Cheap battery, part 2?

Someone posted last week asking about a low-priced 12 volt battery for a farm tractor. In my own experience, I have found the short-warranty 12 volt batteries at Walmart the best deal I can find anywhere. $49 and I have been using them for years.

But - what about 6 volt batteries? I have to wonder what the heck is going on? Up to this month, I only had one 6 volt tractor left. That is my Oliver HG dozer with a Hercules engine. I trucked it to a remote area in the Michigan Upper Peninsula a few years back and was thinking about converting it to 12 volt. But since the OEM system worked fine, I left it as is. I am now cursing the 6 volt system. Big mistake not converting it.

My issue is the poor quality of the 6 volt batteries I have gotten. Very few places in my area stock them. The last two batteries I bought were Exide since at the time, that is the only brand anyone carried in my area. I will note that Exide makes some of the worse quality batteries on the market in my opinion. They got sued by NAPA and Sears for poor quality control and I can see why.

So, my first 6 volt battery was a Deka and lasted me 12 years. Second one was an Exide and lasted 2 years. Next new one was Exide again and now this one is bad after exactly three years. Kind of infuriating. Note - this crawler sees use only in the summer and the battery is well maintained while in storage.

I just went searching for another battery and now - no Exides to be found. At least not with the Exide name on the case. Tractor Supply now sells a Traveller battery or an Optima Redtop. $100 or $190. Both prices are nuts. A $49 12 volt battery from Walmart would last me 7-8 years.

Does anyone know for sure who is making the 6 volt batteries for Tractor Supply under the Traveller brand? Or the NAPA brand that looks like it might be the same? I know NAPA dropped Exide after suing the company, so I am wondering if it is a Deka?

I am working on a Ford Jubilee that is in my shop right now. It has a newly rebuilt 6 volt generator, new regulator, and new 6 volt wiring harness. All put on by the previous owner. The 6 volt system works fine but has no battery. Seems a shame to convert it to 12 volt - but - considering how the quality of the 6 volt batteries has gone down, and price up - I think I better convert it.

My HG is a different story. Too difficult to convert it where it is. It has a magneto ignition, so at least I can stick a 12 volt battery in it to start it. Just have to make sure I unhook the 6 volt charging system when I do so and then I cannot use the lights if needed. Seems a shame. I ought to be able to stick a 6 volt battery in it and get 8 -10 years out of it. In the past, the 6 volt batteries in 6 volt systems seemed to last forever.

I can't answer your question,but I bought an Excide exactly like that Saturday for $79 at Parts Plus. The one I took out of it was from 15. I thought that seemed kind of quick,but I just bought the tractor and don't know if it had frozen or not. It wasn't bulged,but it didn't want to take a charge.

$79 is a much better price then any place I can find here in northern Michigan. I have tried the New Holland dealer, Tractor Supply, Autozone, NAPA, and Advance Auto. Not many other places to look around here. This is only a small BCI group #1 battery. Not much too it, but I guess the prices reflect the limited demand.

Sounds to me like you were extremely lucky. I quit using six volt batteries 30 year's ago cause I never had one last over a year. Average now a days is 3 years on 12v and none are cheap.

Have you tried Costco? I've had good service out of the batteries I've bought there...I don't know about 6 volt...

I am currently using an Optima red top six volt battery in my Farmall SMTA. It is either 5 or 6 years old and starting as well as my two M Farmalls with twelve volt and alternator. Ellis

I personally think the Red Top AGM battery is the best buy. It should last for at least 10 yrs, I used AGM in my 47ft sailboat for house batteries and starting batteries on the 100 hp nissan diesel and they were still going strong when I sold the boat after 14 years. Just be sure they are being charged at the proper rate

I thought our local L&M had them but I can't find any on their website, but Blain's Farm and Fleet has some. $57-$87

https://www.farmandfleet.com/s/?keyword=6%20volt%20battery

No Costco around here in my part of northern Michigan. I don't think I have ever seen one in my life.

I've done fine with Walmart and/or Deka 12 volt batteries. 7-8 years is normal and I have a few over 10 years. The ones over 10 years old will go dead in a few days if not on a maintainer.

I used to do fine also with 6 volt batteries. Not anymore. I suspect the quality is way down, at least with the Exides. I have had Trojan and Deka deep-cycle 6 volt batteries last 7-8 years with no issues. If one of them would fit my tractor I'd use one, but the GC-2s at a little too big.

Thanks. THAT is what I call a great deal as compared to what I am finding around here. If Blains can do it, I wonder why the heck other stores cannot where I am? Blains has it priced where it ought to be. Smallest BCI #1 battery for $56,

I wish we had a Blains around here. I have been seeing them advertising on TV just this past week. Seems they just opened a new store in the Traverse City area. 280 mile round trip for me.

I have no doubt those AGMs made by Johnson Controls like the Redtop are good quality. Problem is, I do not see them lasting any longer then good conventional batteries so I don't see the point of paying near twice the price. That is unless I need a spill-proof battery for some reason. Overall, I have had more failures with AGMs then convention FLA batteries. But yes, I think near everything Johnson Controls makes is great quality.

I bought a 6 volt-640 cca from Advance Auto parts for 77.00 last fall. That price was with 20% online discount.

All I can say is I have a 7 year old Deere branded Exide in my MH pony that is still working fine. Mow the lawn weekly in the summer and ignore it all winter.

Yes, they're a good store, we have been in the one in Rice Lake WI, out son lives nearby. I would thin a Fleet Farm would have the same thing.

That all comes back to things can be made to any spec by any manufacturer I?ve had strong box hibernator batteries go 15 years excide was making the John Deere brand batteries . Local fiat cnh picked up on that fact and started sticking excide batteries but they had the same luck as the o.p.

If you have a Runnings store in your area, they have the best deal on batteries. $69 for a Group 1 6V when I bought one a year or so ago, now $57.99. "Durastart" brand whoever makes that.

When did 6V systems ever work properly? You can make them work okay, but it takes a LOT of maintenance and constant fiddling, where a 12V alternator setup requires no maintenance.

In general I have had terrible "luck" with batteries. 20 plus years ago could not get a 6 volt battery that did not want to seep acid all over or last more than 3 years to start the JD 440 crawler with gas 2 cyl. engine. I could pull them from it and run another year or 2 in something that turned over easier like a model B tractor. I have not ran any of my old 6 volt tractors in years so I don't know how much worse they are now ?
12 volt batteries I can only remember 2 that held up well. The original battery in the JD750 compact made by Yuasa (sp) made it like 10 or 12 years. And a Kmart battery with a Penske label on it. It was a dual terminal sealed one IIRC. It make 12 or 13 ? years in the 1981 F350 dump truck. My cars batteries only seem to make it 3 years. The OEM from new and the replacements.
Seems if I get a 36 month battery or a 60 month one the day after the warranty it goes bad.
Been getting the Rural king batteries lately because if I am only going to get 3 years from one I'm going to buy the lowest price I can find.

We've got an auto parts store here that's pretty good to us farmers. Jeff was standing outside when I pulled in with the old one in the back of the pickup. He carried it in,went in the back and carried out a new one. We might not have any implement dealers right close by,but they take up the slack the best they can.