# What is the life of a riding mower battery?



## mldollins (Jun 21, 2008)

I bought a new troybilt rider 2 years ago. It seems the battery is on its way out. Someone told me that I was lucky to get 2 years.

Is this true?


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## Tarheel (Jan 24, 2010)

Got 6 out of my first one, the replacement is now 3 years old.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

The first battery in our Grasshopper mower lasted for 9 years, the replacement only for two.


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## MattPA (Apr 9, 2009)

Do not count the battery dead. Stop at your locale motorcycle dealer and buy a trickle charger. It is about $26.00 and put your battery on it until light turns green, Its possible your battery just got drained do to the cold weather and not starting it up from time to time. You can leave the charger on whenever not in use.


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2010)

There is a big difference in the quality of batteries . Rule of thumb says the more you pay for one the longer it lasts . Chances are you didn't get the best quality battery when you bought the mower . When I bought my mower the battery that came in it lasted about 2 years . I bought a new battery from napa ( same physical size ) & it weighed probably twice as much & has been in my mower for probably 5 years .
ETA I make sure it is fully charged each spring & forget about it till the next spring . Check the fluid level in the battery & add water if necessary . I use distilled water . See if the battery will take a full charge . It might still be good .


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

I use my tractor pretty much year round and I get about 2-3 years out of one.


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## Pizza Guy (Jun 5, 2006)

The trickle charger is a good idea but I recommend a "float" charger instead. Float chargers have electronics in them that turn them off when the battery is fully charged. That way you don't have to remember to turn the trickle charger off as they can overcharge the battery. I use a float charger on a collector car that I have (I keep it hooked up all the time unless I'm driving the car) that doesn't get driven too often and the battery is 5 years old.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Forget the $19.95 mower batteries and stuff the biggest automotive batter in there that can fit. There are lot small car batteries anymore and the smallest lowest capacity one is many times more powerful than the cheapo mower batteries. Then keep it on a trickle maintenence charger anytime you are not using the mower. These little wonders turn themselves on and off to keep battery fully charged when you are not using it without overcharging it.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Clean all the connections well.

Most of the time it's not a bad battery, but a dirty connection.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

How long they last depends on a lot of things. One of them being how many times you leave the key turned on....without the motor running. I went through 2 the first year.


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

Mine lasted about 3 years fine, now I had to get a charger I also used for a vehicle which needed a new battery. Since I've been running it for the spring battery has been fine... but not selling my charger!


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## Mike in Ohio (Oct 29, 2002)

The other thing that does a number on batteries is leaving them out in cold weather over the winter without starting the mower and charging. A lot of folks I know go through an annual ritual of removing batteries in late fall and putting them back in early spring. In the interim they are stored inside a heated building.

Mike


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

My mower is 6 years old and the battery just cranked it over yesterday after sitting in the barn all winter!

Love it when equipment works!

Kathie


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I have a rider that can't use those "lawn mower" type batteries.
It Only uses one of those small narrow Motorcycle Batteries ( Dry Cell)~! So it came with a bottle of acid. So there you have it, a good Battery for a 18 horse riding lawn tractor..


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## Nature Man (Nov 5, 2009)

My Tractor Supply (TSC) battery lasted two years. The replacement one (TSC) lasted two years. With my third battery from the auto store I bought a trickle charger and last autumn put the battery in the cellar with the automatic trickle charger on it. Several weeks ago I unplugged the charger for a week and when I hooked it back up the yellow light came on for a short time then turned green, so I know the battery is being charged.

Bill


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## cheapskate (May 9, 2006)

Battery life has everything to do with how the battery is maintained....or neglected.

That's why the standard warranty on small batteries, like lawn and garden or motorcycle batteries, is only a 90 day free replacement.

The key is to remove the battery from the machine, put it in a garage or basement for the winter, and make sure it has a good charge of 12.6 volts at the beginning of storage.

Other helpful things to make them last longer are to keep the terminals and cable ends clean, maintain the proper electrolyte level if the battery has removeable caps, and make sure the battery is properly held down or secured when it it in the machine.

Heat and vibration destroy the plates inside the battery quicker than anything else.

