AGM battery for garden tractor?

[Petrol & Powder]

As for protecting terminals from corrosion there are two schools of thought:
1. Some type of grease
2. some type of lacquer or other sealant
They both work about equally as well.

The problem with grease is once you put grease on the terminal, you're pretty much stuck with grease from there on out. Grease is cheap, readily available and easy to re-apply.
The spray on sealants are a little more permanent and a little less messy but you have buy the stuff.

A spray can of sealant for battery terminals will last for years and the stuff is good for weatherproofing other things as well.

When I get a new battery, I clean the terminals and cable ends (even on a brand new battery) assemble everything and spray the connection with sealant; usually two coats.

I am also a HUGE, HUGE fan of battery tenders. The little extra expense of a battery tender (or a small solar charger if stored in a remote location with mains power unavailable) is worth its cost several times over. A 110 volt automatic battery tender is a one time expense and it will pay for itself in one battery replacement cycle. The electronics for those devices have become inexpensive and durable.

[blackthorn]

Years ago, we heated a copper penny and stuck it close to each battery terminal. The pennies would corrode but the terminals did not.

[GregLaROCHE]

Years ago, we heated a copper penny and stuck it close to each battery terminal. The pennies would corrode but the terminals did not.

Back then pennies were real copper too.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Found a Made in USA battery (Magna Power) locally, so I decided to try one of those. Swapped it in and the tractor cranked right up. Will update as the months/years pass. Hope it doesn't turn out to be a charging system problem.

[Mal Paso]

Years ago, we heated a copper penny and stuck it close to each battery terminal. The pennies would corrode but the terminals did not.

Back then pennies were real copper too.

The new copper plated zinc pennies should work too then. Zinc is what they use on boats to save the propeller.

[jonp]

As for protecting terminals from corrosion there are two schools of thought:
1. Some type of grease
2. some type of lacquer or other sealant
They both work about equally as well.

The problem with grease is once you put grease on the terminal, you're pretty much stuck with grease from there on out. Grease is cheap, readily available and easy to re-apply.
The spray on sealants are a little more permanent and a little less messy but you have buy the stuff.

A spray can of sealant for battery terminals will last for years and the stuff is good for weatherproofing other things as well.

When I get a new battery, I clean the terminals and cable ends (even on a brand new battery) assemble everything and spray the connection with sealant; usually two coats.

I am also a HUGE, HUGE fan of battery tenders. The little extra expense of a battery tender (or a small solar charger if stored in a remote location with mains power unavailable) is worth its cost several times over. A 110 volt automatic battery tender is a one time expense and it will pay for itself in one battery replacement cycle. The electronics for those devices have become inexpensive and durable.

Ballistol, then and when you change your oil just wash off the top of the battery with a little baking soda and water then reapply

[Petrol & Powder]

Well that's one method but with the spray on sealant there's no corrosion that you need to wash off with baking soda and water.

[jonp]

I tried some spray on sealent, maroon in color. Got worse corrosion than when they were bare for some reason.

[Petrol & Powder]

You have to start with perfectly clean terminals and cable ends. Plus you really need to coat those suckers.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

For years, I've coated automotive battery terminals with standard grease, with one exception, it worked just fine. I don't grease or coat the GM style side terminals, they have never severely corroded for me, maybe a better design being on the side?

For motorcycle battery terminals, I just use ordinary spray paint from the hardware store. If everything is clean, it works fine.

[alamogunr]

I usually get 6-7 years from original Toyota batteries. Right now I'm on the 7th year for the Tundra. Last trip to dealer for oil change, they told me my battery was on it's last legs. I decided I would wait until it died or signaled it was ready to. It has been about 4 months of Tennessee winter and going strong. I expect that summer will kill it.

By experience, I have found that replacement batteries that Toyota uses fall far short of original equipment. I suspect that each dealer choses what level of battery to use.

I should have mentioned that after 7½ years with the Tundra, I only have slightly less than 38K miles on it. Us senior citizens do get some percs.

[Tripplebeards]

I had a AGM battery explode in my ATV (Honda 450).
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ttery-explodes
I had got 4 years of use before it blew up.
I replaced that with another AGM battery ($100), only lasted two years, then would no longer hold a charge.

Since that one didn't last long, I figured I may as well go cheaper, so i bought a Chrome-Pro iGel battery on Fleabay for $40. It has a built in digital volt meter, kinda neat. That one is still going strong, I'm in my 3rd year with it, and started my 450 Honda in the below zero temps a few weeks ago, no problems. I see they are now $56 on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Chrome-Batter.../dp/B01BX9OYIU

I am rebuilding a small riding lawnmower this spring, I will probably buy another one of these for it, instead of using a cheap walmart LG battery

AGM batteries are junk imo. I managed an auto store for four years That carried diehard AGM. I got to the point where I didn’t order any for inventory because everyone came back defective within a couple of months. I got to the point where I didn’t order any for inventory because everyone came back defective within a couple of months The regular entry-level batteries lasted way longer. It’s a gimmic. You also need a special charger for a lot of them which killed the goofy AGM batteries in the process from improper charging. You literally have to zap them With a booster charge To “wake” them up to get them to charge.

