deep cycle batteries (1 Viewer)

[roscoFJ73]

Indeed, that is the ideal arrangement... If you don't mind the extra weight in a truck that already has TWO 75lb batteries overhanging the front axle...

But 1000 full discharges? That's fantastic! What brand/technology is it? What are its CCA specs? Have you tested it with a large load to see whether it could be used as a starting battery? Most important of all, will it fit in the existing battery tray, and how much does it weigh?

You've got me seriously interested!

It can be used as a starter but it is for slow discharge and using them for starting overheats them Ive been told. It weighs a LOT and it doesnt fit into a cruiser battery tray.
Its the same kind of battery you would have in a caravan or house running on 12 V and rechargeing from solar panels/wind power.
The 1000 cycles is only if you dont let them run right down. My fridge cuts off when the battery drops to 10.5-11volts.
Ive recharged it about 30 times and it goes back up to 13.8 v every time.
I cant remember the brand and its too dark to look. It cost me $245 but for some reason the eastern staters here get them for under $200

 

[Greg_B]

Here is some good infomation about batteries: http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/base/1081.pdf Check out the "less sensative" charging numbers for AGM and gel cell; matches many peoples experiences with AGM batteries and 24V.

I got some RV (starting/deep cycle) 27 series from Polar Battery in Vancouver for my BJ74. Very happy so far. But...talk to me in 5+ years. Polar Battery Home Page

gb

 

[83bj60]

Talking about battery durability, I recently dusted off an old calculator of mine and was surprised to see it was still functional after at least ten years of non use... Opened the battery compartment and guess what, they were duracells, with a 96 best before date... Couldn't believe it! Most alcalines nowadays don't last more than a few years in such devices (a programmable calculator with constant memory)...

So you are right... battery durability and relilability will only be known many years after their introduction on the market...

 

[Volcano cruiser]

Anyone have experience with deep cycle batteries on a 12V system? I have a 40 with the B engine and was having problems with the battery that came with the vehicle. I replaced it with a marine battery from wal-mart that seems to maintain approx 13V with the vehicle off. I am in the process of replacing my starter contacts, just rebuilt my alternator and was wondering if I would have any problems starting her up once the starter is back in. I followed some advise on the battery specs from an old post on mud but do not remember if I paid attention to 12V vs 24V.

I have the Optima Yellow top and it works fine with my B motor in a 12V system.

 

[83bj60]

Ill have to check the spec. Since I have not owned a cruiser before I was also asking to ascertain if 13V seemed sufficient to crank the starter. I've read posts from other members with 12V cruisers that seem to have a slightly higher starting voltage when their vehicle is off? I'm trying to establish a basline. I have new starter contacts to be installed shortly and if I still have a starting problem post repair, I'd like to narrow it down a bit.

I realize I should have added a few things in my last posts in answer to yours...

I had the same type of batteries on the old BJ60, which is 12V, and that I ran it one winter with only one battery (with a battery warmer). So, no worry about the cranking amps there. For a group 27 or larger battery, that is.

Seccondly, a lead battery will stay around 13V unloaded, that is normal. It charges at 14.4V, but once it's been disconnected from the charging source and the surface charge has dissipated, it stays around 13-13.2V. Gels will supply slightly higher voltage, but who installs them in vehicles?

To sum it up, what you need is the largest automotive or marine dual use battery that will fit in your battery tray. That will insure you either have tons of cranking amps or tons of reserve capacity or both. The colder it gets in your area the larger the more amps you need, because the colder it gets the slower the chemical reaction pumping electricty through your starter, and the higher the resistance of the oil the more current it takes the starter to turn around.

Oh and if you bought a battery and haven't used it for more than a month, do recharge it before using the truck. Lead acid batteries need to be recharged a minimum of once per three months, but once a month is better. If you don't know much about batteries and charging, an automatic charger with at least 2 modes (trickle and charge) with automatic cutoff is best. Unless you are using a gel cell battery, don't worry about the 'deep cycle' setting you may find on some chargers.


HTH...

 

[Gold Boy]

John Galt

Nautilus Marine batteries made by Exide are sold at CdnTire, and are a good deal for the money.
Exide Technologies Orbital Deep Cycle
this is the type I'm using.
Canadian Tire
You can buy three of them for the cost of one Optima, and from my experience they will last a lot longer.
FWIW, common lead-acid batteries are 99% recyclable; it's all reused to make new batteries. Dead gel cells are just more hazardous landfill.

are you still happy with these batterys?

