Batteries

[Pops15]

Last year or early this year there was a topic where guys talked about getting as much as 13-15 years out of their truck batteries. I've searched but can't find it. Anyone know what they were doing to get such long life out of their batteries?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Last year or early this year there was a topic where guys talked about getting as much as 13-15 years out of their truck batteries. I've searched but can't find it. Anyone know what they were doing to get such long life out of their batteries?

I have never done better than 5.

Chris

 

[FlaDon]

I have never done better than 5.

Chris

3 or 4 years down here is about the norm. That is with 5 or 6 year rated batteries.

 

[Transit]

There is no one thing that extends battery life.

Never, never, never use tap water. Use only distilled water because it is mineral free.

Keep the battery fully charged or it will sulfate.

Invest in a modern battery charger; I like the Victory smart charger line.
Do not over or under charge the battery, a fully charged resting battery should read 12.6 v
Charging; normal voltage should be 14.0-14.4v, trickle about 13.6-13.8v.
I use Charge-it when I first put a battery into service; they take a licking and keep on ticking.


Charge-It Concentrated Battery Additive 32 oz. - SOLCH-77QHD

 

[dcyrilc]

I try to use smart chargers on anything which doesn't get used at least weekly. Keeping the battery properly charged without overcharging goes a long way in preserving battery life.

 

[Pops15]

I know guys that have gotten 8 or 9 years from a 6 year battery by using maintainers, but was surprised when someone said they had gotten 13+ years from one. Seems one guy said he permanently mounted maintainers on his truck and tractor and plugged them in every night. One guy mentioned some other things he did to extend battery life but I don't remember what he said.

I only got 5 years out of the deep cycle battery on my dump trailer. I just bought an Optima (those things are expensive!) for it and want to get maximum life out of it. I'm going to order a Deltran tender for it. Also going to get one for my TLB.

Thanks for the link Transit.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am really lucky where I live. Seems I have a company that does _______ around each corner. We have a battery factory that makes Exide batteries and we can buy blems for about 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of Walmart. I just got 2 batteries for a dump truck for $35 each. Only blem was a scratch on the label.

Never paid over $65 for any battery there. Still carry a full warranty.

Funny thing is my boss changes his battery in each of his vehicles every 3 years no matter what. I asked him why and he said he is 67 years old and has learned he is on borrowed time after 3 years. Last thing he wants is his wife, kids, or himself stranded. I guess its the pilot in him doing this type of preventative maintenance.

Chris

 

[Lt CHEG]

Interstate Batteries are the only batteries I will use when I need to replace a battery. I had two different used vehicles that had Interstate Batteries that were over 10 years old before they were replaced. For some reason or another they just seem to last much longer than other brands. It seems the factory batteries usually last me about 5 to 6 years if I keep a vehicle that long. Then I replace with an Interstate and it seems like I end up selling it. I just figured that I'd add a little bit of my own experience.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I buy about 10 batteries per year, mainly marine batteries for boats. I have had the best luck with the Exide and Deka batteries.

Chris

 

[CurlyDave]

I look at batteries from the perspective of $/year rather than maximum life.

I have had good luck with the house brand from Schuck's/Kragen/O'Reilly (all owned by the same company). The warranty is honored at all the stores under any of the names and it is tracked by your phone number in their computer, so it doesn't get lost.

I have had early failures, but they always honored the warranty, so the $/year cost is pretty good. Unlike most battery dealers, the selling price is the same price they use in warranty adjustments. Many dealers sell at a low price, but have a much higher list price which they use for warranty adjustments, which works greatly to your disadvantage as a customer.

 

[Skyco]

The original batteries in my Ford F350 Powerstroke diesel, two of them, lasted 9 years with no signs of dying. I replaced them cause I was getting antsy on when they'd go bad suddenly and strand me.
The replacements have not lasted more than 3 years a set, on the third set now....maybe I should have sprung for more Motorcrafts. The first set was Champion sold by Sam's, warrantied out for the second set. Now I'm on a set of Everlast/WalMart...
Don't know if the current Motorcrafts are as good as the OEMs, but I'll probably try another set of them when the current ones die. Yes they cost a LOT more...
BTW I've noticed if a car battery is ever run dead, by leaving lights on for example, they aren't ever the same and die an early death.

 

[brokenot]

I've gotten 10+ years out of quite a few of the batteries I've had in my daily drivers. My '96 Ranger battery went 12 years, my Taurus battery went 11, and the battery in my '01 Explorer is original and still going strong. I purchased a new Craftsman garden tractor in May of '99, (it was a carry-over and was actually built in '98), and the original Diehard battery in that was just replaced this summer. The least amount of life I've gotten out of an OEM battery that I can recall, is in the motorcycle. Bought the '03 bike new, and replaced the battery this spring.

