2021 seems like a bad year for Walmart mower batteries

Elkins45

Elkins45

Joined
May 7, 2018
Messages
1,736
Location
Northern KY
I had an Ever Start (Walmart) battery dated 4/21 in my riding mower. Made in Columbia. When I went to start it this spring it was dead, and it won’t take a charge. I put a load meter on it and it registered two volts.

I took it in as a core to get a new battery at Rural King and when putting it on the battery core cart I noticed it contained several of the exact same battery. All were dated between April and September of 2021. It must have been a bad few months at the Colombian battery factory.
 
I'm surprised mine made it through winter - has a production date of 2021 as well. It sat all winter and still managed to do a LOT of cranking to get the mower to start. I forgot to truckle charge it.
 
I've had goog luck with Deka mower batteries. The one I have now is about 3 years old and it replaced one that was about 5 years old. I do keep it on a trickle charge in the offseason.
 
Yes, that is a little below the norm.
I have had some that lasted only a year.
I had one actually go six.
Four years seem to be the norm.
In my experience, removing and trickle charging over the winter made little difference.
It is luck of the draw. Anymore, I just buy the cheapest I can find, view it as a consumable, and move on.
 
I store the mowers in a barn without electricity so I would need to pull the batteries. The other mower has the same battery but dated 2018 and it cranked right up. So did the boat stored next to it. I’ve never kept a mower on a charger and I’ve never had a battery go down in less than six years.
 
Elkins45 said:
I store the mowers in a barn without electricity so I would need to pull the batteries. The other mower has the same battery but dated 2018 and it cranked right up. So did the boat stored next to it. I’ve never kept a mower on a charger and I’ve never had a battery go down in less than six years.
Click to expand...
I average 4-5 years with a battery. They are removed in the fall and each one placed on a trickle charger every month. The effort has paid off over the years.
 
i will note AGAIN if you want longer life from ANY activated battery you MUST keep it charged!!! activated batteries setting on store helves or in your machine are DIEING a slow death!! i have several smaller batteries doing fine with one being OE in a 2013 motorcycle! before i learned it was a new battery yearly $$$ in my bikes that set ALL winter, now i use my C-Tek 4.3 muse charger on all them regularly!! my rarely used 2001 audi TT gets the same!!
 
I’m happy to say the replacement Rural King battery cranked with gusto when I installed it today. This is the mower that I had just installed a new engine in last fall so I’m quite happy the problem was just a bad battery.
 
Lubener said:
If you didn't place a trickle charge on it over the winter, being dead doesn't surprise me. I bought two around that time from WM and I haven't had any problems.
Click to expand...
Yes, I trickle charge my lawn tractor battery all winter. I just leave it in the basement with a battery maintainer.
I sometimes disconnnect it for a week or so to save a tiny amount of electricity.
But then I'll re-connect it. My battery is about 4 years old. Hoping it can last another few years at least. It's still going strong with plenty of power.
 
Bill7 said:
But then I'll re-connect it. My battery is about 4 years old. Hoping it can last another few years at least. It's still going strong with plenty of power.
Click to expand...

I keep my riding mower's battery connected to a trickle charger (one of those $10 Harbor Freight specials) whenever I'm not using it. (I park it right next to an outlet in my garage). The battery has a June 2017 date sticker on it. That 6-year-old battery is still going. It's a Walmart battery, made by East Penn I think, because it doesn't have any (easily) removeable vent caps.
 
Quick question. When you put a lawn tractor battery on a trickle charger for the winter, do you need to disconnect the battery from the mower?
 
Lubener said:
If you didn't place a trickle charge on it over the winter, being dead doesn't surprise me. I bought two around that time from WM and I haven't had any problems.
Click to expand...
I have battery tender juniors for all of my tractors and mowers.

Sometimes they can read charged.. perhaps reading 13.5v somehow, but they can’t turn over an engine. 🤷‍♂️
 
brianl703 said:
I keep my riding mower's battery connected to a trickle charger (one of those $10 Harbor Freight specials) whenever I'm not using it. (I park it right next to an outlet in my garage). The battery has a June 2017 date sticker on it. That 6-year-old battery is still going. It's a Walmart battery, made by East Penn I think, because it doesn't have any (easily) removeable vent caps.
Click to expand...
WM batteries made by East Penn have EP in the serial number.
I use Battery Minder temp. compensated maintainers on all my batteries when parked. 9 total in various machines. Most in unheated sheds and garages.
 
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