 

[83bj60]

Gold Boy, pardon me if I'm jumping in, but I have been very satisfied with the Walmarts marine start and troll, which are pretty much made by the same supplier (either johnson controls or exide, depending on year and model). I have had NO problem even in the coldest days of winter, as a matter of fact after two years I still haven't installed any engine heater of any type on my truck (I know I should for fuel economy reasons - just finished installing my Tempo, will be able to work on the truck this winter )

A couple of weeks ago I left all the lights on after going to an appointment. Three hours later I realized the lights were still on. It started as if nothing had happened, but it did take a couple of days of local driving to get the voltmeter back to 14.4V... And last week, my wife forgot her lights on her tercel for two hours... It is a pretty large standard automotive battery, group 24 (forget the brand, she got it in a garage), two years old, but it still had to be boosted

I have a bank of 12V outlets and an inverter on an 8 gauge crcuit with a 30A fuse. Works really well, I can use the laptop for hours on it (the OEM lighter outlet is fused and can't take that kind of power).

To sum it up, I won't go back to regular car type bateries...

 

[John Galt]

are you still happy with these batterys?

Yes, into the 2nd winter and still working great.

 

[Gold Boy]

Gold Boy, pardon me if I'm jumping in, but I have been very satisfied with the Walmarts marine start and troll, which are pretty much made by the same supplier (either johnson controls or exide, depending on year and model). I have had NO problem even in the coldest days of winter, as a matter of fact after two years I still haven't installed any engine heater of any type on my truck (I know I should for fuel economy reasons - just finished installing my Tempo, will be able to work on the truck this winter )

A couple of weeks ago I left all the lights on after going to an appointment. Three hours later I realized the lights were still on. It started as if nothing had happened, but it did take a couple of days of local driving to get the voltmeter back to 14.4V... And last week, my wife forgot her lights on her tercel for two hours... It is a pretty large standard automotive battery, group 24 (forget the brand, she got it in a garage), two years old, but it still had to be boosted

I have a bank of 12V outlets and an inverter on an 8 gauge crcuit with a 30A fuse. Works really well, I can use the laptop for hours on it (the OEM lighter outlet is fused and can't take that kind of power).

To sum it up, I won't go back to regular car type bateries...

Yes, into the 2nd winter and still working great.

that's great!

i'm off to c- tire.

's

 

[seapotato]

I often wondered if those crappy tire nautilus' were any good.

Good to know.

I'm stuck with lead acids at the moment, and I'm off to costco today to test the warranty on the kirklands in my 70.

One is pooched the other is probably not far behind. Just shy of two years. Which seems to be about the average time batteries last for me. Usually they fail before the warranty runs out.
haven't had the costco ones replaced before so I assume there'll be no hassle, usually isn't there.

Crappy tire annoyed the hell out of me las time I had some lead acids replaced, the guy at the counter gave me all sorts of grief because the batts were toast after 4 months...Year or so later I had them replaced again. not the best.

 

[John Galt]

I often wondered if those crappy tire nautilus' were any good. ..I'm stuck with lead acids at the moment..
Crappy tire annoyed the hell out of me las time.

The CdnTire Exide Nautilus is a lead acid battery. With your experience I can see why you speak disparagingly about CdnTire. I've always had good service and never any quibble on warranties. I suspect it's a factor of local store staff attitudes rather than CdnTire policy.

 

[Gold Boy]

went to walmart instead of c-tire and picked up these batteries.

 

[ohrly?]

Well... I ran my normal batteries for about 12 hours cranking out the tunes all night... no noticeable difference in starting.

 

[seapotato]

The CdnTire Exide Nautilus is a lead acid battery. With your experience I can see why you speak disparagingly about CdnTire. I've always had good service and never any quibble on warranties. I suspect it's a factor of local store staff attitudes rather than CdnTire policy.

Right, yeah, I actually knew they were lead acid, my brains a little tender today. Something to do with homemade apple cider...

and yeah, it was probably a staff thing. Didn't quite see how my wanting a warrantee replacement on dead batteries would affect the kid behind the counter, but he certainly was bitchy about it.



