Batteries - which are good, which are not

Mitch said:
Get the biggest battery you can fit/afford. The 30 to 40 amp hours missing in a smaller battery will be missed.

Something else to consider: Do you really NEED a second battery? Or will replacing your stock battery with a Group 31/100 Amp Hour do the job for you? If the only task is to carry a fridge through the night and maybe a couple camp lights, you might find a single battery will do the trick just fine.

I use a single battery, but I keep solar on it if I'm sitting still. If I arrive to camp mid-afternoon, I will still put solar on it to take advantage of every last bit of sunlight. No sense in abusing my battery just because it can run my fridge for two days without a charge.
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"NEED" is an interesting concept...

Several years ago, on the initial run of my 5.0L swapped Ranger, I had a Red Top starting battery and a Yellow Top second battery. Once in the woods, the Red Top started out gassing - and swelled and got hot. Fortunately, I was able to remove the battery without the case failing in a spectacular way. (I wanted it out of the electrical system, as I was concerned continued charging could affect it. I also wrapped it up in a tarp, to contain the insides in the event of a case failure.) To drive home, I hit the switch on the ACR, and used the 2nd battery to power the truck.

25 or so years ago, (3 trucks ago) we were out in the desert. I hopped in the truck to start it, and the Die Hard wet cell case split. A cell on the end of the battery shorted, presumably from the vibration of dirt road driving. Not having a second battery, I needed a jump to start the truck. Fortunately, it ran without a battery.

So, in all my years, twice while off the beaten path, I've needed a second battery. I guess you could call it peace of mind.
 
One of these days, your vehicle WILL return on a tow truck. You can't carry a spare everything.

Somethings you can, a battery is one, it's just a question of money, that's all.

Pick your battles, I guess. :D
 
Mitch said:
One of these days, your vehicle WILL return on a tow truck. You can't carry a spare everything.

Somethings you can, a battery is one, it's just a question of money, that's all.

Pick your battles, I guess. :D
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True.

But I'll be on a tow rope first, getting pulled to the tow truck! ;)
 
I don't know who makes/made Mercedes batteries, but they are fantastic! We sold my wife's 2008 (bought new August 2007) last summer with the original battery in it, and it still worked great. Never once, even in Ohio's cold winters, did it fail to start. And not an ounce of maintenance other than keeping the terminals clean.

I've used Interstate for decades as replacement batteries, but I've read some bad reviews over the last couple of years. I don't know if that's due to quality slipping, or that it's easier to complain now than before the Interwebz...
 
A reasonable, civilized, fact based discussion about batteries? No pitchforks, or fanboy fanaticism?

You fellas realize that you may just break the internet with this one? Oh, and ya'll must not be real overlanders because everyone knows real overlanders use...
 
Twin Magnolias said:
A reasonable, civilized, fact based discussion about batteries? No pitchforks, or fanboy fanaticism?

You fellas realize that you may just break the internet with this one? Oh, and ya'll must not be real overlanders because everyone knows real overlanders use...
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:thumbsup
 
Twin Magnolias said:
A reasonable, civilized, fact based discussion about batteries? No pitchforks, or fanboy fanaticism?

You fellas realize that you may just break the internet with this one? Oh, and ya'll must not be real overlanders because everyone knows real overlanders use...
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Well, we certainly don't drive **************s!
 
woodienut said:
It's mentioned here before, saves me and someone else about once a year. Anti-Gravity Battery, whatever the He-- that is?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=micro-start+anti-gravity+batteries&ul_noapp=true
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Don't buy something off of ebay and expect it to be an ACTUAL Anti-Gravity product, and even if it is, don't expect Anti-Gravity to honor the warranty, chances are it was sold by an UNAUTHORIZED seller who is breaking Minimum Advertised Pricing rules, or even reboxing returned items and selling them to the next customer to come along, another violation of Seller Agreements.

Unfortunately this is true of many Amazon sellers as well. The only thing saving you on Amazon is the return policy. But that just means the next poor guy is going to get your non-genuine item, or non-functional item.

Here's an example from just one of the manufacturers: https://smartercharger.com/unauthorized-dealers/
 
Scott B. said:
That makes sense.

How do you wire it? Alternator -> DC to DC -> CTEK -> House Battery
_________________________________________-> Second Battery

(I am trying to indicate each battery is attached to the CTEK)
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[Alternator]->[Main Battery]-~----[8 or 6 gauge wires to Aux battery location]------>[CTEK/REDARC DC to DC Charger]--~-->[Aux Battery]
~ = Fuse
 
In my first dual battery set up I ran the Sears Platinum group 34. They lasted 5 years with me abusing them. When I went to replace them Sears had stopped selling them, disappointing. My company gets a healthy discount through the local Interstate warehouse so I picked up two Optima's one red top for starting and one yellow top for house. After about a year or so I started to notice on my National Luna display that they where no longer holding a similar full charge as new and is getting worse.