[alfadan]

my poulan ZTR came with an AGM and it has held up without winter charging for 4 years now. On regular lead-acid batteries, if the terminals are corroding its due to the mechanical seal on the post leaking acid. I like those red and green grease soaked felt things under the terminals for those. Also on any battery, heat is the killer; cold just makes the reaction less energetic.

[Petrol & Powder]

There's more marketing that goes into selling batteries than there is engineering that goes into selling batteries. There are hundreds of battery brands but only a handful of companies that actually make lead acid batteries. Yes, they do make different grades but there are no secret deals out there.

When you get right down to it, a battery is nothing more than a device than uses a chemical reaction to create and store electrical energy.

There are a lot of compromises when it comes to lead acid battery designs and price point is a BIG part of those compromises.

If you take the time to educate yourself a little (and DO NOT educate yourself by reading advertising provided by the seller), you can make good informed decisions about batteries.

Learn what the ratings actually mean:
Cold Cranking amps is not the end-all / be-all of battery ratings. CCA is probably one of the most relied upon ratings and perhaps one of the least important.
Warrantees don't really tell you much.
Reserve capacity is one of the better ratings and probably the one that is most overlooked.

There are no free lunches when it comes to batteries. A Cheap battery will be just that - a cheap battery.

A 5 year battery that has a pro-rated warrantee probably isn't worth much more than a 4 year battery. (that's a whole new thread on that scam all by itself).

A few laws that don't change - heat kills batteries but the damage usually appears during cold conditions. (reduced temperatures impede the battery's ability to produce current AND turning cold engines with thick oil is harder than spinning the same engine in warm weather). So the battery that got cooked during the summer will continue to work well enough to start the engine as long as the weather is warm.
Thicker plates means fewer plates in the same space but more resistance to vibration.

[Petrol & Powder]

And just for the record, Reserve Capacity for automotive batteries is defined as:

The number of minutes a battery at 80 degrees Fahrenheit can produce a continuous output of 25 amps before the voltage drops below 10.5 volts.

[alamogunr]

Learn what the ratings actually mean:
Cold Cranking amps is not the end-all / be-all of battery ratings. CCA is probably one of the most relied upon ratings and perhaps one of the least important.

Cold Cranking Amps are what the dealer quoted when they recommended I replace the battery in my Tundra.

[Thundarstick]

It has been about 4 months of Tennessee winter and going strong. I expect that summer will kill it.

What Tennessee winter? If it hadn't been so wet, I'd mowed my yard Monday!

As far as AGM batteries go, there seems to be good indications (around the net) that they are more prone to sudden death than some other designs. I know the battery on my Jeep Wrangler gave me almost no warning of an impending failure. It lasted just under 5 years.

[Petrol & Powder]

Cold Cranking Amps are what the dealer quoted when they recommended I replace the battery in my Tundra.

A lot of people think CCA are THE measure of a battery. CCA is ONE measure of a battery.

CCA is the amps that can be delivered by a 12-volt battery for 30 seconds at 0°F and at the same time maintain a minimum voltage of 7.2 volts.

While the rating provides a means to compare one battery to another, the rating only tells you one aspect of the battery's performance.
It's possible to make a cheap battery with a very high CCA rating but that doesn't mean the battery will hold up for several years or have a decent reserve capacity.

You need enough CCA available to start the engine under the worst case scenario but beyond that, more amperage available doesn't help you.
Here's some hypothetical numbers for an example. Let's say that under the worst conditions your starter motor draws 400 amps. You might want some extra margin there and select a battery that is capable of delivering 600 CCA. Selecting a battery that is capable of producing 1000 CCA will not help you much more. If the 600 CCA battery has a reserve capacity of 120 minutes and the 1000 CCA battery has a reserve capacity of only 20 minutes - You might be far better off selecting the 600 CCA battery. In that hypothetical example the 600 CCA has more than enough power to start the engine and it has a better reserve capacity than the 1000 CCA battery.

Your dealer is partially correct, there's a certain amount of CCA that you must have. So yes, that's an important number. However, it's not the only rating you should look at.

[blackthorn]

I bought a 4 year old Toyota Highlander (2004 model). I assume it had the original battery, but I don't really know. In the fall of 2018 my mechanic told me the battery was weak and I replaced it. We will see how long this one lasts (may well outlast me). As far as I know, the battery in my 2006 Tundra is the original (it was also 4 years old when I got it.

[Petrol & Powder]

blackthorn - the key to that long battery life is your location. A battery in British Columbia will outlast the same battery in Houston, Texas.
Heat kills batteries.