I needed a battery after all

I took the 5-year-old battery from my John Deere LA125 mower to Greenway Equipment a couple of weeks ago, ready to buy a replacement.

But the parts guy tested it and declared all it needed was a charge. So I hooked up my high tech BMW battery charger and left it on for a nearly two weeks after the green test light came on, signifying a full charge.

But when I tried to start the mower yesterday, it wouldn’t even bump the starter. I tested the voltage with my multimeter and found it was only putting out 11 volts. A call to Greenway confirmed what I suspected two weeks ago – I needed a new battery.

So I hauled the old battery down to Greenway on the southside of Jonesboro this morning and put its $10 recycling credit toward a new battery. Once installed, the new battery fired the engine right away. Problem solved. Now all I need is a cool evening to mow.