Rider Mower battery question

[TobyU]

You should always at least try to charge it before replacing it or take it out and take it to one of the auto parts stores and they will test it and charge it and retest it for you.
If you do need one though I wouldn't buy one from there because you can usually get them cheaper at Walmart or other farm style stores.

You really don't need to charge it before you store it for the winter and you really don't need to disconnect it either because it doesn't make that much of a difference but if anything it would be a smart idea too at least put it on a charger for overnight or a couple of days before you're going to try to start it at the beginning of the season.
Some people leave them on a battery tender all winter long but I don't really think that's necessary either

 

[bt-99]

You don't use the trickle charger on mower, you just use that on your grandma's car?

I’ll use mine in fall/winter to drag tarps full of leaves to the woods. I never disconnect the battery and if it doesn’t start in spring ( but it usually does) I charge it. Harbor Freight sells an inexpensive trickle maintainer I use on grandma’s car which rarely gets driven.

 

[bt-99]

So when

When new mine held charge, after a couple years I always have to charge it in the spring, but for the most part , the batteries are only good for a 60 day warranty. so a battery per season is likely, mine normally last 3 years,

So when you stored mower for the season, you just kept it hooked up and didn't charge it in the off season and hoped for the best in the spring and if it didn't start you charged it?

 

[bt-99]

I usually

You should always at least try to charge it before replacing it or take it out and take it to one of the auto parts stores and they will test it and charge it and retest it for you.
If you do need one though I wouldn't buy one from there because you can usually get them cheaper at Walmart or other farm style stores.

You really don't need to charge it before you store it for the winter and you really don't need to disconnect it either because it doesn't make that much of a difference but if anything it would be a smart idea too at least put it on a charger for overnight or a couple of days before you're going to try to start it at the beginning of the season.
Some people leave them on a battery tender all winter long but I don't really think that's necessary either

I usually left battery hooked up when storing and come spring, it will start up without charging (at least for the first 3 or 4 years I owned the battery). If it does that than I don't need to charge it before I start it in the spring, right? I assume alternator on mower will charge it up?

 

[TonyPrin]

You really don't need to charge it before you store it for the winter and you really don't need to disconnect it either because it doesn't make that much of a difference ...

That really depends on where you live and how the mower is stored. I agree for those who live in moderate / warmer climates or store their mower in a heated space. But for anyone storing a mower at temps in the 30s moving the battery to a warmer space is usually recommended.

 

[nycredneck]

Trickle/ maintainer is the best winter (freezing) solution in my opinion. I don’t need it for my tractor. I’ll use my tractor during winter because once deck is off I can really make use of it to haul my small trailer and pickup fallen limbs.

 

[TobyU]

That really depends on where you live and how the mower is stored. I agree for those who live in moderate / warmer climates or store their mower in a heated space. But for anyone storing a mower at temps in the 30s moving the battery to a warmer space is usually recommended.

Well, manufacturers and some people recommend a lot of things that are unnecessary.
Like John Deere in there official service manual tell their techs to do some things at the start of a repair that is simply a waste of time and effort. Lol

It gets well below the 30s in my climate with each winter season almost always getting down into the single digits and sometimes a few degrees below zero but it always is in the low teens and often in the singles.

I have never taken a lawn mower battery inside to any heated building ever for winter storage and it doesn't seem to affect their lifespan etc.
As long as the battery is charged when you put it into storage which it would be if it started that mower the last time you used it and you mowed with it - it won't freeze at these temperatures.

Now, I have had full size car batteries that were at outside temperatures freeze and crack the entire case open due to being discharged because the electrolyte will freeze, expand, and damage the entire battery including the plastic case.
When I say split I don't mean just a small crack but more like an almost 1 inch wide crack around the entire case.

These were batteries that were shot or discharged anyways because the good one sitting right beside them are still fine.

I don't think it hurts to put a battery on a tinder or bring it inside but typically it's just not necessary.

 

[TobyU]

I usually

I usually left battery hooked up when storing and come spring, it will start up without charging (at least for the first 3 or 4 years I owned the battery). If it does that than I don't need to charge it before I start it in the spring, right? I assume alternator on mower will charge it up?

Correct, if you go out in the spring and you're mower cranks at normal speed and starts up then the battery is close to fully charged anyways and obviously doing its job so you don't need to put it on any type of additional charger.

 

[TobyU]

So when

So when you stored mower for the season, you just kept it hooked up and didn't charge it in the off season and hoped for the best in the spring and if it didn't start you charged it?

I think this is what most people do. If they come out in the spring and the mower doesn't start because of what seems to be a week or discharge battery, they choose some method of trying to get it to crank faster.

Charging the battery or replace the battery are two common ones.
Unfortunately some people try another method which is not really a good one - jump starting it or using a booster pack.
The problem with this is then when the lower does start, it still has a very weak, low battery or even one that won't accept the charge like it should.
This is extremely bad on your charging system and as someone else has pointed out, it will fry your stator eventually.
The stator will actually be overheated and be very dark brown to black in color from the heat and it almost burning or melting.
About the only thing that causes this is when people jump off their mower and then mow their hold on with it repeatedly.
It doesn't usually happen in just one time but it can but they put off replacing the battery and basically every time they need to use it for half a season or a whole season plus and sometimes longer, this is their pattern.

Often, the only reason they stop doing this is once the statot goes they cannot mow their lawn because with no charge being put out, the mower will die in just a few minutes. Even faster if it has an electric PTO clutch.

 

[TonyPrin]

It gets well below the 30s in my climate with each winter season almost always getting down into the single digits and sometimes a few degrees below zero but it always is in the low teens and often in the singles.

I have never taken a lawn mower battery inside to any heated building ever for winter storage and it doesn't seem to affect their lifespan etc.

Of course, you can't tell if one approach is better than another if you only do it one way.