gas powered riding mower battery

Hello rhkraft,

You missed the part about it being the Generac 15KW "portable". They do not have a constant trickle charger like the stationary standby generators.
 
Auto Doc's said:
Yep, the battery is toast. When you put the new battery in check the charging system with a meter. At idle it will show a very low charge from the machine, but as you raise the throttle so should the charge voltage. If it is not charging, let us know because there is still a wiring connection or bad ignition switch issue happening.

Something that also helps:

A few years ago, I found out that if I attach a solar panel charger on my battery it keeps the electrolyte active at a very low charge rate. By doing this it prevents battery sulfation which is what kills battery cells when the battery is left sitting for long periods.

I started this "battery life experiment" with my large Generac 15KW standby/ portable generator and that battery is now 4 years old.... Believe me, No One wants a dead battery on a generator when a power outage occurs. I run my generator once a month for an hour and the battery shows no signs of losing cranking amperage since I added the solar charger.

Since then, I have added a solar panel maintainer for use with my rider mowers and other equipment that require batteries. It has saved me a lot of money on annual or seasonal battery replacements. Most of my equipment is outdoors year-round, so sunlight is not a problem.

For my motorcycle, I use a 2A battery tender during the winter months when it is stored inside.
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It was a bad battery. Somewhere last year I replaced the stator also. Everything is good now!
 
farmerdave1954 said:
Several years ago I bought a bunch of Battery Tender brand trickle chargers, one for my mower, one for each of 3 ATV/UTV vehicles, one for my Harley motorcycle, one for each of of my 2 tractors, and one for my pickup. My cars are driven daily and don't need one.
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Incorrect. Drive your car say 30 minutes on the highway. You feel the battery is topped off right? Once home connect a Battery Tender. You will see she will charge a bit till she is full. Said just a bit, not 5 hours. Why? Alternators do NOT fully charge a battery. The newer the car the worse this charging will be. Why? New cars have a million electrical circuits and large alternators. See where this is going?
 
Hello H.,

I've had exceptions where most batteries last that long, but not without diligent help from using a maintainer of some kind. I use sun light trickle maintainers because much of my equipment has sunlight year-round. The whole purpose of any maintainer is to keep the electrolyte active, so battery sulfation does not occur.

The most common failures of vehicle and L&G batteries are overheating from rapid charging and sulfation from sitting dormant for extended periods of time.

Lastly, L&G style batteries are also not made to the same high standards of automotive batteries
 
Only thing I can add is that paying a premium for a 'name brand' such as diehard seems foolish. They cost 2-3X as much as a lowly WallyWorld, with the same warranty. If the Wally failed, you can buy two more, and still have paid less than the name brand.
I checked with auto parts stores, farm supply stores, and ummh.. don't remember. All were a multiple of the Wally, with almost the exact same warranty. I do not think them worth the extra moolah. Your choice. I have nothing in this biz...
tom
 
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