Nope, none of them are wired to a battery maintainer. I have one, but I only bought it for the bike when it sits in storage. The lawn and garden battery situation even surprised me. 10+ years out of one of those is exceptional, but when I start it, it gets run for 2-3 hours before getting shut down. When the neighbors on either side of me get their lawn tractors out of the shed, it's a different story. They fire 'em up, and then putt across the yard to hook up a trailer or something....and then shut 'em off. Then they fire it up again and putt up the driveway to fill in some low spots with gravel or whatever, and shut it off again. Then they restart, move a few feet....and kill the engine again. Over, and over, and over...

My "technique" probably does help them live a bit longer, but temperature is a factor as well. Heat is by far the biggest battery killer.

 

[Pops15]

I hadn't given much thought to how many batteries we go through until recently when we were loading up a bunch of scrap. I think we scrapped 5 or 6 batteries and I found another afterwards. That got me to thinking....the deep cycle Interstate in the dump trailer only lasted 5 years. I know guys that have gotten 6-8 years out of the batteries in their dump trailers. They were probably more diligent about keeping their's charged.
I've haven't had good experience with DieHard. Mixed results with Interstate. Had the best luck with el cheapo 36 month store brand batteries.

Most of my battery needs are business related. Upfront cost is not as much a concern as down time......like the time I hauled a load of construction debris to the transfer station only to find my trailer battery was dead. I had to unload 10 or 11 yards of debris by hand. That wasted time cost more than a battery would have. I bought a blue top Optima for it, and bought a Deltran tender for it. I would hope that combination will last 10 years.

I also bought the next bigger size Deltran for my TLB. I don't know if Charge-It works or if it's just snake oil, but I'm going to try it in my TLB.

I also have a mobile platform (manlift) that has been mothballed for several years. I'm bringing it out of retirement soon. It gets the on/off routine Brokenot described. I think I'll get a deep cycle battery for it. Not an Optima though. I think I'll go with a store brand (probably made by Excide), and put a Deltran on it as well.

 

[Transit]

Pops, I have not had much luck with sealed cell or maintenance free batteries, they only last 3-5 years. On the other hand, open cell batteries with a good dose of Charge-it when first put into service does the trick. I have many batteries 5+ years, some 8-10 years and one or two near 15-20 years. :thumbsup:

 

[buck12]

I got seven years out of the original battery on my 93 F150. Replaced with WalMart battery and seems like none have out lasted the three year warranty. Got five years out of the original battery on my Yahama ATV. The replacement batteries have gone bad every other year. The original battery on my wife's Maxima lasted less than three years.

 

[mlauk]

I'd like to find out who manufacture's the batteries for my Dodge Ram diesel. It is a 2003model with the original batteries.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...temperature is a factor as well. Heat is by far the biggest battery killer.

I'll agree that temperature is a big factor, but cold seems to do my batteries in worse than heat. Of course where I live it doesn't get very hot and it gets VERY cold. A battery that is not fully charged in cold weather is doomed.

I also agree with Skyco's point that severe depletion of a battery is a nail in the coffin.

 

[Transit]

All chemical reactions are effected by heat. In the case of batteries, heat, worm temperatures increase the rate at which the chemical action occurs and so the current that may be produced. Likewise, a cold battery has a slower reaction and hence a lower ability to produce current. Then also there is a larger demand on the battery because the engine oil is cold and thick, glow plug heat, longer cranking time. That is why you must pay attention to the Cold Cranking Amp capacity of the battery. Just worming a battery may help start the engine.
See Sulphation for more details.

Lead-acid batteries maintenance & restoration: Lead acid batteries sulphation....

 

[brokenot]

I'll agree that temperature is a big factor, but cold seems to do my batteries in worse than heat. Of course where I live it doesn't get very hot and it gets VERY cold. A battery that is not fully charged in cold weather is doomed.

Cold is no stranger to me either, I'm in ND about 100 miles from the Canadian border. My brother moved to Phoenix years ago, and services a vending route that has many repair shops on it. Vehicles there go through batteries at about double the rate they do here. Our Interstate rep at work says the same thing.

Depleted batteries can freeze, that's for sure. And colder weather makes an engine harder to start. But if a battery had to choose the environment it had to "live in", it would definitely pick the colder climate....hands down.

 

[RobertN]

My BIL got a little over ten years from his yellow top Optima's. That, is even with occassional heavy winching while out hunting ect. when they died though, they went fast.