AGM Batteries

shawn said:
Probably nothing that could be blamed on phantom electrical loads and lack of regular exercise....
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i did keep it on a trickle charger. It still was a PITA.

and when the AGM dies completely, it’s a real PITA. Can’t just charge it up. And my “smart” charger thinks it’s a 6V battery and tries charging it to 6V.

so I have to parallel wire in a good battery and charge both that way to revive it. It’s a real pain. Probably more about the technology of the AGM than anything, but it’s still a pain as compared to a traditional lead-acid.
 
So my question every time I see one of these threads is, how is the vehicle used? The broad question of “what battery is good?” to me, is pointless without understanding what/how the vehicle is going to be used for. If it’s just the occasional trail rig than buy a cheap battery, use a trickle charger and roll out (with plans to replace it occasionally). If it’s a daily you need to be everyday reliable spend a little more money and make sure it gets used through solid charging cycles (but plan to replace it). I don’t think I’ve used anything but crap Wally batteries in my dd for as long as I can remember but I also use it every day and drive 40 minutes each way to/from work. I think that makes a difference. At the end of the day I firmly believe that getting more than a couple years out of an expendable item is a pipe dream so buy a middle of the road battery with a warranty and swap it out every couple of years unless you just like throwing money out the window. But honestly, the hell if I actually know....
 
shawn said:
Probably nothing that could be blamed on phantom electrical loads and lack of regular exercise....
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That's been my suspicion for years!
After swapping in a new an AGM *every fawking year* 🤬 for the past 4-5 years... last years replacement got marine clamps and gets disconnected*EVERY* time!
Coincidence or fluke, but it doesn't go dead sitting for 30 days like the previous...
 
Caver Dave said:
it doesn't go dead sitting for 30 days like the previous...
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One of my covid chores for the last year has been to move the battery charger from one vehicle to another every few days. Anything left sitting for more than 3-4 weeks is going to be dead, regardless of flooded cell or AGM.

Reminds me, I haven't done it in a while.
 
shawn said:
One of my covid chores for the last year has been to move the battery charger from one vehicle to another every few days. Anything left sitting for more than 3-4 weeks is going to be dead, regardless of flooded cell or AGM.

Reminds me, I haven't done it in a while.
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And in contrast I have a 30 year old diesel tractor and a 45 year old diesel dozer.
Neither have a damn thing electronic on them. I can leave either sitting for a year at a time and unloess its cold they will start without ever seeing a charger

Electronic parasitic loads are real
 
Ron said:
And in contrast I have a 30 year old diesel tractor and a 45 year old diesel dozer.
Neither have a damn thing electronic on them. I can leave either sitting for a year at a time and unloess its cold they will start without ever seeing a charger

Electronic parasitic loads are real
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I have a lawnmower and a generator that will draw the battery down if you let them.
 
Onelow89s10 said:
A bit of overkill but im running a xs power d3100 in my yj. I have been a big audio guy for years and figured if they could handle my systems that it could handle my winch and led bars
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this is what ill be running in my duramax when the time comes to replace the current ones. along with a mechman 240 amp alternator. but i am running a 2k amp on 4 8's under the rear seat. so i need all the help i can get.
 
Ron said:
And in contrast I have a 30 year old diesel tractor and a 45 year old diesel dozer.
Neither have a damn thing electronic on them. I can leave either sitting for a year at a time and unloess its cold they will start without ever seeing a charger
Click to expand...
I once worked for a grading company, with a rather Frugal Old owner. Had things like a D6 dozer / straight drive, & 2 Cat drag Pans that mostly sat. The one time I ran the Pan, he told me Don't dig the blade in the ground when you park it"! He push started them! Didn't need no battery.:rolleyes:
 
My latest Odyssey group 34 is a marine battery with the extra screw posts (like a blue top) because that's what they had in stock. I emailed Odyssey to ask if there were any current restrictions on those screw terminals, specifically mentioning that some other manufacturers use a thin metal strip to connect the screw posts back to the main battery terminals and the strip will burn out when subjected to high current draws. Tech support responded that the screw terminals are rated for the full battery capacity and that I'm good to attach a winch directly to them.
 
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