehouses that were selling stuff had stuff priced like a yard sale, and eventually you could buy anything that would fit on a 30"x40" pallet x7 feet high for $200. We had so many motorcycle chains and batteries that we had to get a different rig to haul them home as the trailer fenders were eating the tires.  Long story short is that i have a bunch of dry charge $10.00 batteries, but see no need to have them sitting around in stuff just for convienence.. Maybe gonna break out another one for snow duty, but with all i bought this year two batteries that are dying without the trickle charger and maybe one good one seems about right.

  Actually, i would rather spend some extra cash on some new inner tubes. When you think about being on the farm, it makes little sense to keep batteries in every engine you have.as some only get used once a year. Those lithium ion jump boxes are even really small now and my brother carries one all the time in his truck for getting caught out on the road and it is powerful enough for a diesel.

  A buddy has a Mazda Miata, and he wants a new battery, so I am gonna give him a knackered one as a trade in for core charge and the old one probably will fit a wheel Horse....trickle charge.

   Bet you figgured out by now that i am tight with a dollar.....

I bought A small Li Ion jumpbox, started v6, no problem, one time i hang it on a 10 hp diesel, blew the diodes on the cable. 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

40 minutes ago, Maxwell-8 said:

I bought A small Li Ion jumpbox, started v6, no problem, one time i hang it on a 10 hp diesel, blew the diodes on the cable. 

Diodes?  For some reason after 50 years I still hook up cables backwards!  Always did like fireworks...  You didn't try that did you?  Diode or fuse in the cable should be fixable.  I've done quite a bit of research and I want a lithium jump pack but I don't want to just blow $100 either.  Probably should start a new thread...

[TC10284 109]

I would not run a lithium jump starter for long (more than a few minutes). I've had one overcharge and blow up in mine. I had to end up replacing my entire 416-8 (M16) wiring harness from the fire.