When I built my daughters 4 Runner she couldn't afford a dual set up so we opted to install a Optima group 31 yellow top, 95 amp/hours I believe. The difference with that build is its wired to a Renogy 100 solar panel that's mounted to the roof rack and is charging whenever there is sun. She has had no starting issues and runs her ARB fridge 100% of the time. She has been living out of it the past 6 months.

As Mitch stated with the DC to DC dual battery system maybe with being charged properly the Optima will last? IDK as I'm not a pro like him. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the 4R will be sitting in my driveway for the next 27 months while shes in Namibia. I'll be driving it once a week to work so I'll have a close eye on it.

https://americanadventurist.com/forum/threads/wayward_skye’s-third-gen-4-runner-build.5406/page-3
 
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I don't care what Optima has done to improve their product, I don't trust them, and never will again.

But I've been known to be an unforgiving bastige. When the price range is in the same ballpark why take chances? I'm going to stick to good ole made in the USA, Odyssey.
 
We are still running the Sears Diehard Platinums from the Odessey years in all our rides. The one in the Tacoma is a transplant from ole Fafhrd and has been pushing electrons for nie on 9 years. But with that option gone I'm going to go with the Deka brand as those I trust have had good luck with them and the fact that they are produced just under 50 miles from our homestead. Not the best reasoning I suppose but being reasonable is not my greatest trait.
 
I've purchased two of the Anti Gravity jumper batteries off of the interweb, both appeared to be brand spanking new and the real thing. I will say that I use one of them at work, I think the more you use it the less capacity it has. I work at a car dealership, so mine sees use several times a week. It's somewhat funny when one of my techs uses their full size jumper box (various brands) and it won't start a car, but the Anti Gravity battery will. I'm still mystified how all of that amperage can be pumped through the skinny ass wires on the jumper cables.
 
I'm running one Odyssey in the Jeep and two for the trailer. Very pleased with them.

I too echo previous concerns with the downward quality trend of Optima and DieHard which used to be the gold standards.

Also, being from PA which is where Odyssey's parent company is based out of I'm a little biased to the home team.
 
I see a lot of recommendations for the VMax Tank AGM batteries. Are these good bang for the buck for a trailer w/solar? Or just a so-so battery with lots of folks buying it who don't know any difference? Looking at this one on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sZ2feD
 
Steve & Deb said:
I see a lot of recommendations for the VMax Tank AGM batteries. Are these good bang for the buck for a trailer w/solar? Or just a so-so battery with lots of folks buying it who don't know any difference? Looking at this one on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sZ2feD
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Hmm, can't seem to find ANY information about where those batteries are made, and when that information isn't LOUDLY PROCLAIMED, it's probably information they'd rather you not know. Odyssey for example loudly proclaims Made in the USA, in fact, all of the USA made brands do.
 
I am in the early stages of researching in an attempt to build out the 12-volt system on Charlie, my 1996 F250 service bed. The truck was an XL model work truck with 351, manual transmission, and basic crank windows. Battery's seem to be an issue here in Reno, with nothing I have previously purchased lasting thru winter. Temp swings here can go from around 100 F in the summer to oF in the winter. These extremes won't last long, but the cold seems to do in any battery that is dormant thru winter. As a such, I have been swapping out AutoZone batteries for warranty every spring. I don't want to gamble on that strategy for this truck.

My hope is to design a complete system in one shot and build/buy a harness, that does not appear a rats nest of Hodge pod afterthoughts. The heart of the system is obviously the battery. It seems Odyssey is my best choice reading this thread, but I am questioning if I should go with two 6V house batteries and a 12V battery for the vehicle, or just three 12V units?

My hope is to have a system that can charge from the alternator, a shoreline, future solar, or my Honda generator. There seems to be a lot of information on this subject, but I have yet to find the definitive guide for building these types of systems. At this point, I think I have researched myself into confusion and loss of trust in the content I have found.

Can someone point me in the right direction with a link? I would like to do this work myself so that if I have issues, I can find them. Lastly, thoughts on insulating the battery or confining in a box? I have not yet decided where to locate the house batteries but would like to have access to hook up my portable welder which seems to come in handy from time to time.

The truck has a service bed, so I have space to play and would like to have a single terminal for all related fuses, relays, or isolators. Remote connections for the welder and a switch to go to 24V would be slick.

The best place to purchase Odessy batteries these days?
 
I just ordered my Odyssey from a distributor on Amazon. The shop is in North Carolina, and the battery was shipped from Florida. I figured the closer the shop, the lower the shipping cost and time.

It showed up in 2 days.
 
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