If you only use it during warmer weather and keep the engine tuned up, most any cheap battery should work.
Actually posting WHICH MOWER and ENGINE would be more helpful though. We don't know if you have head lights, electric PTO or any other electrical loads. Sometimes a little extra capacity is needed.

You might want to look further into the 'why' of it going dead in the first place....your machine might not be re-charging the battery.
Do you have an ammeter gauge on the dash that shows the machine is charging under load?...can also be checked by a tester that not only tests the 12 volt, but also the amps when it is under load. Perhaps you jumped the old battery at some point ? That can sometimes burn out part of the electric circuit. Also maybe faulty regulator/rectifier, or alternator ? Also, make sure the cable connections are really squeaky polished clean...that can wear down a battery also

not sure of the motor, but it is a 2000 Sabre (by John Deere) riding mower. Very plain jane. No instrument panel gauges, and I dont think it even has an altinator.

It has an alternator. It just doesn't look like the one on your car.
How do you think the battery gets charged? Magic?

What, YOU don't have a magic mower? I do...

I actually wasn't even thinking. I guess since it doesn't look the same as a car I didn't put 2 and 2 together.

I may try the 160 cold cranking amp one.

160 cca battery won't spin your motor as fast as the 233 cca, so it may not start as quickly. That puts some strain on the starter. Also, engine's alternator may overcharge smaller 160 cca battery which over time can kill it due to sulfation, as it's designed for larger battery size.

If you can't be certain as to mower's requirement, go bigger, not smaller in CCA and CA. Most mower batteries hold up about two years due to long periods of nonuse- especially over the winter months. the sulfuric acid gets imbedded into the lead plates and is harder and harder to reverse back out during charging (as you mow).

Lawn tractor batteries go bad sooner than car batteries, because of all the starting they have to do, when you are mowing. Every time you shut the engine off, then restart it, makes the lead in your battery shred off the plates inside the battery. Think about how many times you shut it off, then restart it, in a mowing session, or doing yard clean-up. It only sheds a small portion, but over time-it amounts to a lot! With that-when the shredded lead finally gets high enough, the battery shorts out, and you have to buy a new battery.

With a car, or truck, you use the starter only once or twice in a day, depending how far you are travelling, not like a lawn tractor. And, car batteries have more lead plates and grids, too.

rustyj how often do u cut your grass??

The CCA of the battery is not what it will provide your starter motor, it is what the battery is capable to put out. Especially up north, when a car starts in the dead of winter there is greater voltage drop thus resulting in higher amps (given plus harder to crank)- the starter motor will use x Watts of power so that is where the higher amps come in handy.

for a mower with a decent battery in the summer, your mower will be using nowhere close to the max of a good basic battery so it should crank the same high or low CCA.

fjacky, your real problem is as one mentioned - check your charging\electrical system. hook up a voltmeter while it is running vs not running if same, charging problem, if higher while running (~14.8v @ full speed) then when off, disconnect batt cable and test amp draw to see if there is a trickle drain discharging your batt.

Check bat. terminals for clean bright connection,don;t forget the ground connection to frame, many mower bats. only last a couple of years, on magic mowers or not.

Walt Conner

I realize this is an oooold thread, but, it's a good idea to keep a trickle charger on your battery when not in use. You can hook it up with the battery in or out of the mower. For long term connection, it wouldn't hut to disconnect the negative cable end from the battery. Harbor Freight sells trickle chargers for about $6.00. I bought one, and it actually works. If you battery is serviceable, check the electrolyte level periodically and top off (if needed) with distilled water. Fill it until it touches the bottom of the recessed (slotted) cylinder.

The cheap homestore batterys that are 7”x4” approx for $30 dont last. my mower uses a 7x3” that lasted 10+ yrs. it died and i got a used agm 310cca for $25 about 4 yrs ago and its fine. seems 4 wheelers use these skinny agm style batteries. for $110? store batt in garage where its warmer over winter. my batt tray is too narrow to use the wider batteries.

I would get the best battery they have that fits the battery holder and matches the connections.