As to adding water to a battery, add tap water. If you have distilled water thats ok, but not neccessary at all. If the water is good enough to put in your body, it is certainly good enough toput in a battery.

Also, to dispell an old wive's tale, batteries are just fine sitting on a concrete floor. The rule to not set them on concrete came from the early days of batteries, when the cases were made of wood.

The wood would become saturated with electrolyte and, if sitting on a cement floor, would become grounded and die. The electrolyte would also eat up concrete.

Today's batteries, being made in a case of plastic, pose no danger to either of these issues unless the case is leaking, or the battery pumps electrolyte out of the vents while being charged ( over-charged).

I have been in the battery business since '86, starting in a factory and finishing in my own wholesale business.


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## Richard c (Mar 12, 2017)

Mike in Ohio said:


> The other thing that does a number on batteries is leaving them out in cold weather over the winter without starting the mower and charging. A lot of folks I know go through an annual ritual of removing batteries in late fall and putting them back in early spring. In the interim they are stored inside a heated building.
> 
> Mike


I live in Ohio and if my John Deere lawnmower starts this spring it will be 17 years it has started with the original battery. It just sets in the shed all winter without being started. (RECORD ?). Richardc


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## Steve_S (Feb 25, 2015)

I used to use the standard Lead Acid batteries and found they last typically 2-3 years, even if on a trickle charger and then I found out why when I saw one cut open.... Geez talk about thin plates ! I started using the equivalent AGM batteries and well, I have one that is now 5 years old and another 4 years old (2 different machines) and they still charge to max without issues. BUT I also keep a solar trickle charger on them when not in use and take them out of the equipment in winter and store them fully charged. I have now put AGM's into my Generators as well as their Lead Acid batteries finally gave up... again the cheapo ones that came with them from the factory. Sure AGM costs a bit more but IMO it's worth it and as I am Off-Grid & Remote last think I need to deal with is dead batteries - which *always* happens at the worst possible time, as I am sure most of you have noticed.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

I discovered in my ATV that if I left the key in, even with everything off, the battery drained. So now, with key out, my ATV battery hardly ever needs a charge. But in cold winter months I will often put a trickle charger on it. Doesn't seem to be the case with my Husqvarna rider mower - I can leave the key in with no problems. My lawn-mower battery only ceased after 7 years cause I left it in the mower over a very cold winter and it froze. Typically I take my rider mower battery out each fall, store it inside, and give it a good charge before using in the next season.


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## Bungiex88 (Jan 2, 2016)

Just replaced mine yesterday it was a battery from 2002


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## Bungiex88 (Jan 2, 2016)

It really helps if you put it on trickle charge over the winter although mine wasn't I was surprised it lasted that long


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

I check the electrolyte about every 2 months when it's in use and in the spring and fall before first use and after last use. Charging boils off some of the electrolyte, especially overcharging. Charge it up before you put it away for the winter, again half way through the winter, and in the spring before first use. My mower has a charger so as I mow it recharges the battery. The charger is not big enough that it will fully charge the battery unless the mower is run for an hour so starting the mower and letting it run for 15 minutes does not result in a full charge. I store the battery in a heated space. It has hit -60 here and if a battery freezes it cracks the case and ruins it. 

Winter storage is not a problem because I use the battery for the lights in the ice fishing house. It's a whole lot easier to bring it home after fishing than the big marine deep cycle I used to use.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

some may get longer , some batteries are made better than others.

a battery maintainer or float charger is very useful for batteries that may go a week or more between uses.

removing the battery before freeze and keeping it inside with the maintainer going also helps a lot.

but for most the inexpensive 20ish dollar lawn tractor type battery 2 years is expected life.

battery companies are good at knowing how long their product will last if they offer a 1 year warranty then you can expect it to live just past a year 
2 year , just past 2 years 

3 ,4 ,5 expect that that company probably knows how to not loose money giving out batteries on warranty but also not spend any more on the quality of the product than is needed to keep them from paying out warranty claims.


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

A small, used, AGM motorcycle battery (that had been allowed to sit dead by the previous owner) whipped over my old garden tractor better than any Lawn and Garden battery and lasted me a good 4-5 years. Probably would have lasted 6-8 if it had been new. It would certainly be worth the money if I lived in a place with sub 0 temps.


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