But between that and them recently refusing warranty on a lifetime guaranteed tool, I put them in the same category as Future Shop. Crappy Tire is what it is, a box store full of kids, sometimes stuff is cheap enough to shop there.

Turns out the receipt I had for the costco batteries was from a different set I put in a truck I sold, so I'm s.o.l. on the warrantee there, so looks like I'll be buying some different ones.
May just go with the costco ones again, I put my spares in the truck for now and I'll see how long they go.

 

[Eric Winkworth]

CT batteries aren't the best, and there warrenty is the pitz...

 

[John Galt]

CT batteries aren't the best, and there warrenty is the pitz...

Speak to your experience. CdnTire batteries are made by Exide, you got a problem with that?
"pitz" conveys no useful information, what's your specific problem, or are you just stirring the manure.

 

[seapotato]

Well I suspect like anything you find at a big box store, they could well be a lower grade version of exides batteries.

And the warranty, well I did get the batteries replaced free twice, second time was no hassle ( ******* glow plug relay.) so I probably shouldn't complain.

Costco's is only free replacement for 1 year, after that it drops off considerably, even without a reciept they'll give you something but it worked out to be eleven bucks... so I only returned the battery that was stone dead. the other might come in handy for a lawnmower or something.


On the ctire batteries, when my glow relay stuck on overnight, one battery read 8volts the other....read -7. which made me scratch my head a few times. ( and reverse the leads on the multimeter thinking I must be stupid...)

I left it alone for a few hours,( seeing as I couldn't drive anywhere anyways...)
and it came back up to 0, then to around 2 volts, so I put a 6 volt charger on it for a couple hours, and then a 12v. Amazingly, it came back to life, held a charge and I drove with it for another month or so. Most people I tell that story to, don't believe me.
I think that falls into the " extreme abuse" category so they can't be all that bad. seems like every store sells the same batteries under their house name. those walmarts are probably identical to the costcos. they certainly look it.

 

[83bj60]

went to walmart instead of c-tire and picked up these batteries.

OK, I know these bateries, they are suposed to be more robust than regular starting batteries, but they are NOT the improperly named 'deep-cycle' I am using. The ones I was talking about are 'start and troll', which have lesser CCAs (850 or so instead of your 1000), already more than enough for our trucks, but have thicker plates with coarser crystals, confering them better longevity than the standard starting batteries while still having more tha enough starting capacity for our trucks (even in the middle of winter).

You may not be able to get them at this time of the year, though, they usually buy their new stock in spring. it's vital to fully chrge the battieries BEFORE using as they may have been sitting on their shelves for quite a while (check the date code, a new one should have a sticker with "0811" or something like that)

It will be interesting to find how these two battery types compare

Willing to conduct a few 'leave your lights on for three hours' tests to find out?

 

[83bj60]

Speak to your experience. CdnTire batteries are made by Exide, you got a problem with that?
"pitz" conveys no useful information, what's your specific problem, or are you just stirring the manure.

Come on, CDN Tire batteries used to be pure crap back in the old days when they were made by Battronics. I remember the consumer reports of the time. No wonder so many of us still distrust them. I remember going to CDN tire every two years to replace them, usually under warranty. They must have lost a bundle with me. I've even had their first "Eliminator" 1000 fail within 6 months... That was 15 years or so ago...

 

[Gold Boy]

OK, I know these bateries, they are suposed to be more robust than regular starting batteries, but they are NOT the improperly named 'deep-cycle' I am using. The ones I was talking about are 'start and troll', which have lesser CCAs (850 or so instead of your 1000), already more than enough for our trucks, but have thicker plates with coarser crystals, confering them better longevity than the standard starting batteries while still having more tha enough starting capacity for our trucks (even in the middle of winter).

You may not be able to get them at this time of the year, though, they usually buy their new stock in spring. it's vital to fully chrge the battieries BEFORE using as they may have been sitting on their shelves for quite a while (check the date code, a new one should have a sticker with "0811" or something like that)

It will be interesting to find how these two battery types compare

Willing to conduct a few 'leave your lights on for three hours' tests to find out?

not a case of willing, but more a case of by default forgetfulness.

yer, we will see how they work out. your right on less cca and thicker plates, but i went a little over kill for electric winch.


edit, as a side note, re-did my wires last night with 1/0 awg welding cable.