How Long Have You Had a Vehicle Battery Last?

bluebell

Member
Just wondered others experiences, i know if a vehicle is not used say daily the battery will gradually discharge and best cource is to have a trickle charge set up for that ? but speaking to the trade they recon that if a commercial battery lasts more than 3 years your doing OK? Best batteries life ive always found is the ones that come from new in my toyota hiluxes ? Yes ive made a mistake at times left one on so overnight it run flat in morning? but a quike jumpstart with batterycables soon got it going, oldest one that left me was on a toyota that i sold that was nearly 20 years old with the same battery still on it, who knows how longer it lasted with its new owner ?
 

robs1

Member
We bought a 3cx that had a jcb brand battery on it, certainly didnt look new and that lasted well over 12 years. The hilux we sold at ten years old still had it's original ones
 
Position of the battery on a vehicle can affect how long it lasts - Not many Ford Tractor batteries on the rack directly over the heat of the engine would do 5 years - And the DB ones bouncing about in front of the radiator weren't a lot better...Certainly had 2 x 6V EXIDE over the back axle lasting 15 years though.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Position of the battery on a vehicle can affect how long it lasts - Not many Ford Tractor batteries on the rack directly over the heat of the engine would do 5 years - And the DB ones bouncing about in front of the radiator weren't a lot better...Certainly had 2 x 6V EXIDE over the back axle lasting 15 years though.
Ah yes, the "boiling battery" syndrome! 5 years was optimistic I'd say...
 
We bought a 3cx that had a jcb brand battery on it, certainly didnt look new and that lasted well over 12 years. The hilux we sold at ten years old still had it's original ones
Most be the only jcb branded battery that's ever done that, certainly the replacement jcb ones you buy don't last.
 

box

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
NZ
Batteries from the 90's and early 2000's seemed to last for ever (like everything else from that time). When I started in the trade in 2009 it wasn't uncommon to be replacing 10-15 year old batteries, but as the years passed by those same machines/cars/whatever would be back after 3 or 4 years to have the batteries replaced again.

The same applied to genuine/original batteries, you'd be replacing the original battery in a 2005 car, at the same time you'd be replacing the original battery in a 2015 car of the same brand.

Everything is rubbish these days. Batteries failing just outside the warranty is good for the battery company, good for the retailer, good for the scrap metal industry. Everybody wins.....well, almost everyone.

My personal best is 11 years.
 
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Flatlander

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lorette Manitoba
With the cold in the winter hear 5 years and its living on borrowed time With new batteries. Have a CAT battery that came with a lexion 480 about 12 years ago. Thought it was done so replaced it but was the isolator switch that was corroded. Still have that battery and still tests good. Any battery with a 7 year warranty must be well made as this one was but most are 18 months warranty
 

Netherfield

Member
Location
West Yorkshire
I got quite friendly with the storeman at the local auto electric firm, being he lived in the village and drunk in the same local.

They were Lucas agents at the time, batteries came to them 'dry' and the acid was added at the time of sale, they had a range of three batteries, 1,2 and 3 year warranty, he explained that in fact they were the self same batteries, the price difference was enough to cover for any claim on one that didn't make the three years, and even then they would try to blame it on user neglect. Of course the stores were not supposed to tell the customers this and always try sell the three year 'version'.

He also said that there were only around three firms making batteries in this country which were sold under various different makers names, probably none made in this country anymore.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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