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DMiller 
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
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 Topic: Ever Ongoing, Battery Sagas
Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 6:22am |
Seems incessant as to changing batteries here. Truck has two as does the 180 and the Camper Trailer, then have the cars(2) and the Big truck uses four, the Harley has one and they seem to alternate year to year over years to fail annually at least to a couple per year.
So the old Harley is a 13 year aged bike, replaced batteries every other year as sitting over winter ate them alive even using a 'Battery Tender' occasionally until went AGM, this one lasted five years but a cell opened and was done. Brilliant Thought as one functional Consideration Brain cell fired, as installed the Generator on the trailer why not buy a Same Series battery for it to the Harley, in which case one fails on the road will have a alternate until arrive back home to fall back on. So did just that, bought two 400cca Motorcycle batteries AGM from Carquest and KNEW would be expensive. Also had to have cables made for the trailer generator so added to the cost. TX30 series AGM is $180 and bought two plus one core did not have. Added a set of 8' cables for the generator and went over $500, Wife NOT amused.
What I did note is the Group 31s I use in the Allis and the Big Truck (1000cca) just being Conventional Lead Acid, I can get for less than $200 Each generally on specials at the Truck Dealer Parts counters. Could only wish they would fit the smaller applications.
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jaybmiller
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 7:25am |
'Battery Tenders' are supposed to be connected 24/7. You should bring batteries out of the cold when not being used. If a vehicle has 2 or more batteries, replace ALL at same time, with same make/model/ratings (real Ice road trucker taught me that one)
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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Coke-in-MN
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Afton MN
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 10:07am |
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Used the same series lead/acid battery in all vehicles (except cycles) so interchanged regularly - dozer , tractor , backhoe , pickup , dump trucks , so with 5 year warranty it was just take the dead one in and decide which unit got new battery after swapping around .
Bought largest CCA battery that would fit my GM pickup and it became the size used .
Snow plow trucks seemed to go through batteries fast as did HD5G with single battery .
2 years now on motorcycle battery seems the limit of life
battery just died in Jeep Cherokee after 10 years of use - ODD thing the stop start feature quit about 4 years back - but when I put in new battery it started working again, ... Couple years back asked about fixing stop start feature and dealer said it would cost around $600 as complicated repair - (replace battery ?)
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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sparky
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Joined: 13 May 2011
Location: So. Indiana
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 10:13am |
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I can sympathize with you. If one battery goes bad at my place it turns into a epidemic.
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It's the color tractor my grandpa had!
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 12:41pm |
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I have all my not-in-use batteries in the 50*F garage and once a month they get time as needed on my on 'old skool' SCR based charger.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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DMiller
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 32677
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 5:03pm |
 jaybmiller wrote:
'Battery Tenders' are supposed to be connected 24/7. You should bring batteries out of the cold when not being used. If a vehicle has 2 or more batteries, replace ALL at same time, with same make/model/ratings (real Ice road trucker taught me that one) |
Posted a response this morning, it did not stay.
Harley Tenders tend to 'Cook' the batteries if do not cycle them Charge, Discharge as in Use of machine. Charger will drop to 2a and will then desulfate the battery cells, that tends to create H2 gas and as does the battery loses water from the electrolyte. The sulfates collect too deep and short cells out. Learned this off four rides have owned where used one of these. Sells batteries for the Bike Shops. HOWEVER, if Do set it on a timer as I generally do if will sit for weeks, then will allow parasite losses in the electronics to cycle the charges back down and then timer cuts on and charge resumes. IF the ride sits a few days to a couple weeks NO Tender connected. Some times if know a ride is coming up available will plug the bike in for a few days prior, works well. And the AGM Batteries have used to date generally make it OVER five Years.
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 5:39pm |
Generally speaking 'tenders' are supposed to disconnect ( no longer charge ) when it sees 'full'. Then test every so often and THEN 'top up as required'. 'Tenders' are basically supposed to be smart 'trickle chargers' though it's up to whoever programmed them how they work.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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ACinSC
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Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 5:40pm |
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Visited battery plus today
Couple women were getting new batteries in their key fob. Cost $17 . Haven't changed one lately but it used to be easy and a battery cost $2 ?
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 5:43pm |
bat  tery is still $2, installation is $15 per hour or part therof.......
it's a minimum wage thing I suppose.......
