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How long should a ZTR Battery last.

6K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  WilsonBoud 
#1 ·
I purchased a Scag Cheetah 61" (Kaw 921) mower in about April '13. Here it is some four years and seven months later and I think my battery is dying.

I cut my yard yesterday and had to put a charger on the battery to start it. This is the second time I find that a battery charger was needed to start the mower in order to cut my grass. Based on two hours of run time yesterday, I feel the battery should have been fully charged.

I checked the battery this morning with a voltmeter, and it registered 12.44 volts. I tried the starter and it just clicks.

How long should an AMG Lawnmower battery last ..?
What is the minimum voltage needed coming from the battery to start the engine..?
How can I tell if the engine charging system is not charging the battery...?
 
#2 ·
Like any other lead acid battery, it depends on how you maintain it and typical life is 4-7 years. I always keep my tractor batteries on battery minders when not in regular use and I typically get about 6 years give or take. Each time you allow them to discharge you shorten their life, especially if they're not deep cycle as most are not.

So 4 years is not unheard of. Look for the manufacture date on the battery versus your purchase date and you may find it's 5+ years old ;)

Northern Tool right now has a Battery Minder Plus with desulfinator cycle on sale for $24.99. That's the best price I've ever gotten them for.

PS - while it's good to test the voltage output you need to have a tester that can tell you the amperage for starting.
 
#3 ·
Your response brought to mind, I have such capability on my Smart Battery Charger. Plus it has the capability of Desulfication. I just never thought of these things. Thanks for the quick response...
 
#10 ·
Our winters aren't harsh in north Texas either and I also run my mowers at least monthly. I do however keep them plugged into the aforementioned Battery Minder and I highly recommend them.

If you're only getting two years out of a battery, what have you got to lose? An extra year pays for it :) They also come with connectors you can permanently attach so you just plug it in.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201
 
#11 ·
Sounds like you need a new battery. The extreme summers in Louisiana wreak havoc on batteries and the cooler weather will tell the tale. If you've gotten 3-4 years out of it consider yourself lucky. One of my machines has a three year old battery and I can tell it won't be long before it needs to be replaced.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Poor maintenance/not keeping your battery at full charge leads to the largest problems for battery failure. Heat and cold are bad and will kill the already weakened battery but poor maintenance is the prime cause of early failure. Undersized batteries is probably the second leading cause of premature failure.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/what_causes_car_batteries_to_fail
 
#18 ·
OK .... Using my "smart" battery charger, I desulfated the AGM battery three times (the charger info suggests up to five times). Then I fully charged the battery. After a full charge, I disconnected the battery and waited three days. I checked the battery this morning and noticed a voltage of 12.76 from the battery on the meter.

Trouble is, I don't know if 12.76 is a good or bad number for a resting battery.

While I was doing the desulfating process, I picked up two BatteryMinders (one for the RV and one for the Scag ZTR).

Today I connected the BatteryMinder to the Scag, and will test the voltage in a couple of weeks.

I have no idea when I will cut grass next.

Thanks to all for the posts and comments. I think I may have rescued my battery for at last another season.

Because of the posted information, I feel sure that I have avoided battery issues for my new RV. Thanks again.

I will let everyone know about my Scag battery voltage numbers in a couple of weeks.
 
#20 · (Edited)
That's good but that resting voltage is only part of the equation for battery health ;) You need to measure it under load OR buy a meter that will give you the approximate CCA being delivered. I bought a cheapy from HF that does the trick. There is typically a weekly 20% off coupon for a single item (sign up for email/text alerts) OR sometimes 25% around Holidays. Since you've got an RV I'd make the investment.
https://www.harborfreight.com/digital-automotive-battery-analyzer-66892.html

PS - I'm sure you know but RV batteries are typically 12V for the coach and pairs of 6V lashed in parallel for the house. Make sure you look in your owners manual for using a charger. Many Tiffins come with this exact BatteryMinder pre-installed. Look on the BatteryMinder website and you'll see they make other RV specific products. I'm guessing a bit more weather resistant.

When you have to replace as many as 6 house batteries and 2 coach batteries prematurely, you learn about the importance of battery maintenance (including adding water) :)
 
#23 ·
I would like the BatteryMinder to do it's magic for two weeks. I will then disconnect the minder and wait three days, When I check the voltage on the third day, I will write down my finding plus check the voltage with the starter cranking. I will post my results. Thanks to all...
 
#27 ·
OK, I cut a few days off my battery charging schedule in my Scag Battery issue.

I disconnected the batterMINder, and using my 12 Volt load tester, I flipped the switch and the scale indicated about 9 volts. I tried cranking and got the usual clicking noise.

Thanks to everyone here, I learned a lot about battery voltage numbers and charging. My next dead battery will not be out of negligent.

Thank you, everyone.....
 
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