Lawnmower battery replacement - help pls !

[103Alex1]

Can anyone please help with some questions on replacing a rechargeable SLA lawnmower battery which drives the electric start mechanism of an autodrive petrol mower ?

I've got an older Hayter Harrier 481A Autodrive E/S 2800RPM mower

http://www.hayter.co.uk/handbook_files/480179 (B).pdf

The official replacement part is this, which is very expensive and also is shorter / fatter than the original so doesn't fit properly in the battery casing and holder :

Hayter Genuine HY220015 12V Battery: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

The substitute previously used (now defunkt) shows this to be 12V 4.5Ah, voltage relulation 13.5-13.8V standby / 14.4-15V cyclic (initial current 1.12A max).

I am looking for a slimmer battery ideally but looks like this means dropping down to a 2.3Ah like this one, which states initial current less than 0.58A :

12V 2.3Ah sealed lead-acid battery (compact type) | eBay

So ... my "phone a friend" questions :

1) Will this give enough current to operate the electric start ? Is there any way of finding out other than to buy one and test it ?

2) Given these batteries also charge off the mower whilst it is running does this affect what Ah capacity they need to be ?

3) Also, what about chargers - I have the original charger for the 4.5Ah SLA battery somewhere but what do I need to do to work out what size 12V SLA batteries this is good for ?

Any help appreciated... I've had no joy speaking with the local servicing and supply shops about getting me a suitable battery.

 

[Scimitar]

What about this one?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucas-Battery-4-5Ah-Hayter-Mountfield/dp/B00D87SN1U/ref=pd_sim_sbs_diy_3

 

[john h]

Looked on e bay found mister solutions ,12 v 4.5ah fits hayter 15 .45 . or hardwarexpress.co.uk they have 12volt 5ah slightly smaller battery. might be of help

 

[mountainsport]

Can anyone please help with some questions on replacing a rechargeable SLA lawnmower battery which drives the electric start mechanism of an autodrive petrol mower ?

I've got an older Hayter Harrier 481A Autodrive E/S 2800RPM mower

http://www.hayter.co.uk/handbook_files/480179 (B).pdf

The official replacement part is this, which is very expensive and also is shorter / fatter than the original so doesn't fit properly in the battery casing and holder :

Hayter Genuine HY220015 12V Battery: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

The substitute previously used (now defunkt) shows this to be 12V 4.5Ah, voltage relulation 13.5-13.8V standby / 14.4-15V cyclic (initial current 1.12A max).

I am looking for a slimmer battery ideally but looks like this means dropping down to a 2.3Ah like this one, which states initial current less than 0.58A :

12V 2.3Ah sealed lead-acid battery (compact type) | eBay

So ... my "phone a friend" questions :

1) Will this give enough current to operate the electric start ? Is there any way of finding out other than to buy one and test it ?

2) Given these batteries also charge off the mower whilst it is running does this affect what Ah capacity they need to be ?

3) Also, what about chargers - I have the original charger for the 4.5Ah SLA battery somewhere but what do I need to do to work out what size 12V SLA batteries this is good for ?

Any help appreciated... I've had no joy speaking with the local servicing and supply shops about getting me a suitable battery.

Alex I just don't know.

MS.

 

[peerjay56]

What dimensions was the original battery/can you fit in the battery holder?
Can possibly make some sensible suggestions then

 

[103Alex1]

Thanks all.

What dimensions was the original battery/can you fit in the battery holder?
Can possibly make some sensible suggestions then

I don't have the original battery any more but was longer and thinner. The Lucas ones linked above are almost the exact same dimensions as the 'official' replacement (amazon info is wrong ) but the Lucas ones have the advantage of being 1/3 the price .

I've had another fiddle with the enclosure and can actually easily do something with that to make it properly fit the cheap 4.5Ah battery and the relevant cable rather than going down in size so going to give that a go rather than risk a smaller one. Also found the charger and answered my own question on that - it's good for SLA batteries of any capacity up to 9Ah so should be fine.

 

[Alan Quay]

With most batteries, as long as you exceed the self discaharge rate, and remain less than max charge rate you will be fine, although it might take longer. I once charged a 100ah leisure battery with a motorcycle float charger. It took about a month, but since I didn't need it for 6 months, that was fine.

 

[Geebee]

Mower suck a lot of amps, so go for the highest ah you can.
A low ah battery will have trouble delivering the current to cut properly but more importantly too high a discharge current will shorten their life rapidly, over discharge will do the same plus the Peukert effect will drop the usable ah capacity severley.

So basically close to the original ah or higher don't go much lower.

 

[103Alex1]

Mower suck a lot of amps, so go for the highest ah you can.
A low ah battery will have trouble delivering the current to cut properly but more importantly too high a discharge current will shorten their life rapidly, over discharge will do the same plus the Peukert effect will drop the usable ah capacity severley.

So basically close to the original ah or higher don't go much lower.

Thanks - the battery only powers the electric start because it is a petrol mower that can be started with pull-cord also. However, since it needs to be stopped to properly clear the bag when (perpetually !) wet grass blocks it every pass this will be used a lot, probably more often than it can recharge in use so higher capacity does make sense. When it's warmed up the pull-cord restart is actually easy but that will wear if it's over-used.

Cold / damp starts with the choke/pullcord are a PITA - in particular when it has sat unused for longer than a few days so getting the electric start working again would be a real help. On a bad day after I've been away a cold start can take 30 pulls or so and this just gets a real drag as I'm already knackered and sweating before starting a 2.5 - 4 hour job rolleyes depending on how wet/how long the grass is !

I'll go for the bigger one as suggested !