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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ACinSC
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Location: South Carolina
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 6:24pm |
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Sounds about right Jay. Tech wasn't behind the magic curtain long 🙂. Sorry if this is a hi jack
Edited by ACinSC - 03 Mar 2025 at 6:25pm
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 6:38pm |
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I put new batteries in the FOBS for our 2010 SUV and 2013 Truck a couple months ago... 2019 SUV should not need yet. ............ i got a couple 1 - 2 amp tenders for the backhoe and tractor that set for 3-4 months at a time.. Batteries are probably 6-7 years old right now. ..... may need new soon..
Edited by steve(ill) - 03 Mar 2025 at 6:39pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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jaybmiller
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Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 6:41pm |
heck, I replaced the battery in my remote starter.... lost the 'big green button cap'... no big deal, 'borrowed' the one from my spare fob....time passes, replace battery lose THAT button...grrr..NO spare. You would THINK that I'd have found at least ONE of those GREEN buttons by now.... oh well.... life goes on ....
One day guy of a friend of a neighbour ( aka TOTAL STRANGER...) asks me to look at his riding mower( 1 side doesn't cut.NEW blades, DEALER installed). I said give me 2 days, kinda backed up. he leaves, I raise it up high, burp off 1 blade,turn it right side up, burp back on, cut my grass, and NO did not call him 15 minutes later to come get it. I let him come 2 DAYS later, said , yeah ,finally got it adjusted, 50$, OK forty is fine....... He paid me for what I KNOW, not how LONG it took me !
If he knew it'd only taken 15 minutes he'd be whining about the $40 or $50, thinking gee it only took 15 minutes, here's $5 for a coffee...
People need to get paid for what they KNOW.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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DougG
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Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Location: Mo
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Posted: 03 Mar 2025 at 6:46pm |
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I just go to Rural King - anymore, havent bought any lately- but they did have 850 cca for 54 dollars; alway had good luck with them!!
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Coke-in-MN
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Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 12:23am |
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Had friend of friend stop into shop and ask if I could sharpen his LM blades - said it would take a couple hours as was working in another project .
Sharpened and balanced them so when he came back was done - well about hour later he comes with tractor on trailer says blades don't cut after I sharpened them .
YEP - he put both on up side down when he installed them .
Just had a Harbor Freight Maintainer I had been using on truck for a year or so , went to hook it up - happened to touch it reverse polarity - fried it somehow - have had other ones that if touched reverse a red light would lite , this one just quit . Other with orange lite until hooked up then blinking green or solid green when charged .
HATE the new chargers where if battery is stoned you need to hook another charger to battery to get the new one to work as it needs voltage to turn on .
Edited by Coke-in-MN - 05 Mar 2025 at 12:24am
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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jaybmiller
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Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 6:42am |
hmm, so 2 wrongs don't make a right !!!
That 'new ' charger would be SCR based, super simple but they do need a little 'juice' in the battery to start them, that do auto shut off- maintain the battery though. Always thought it'd be nice to have a 'push to start' feature( easy 50 cent option...)
I've got some fancy ( high $$$$ )12 volt transformers here, torroids(sp) 'dounut shaped' good for 25 amps, keep meaning to make another charger but my junkyard unit keeps working...
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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ekjdm14
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Location: Manchester UK
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Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 8:08am |
As far as sulfate buildup & shorted cells go, I've had REALLY good luck with the online "hack" of draining all the old electrolyte & filling with a mixture of baking soda/tapwater, let sit for 15min, swill round and drain then finally refill with epsom salt solution as "electrolyte"...
They never have quite as much CCA but very much better than a dead one, leave on trickle charge for a couple of days keeping an eye on levels (better to overfill and let it leak out than have it low). Works very well IMO on older mechanical diesels & carburated gassers.
Speaking of which, I've got 3 or 4 "dead" ones here that I should have a look into as could use some extras.
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BuckSkin
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Posted: 11 hours 22 minutes ago at 12:14am |
Best thing I ever did for battery longevity was to use ONLY threaded stud type Group 31S on anything where I can make them fit = I abhor those old squish-on battery terminal ends.
The second best thing I did was to use a big constant-duty oil-pressure-triggered solenoid that isolates the starting batteries from the accessory batteries.
I haven't bought a first-line battery in years; I buy "Blems" or "Seconds" from the same guy for the last forty-plus years and only ever replace a bad battery = none of this "replace them all with same brand/type" for me; I mix them up for hybrid vigor.
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Tbone95
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Posted: 3 hours 30 minutes ago at 8:06am |
Hybrid vigor! Hahaha, nice. 
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