[damn yankee]

I get a new set every 3 years, just to have the peace of mind of having fully charged, healthy batteries. Believe me, it only takes one time that you can't start because you "stretched" out your battery life and there's not enough juice to crank the motor over. I speak from experience.

I also take mine out at the end of the season, wire them together and put on a trickle charger for the winter.