Is the AGM battery worth the extra cost?

[Dougeye]

I need to replace the battery in my dump trailer, it let me down the other day with the box only half way up, and I had to ask my customer for a boost to finish the job. Not good, so it's time.

I recently bought an AGM battery for my truck and I'm wondering if I should get one for the trailer. Deep cycle, of course.

Regular battery with a 12 month warranty is $135. AGM battery with a 24 month warranty is $250.

Opinions? Is the extra cost worth it?

 

[oosik]

Three years ago I replaced the battery in my Kubota with a Odyssey. It's a group 31 with 1150 CCA. It was $400 - so it better last a while longer than the OEM.

 

[RickB]

I am not convinced the technology brings enough added value to support the cost.

 

[KYBobcat]

I need to replace the battery in my dump trailer, it let me down the other day with the box only half way up, and I had to ask my customer for a boost to finish the job. Not good, so it's time.

I recently bought an AGM battery for my truck and I'm wondering if I should get one for the trailer. Deep cycle, of course.

Regular battery with a 12 month warranty is $135. AGM battery with a 24 month warranty is $250.

Opinions? Is the extra cost worth it?

To me, yes. AGM technology has its advantages. AGM is newer technology, they charge faster, have better life cycle thus they usually have longer warranty as you noted. They are also spill proof, vibration resistant and maintenance free. You never have to add water and that is a huge plus to me. I hate adding water to batteries and if you plan to use it in a deep discharge application, then you will need to add water regularly to wet cells. AGMs have no off gasing. As for cost, they do cost a bit more but the gap is narrowing. You can get a solid Duracell AGM (Penn Manufacturing) Battery for ~$130-$170 at Sams. Or you can get an Optima Red Top for $199. To me its a no brainer. Save the maintenance headache and risk of spill and get the AGM.

 

[tibadoe]

I would say if you don't like to service a battery then going to a maintenance free AGM may be the route to take. I don't mind pulling caps and checking electrolyte levels if they are easy to access. I keep all my batteries on a tender/desulfator so I get long life out of a standard wet cell. I do run AGM in my motorcycle due to high vibration levels. Other than that I agree with RickB.

 

[fried1765]

I need to replace the battery in my dump trailer, it let me down the other day with the box only half way up, and I had to ask my customer for a boost to finish the job. Not good, so it's time.

I recently bought an AGM battery for my truck and I'm wondering if I should get one for the trailer. Deep cycle, of course.

Regular battery with a 12 month warranty is $135. AGM battery with a 24 month warranty is $250.

Opinions? Is the extra cost worth it?

In my opinion, the short answer is...NO!

 

[seville009]

I put AGM’s in my plow trucks because of the heavier draw; bern three years now and they’ve stayed stong with no issues or maintenance. Was worth the higher cost.

On my equipment though, I just stick with “plain old” batteries, as they seem to last forever, with some just needing periodic recharging or jumping. I have a Noco Genius charger and booster pac - they are excellent. My suggestion would be that you buy a Noco Genius booster pac and carry it in your truck - can use it if necessary for any battery, not just the dump trailer. They’re expensive, but definitely worth it.

 

[dodge man]

No. Not related directly to your dump trailer but we went through batteries like candy to power a 35 watt gps radio we used for surveying. The AGM batteries didn’t seem to last any longer than an old fashioned deep cycle marine battery. We would get these to last a couple of years on average. The advantage of the agm batteries was lighter weight and a smaller package.

 

[Xfaxman]

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I recently bought an AGM battery for my truck and I'm wondering if I should get one for the trailer. Deep cycle, of course.

Regular battery with a 12 month warranty is $135. AGM battery with a 24 month warranty is $250.

Opinions? Is the extra cost worth it?

In my opinion and experience with AGM batteries it is worth the extra cost.

 

[not2old]

I got about 12 years out of two previous Optimas. I replaced the one in my truck two years ago because I didn't want to find it dead after going snowmobiling. I hadn't thrown out the old one when I bought a small Noco charger for my new dirt bike and decided to try out the reconditioning mode on the old Optima. It seemed to work and I'm still using that battery in a 960 Volvo at more than 12 years old.