Battery Sudgestions

[NicksFJ40]

Any suggestion for batteries, I am looking for a couple deep cycles. I need two for my Lance camper and a second battery for my 40. I had for only a year an Optima Blue top for my Lance. The company I purchased it from (American Camper and Trailers) blew me off the four times I called. I e-mailed optima, they told me the following:

Hello Nick
Warranties are handled by the original retail location with original receipt. Most automotive locations register your sale with your phone number and can track that purchase.
As Kragen told you, most retailers have internal, corporate policies that don't allow them to warranty a battery that they didn't sell.
However, for nearly all people (over 90%) who believe they have a "dead" Optima battery, the battery only needs to be charged. If the battery has less than 10.5v most battery chargers won't do anything to charge the battery using typical procedures, and most test equipment will erroneously indicate the battery has a bad cell.
If an Optima is deeply discharged (below 10.5 volts) most basic chargers will not supply a charge. Also keep in mind an Optima will not recharge properly if treated as a regular flooded or gel battery. To charge the battery, you can wire a 2nd fully charged automotive battery (12V+) to the discharged AGM in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to the discharged battery, setting the charger at 10 amps. Leave for 2 hours, monitoring frequently. When the discharged battery reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the 2nd battery and continue charging the AGM until fully charged.
Typically we recommend charging at a relatively low current, such as 2 amps, but when the battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. If you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up this sulfation.
If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, estimate charging time by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2 for a rough estimate of charging time in hours.
In most cases these steps will recover the AGM battery. It’s okay for the AGM battery to get slightly warm during the charging process. Hot to the touch means there’s a short and the process should be discontinued.
Thank you,
Amanda
Optima Customer Service

So basically Im done with Optima and am looking for another manufacturer.

 

[mixerman]

we started using interstate batterys at work very good customer service and warranties.I put two deep cycles in my travel trailer and have had know problems after two years.I would definately recomend them.

 

[NicksFJ40]

I had planned to use Interstate, did you use Lead Acid batteries or gel for your motorhome? My Lance only has room for one battery in its compartment, so I had planned to put a second battery in the bed of the truck near the wheel well. Does Interstate have gel battery? Are they (gel) better for 4x4ing?

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Have you looked at these yet? Heavy Duty Odyssey Drycell Batteries

 

[wct49]

I went with one of these.

DieHard Marine Battery, Platinum PM-1 - Group Size 31M (with exchange)

Sears PM-1 Battery. SOB is huge. Probably over kill. But I have had no problems.
If you get one check production date. They don't sell alot of them at Sears because they are so expensive. They tried to give me one that was 11 months old.

They are made by Odeyssey so the interweb says.

 

[LC_Hamma]

A local 4x4 shop recommended DEKA batteries to me when I complained about my Optima troubles. Now. I use them in both my trail & one of my tow rigs. Currently, I have 2 Optimas in a tow rig & when they go, I'm getting DEKAS for that one. They haven't let me down yet.

 

[Copenhagen1]

A local 4x4 shop recommended DEKA batteries to me when I complained about my Optima troubles. Now. I use them in both my trail & one of my tow rigs. Currently, I have 2 Optimas in a tow rig & when they go, I'm getting DEKAS for that one. They haven't let me down yet.

I can't comment on the original question. I am still running yellow top optimas and have not had issues yet, but I am reading more and more about issues with optimas.

I would like to comment about DEKA batteries. I have only had one experience... it was the factory battery in my Kubota ZD21 zero turn diesel mower. That battery lasted for 8 years. Unbelievable! I was very impressed. Just my .02.

Kerry

 

[Radd Cruisers]

The Napa CANADA batteries are made by East-Penn Deka, and I have sold dozens of them. They are very, very good.

Some group sizes have anchor bonded plates (plate envelopes set into resin at the bottoms) to reduce vibration damage. Look for group 27 and group 24 batteries that have these features.

Also, the Deka AGMs seem to be very good. When I test them prior to installation, they usually have at least 50% more CCA than what they are rated to.

I sold three AGMs last week and they were in the 1180 CCA range (tested using a high-end inductive tester) and are rated at 760 CCA !!

~John

 

[Coolerman]

For your camper batteries: Before you make a decision go to this site and read. The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1) also read Part II.

After reading the above site and calculating my capacity needs, I bought 2 6V Trojan T105 golf cart batteries and run them in series for my camper. They are honking huge batteries and will easily last for 10 days of dry camping for my camper. Make sure to use a good three stage charger that will support 6 V batteries. I do charge them occasionally connected in series with a 12V three stage charger, but to get the most from them you need to charge them separately at 6V.