Topic: Battery Time?

[Jeffy]

just briefly read the description of the ones you posted, didn't say you can use them in any position, that's why i was asking - i will need to buy a second battery and was thinking either blue or yellow (have a red top on currently and i need a second one for cooler and such). I can only have the battery on it's side with the way i have them setup

Well, if you can't run them side by side then you can run then stacked.  Otherwise you could mount the other battery in the back.  If you don't have room then you might check out the smaller batteries that Odyssey makes as well.  The one that Scott is using is a bit smaller.

Oh and the Odyssey can be mounted on it's side.

Like many popular spiral-wound batteries, ODYSSEY batteries employ dry cell AGM technology to contain acid, allowing the battery to be installed even on its side. But the densely packed flat plates in an ODYSSEY battery avoid the “dead space” between cylinders in a “six-pack” design. The result is 15% more plate surface area — and that translates to more power!

- http://www.odysseyfactory.com/batteries.html

I'll probably eventually run two side by side.

[FourbangerYJ]

Don't know if it's true or not, but I was told that 2 925 Odyessy batteries will fit in the stock battery tray. They are pretty small. If you do a lot of winching might not be the best set up.

[Jeffy]

Another option would be to go with a Group 31.  These are huge but smaller then two batteries.

Product Description

Height:   9-1/2 in.
Length:   13 in.
Width (in.):   6-4/5 in.
Product Overview:
Item Weight (lbs.):   75.0 lbs.
Battery Type:
Group Size:   31M
Temperate Zone:   North or South
Transportation Type:   Marine and recreational vehicle
Power Configuration:
Voltage:   12.0
Power Ratings:
Amp Hours at 20 Hour Rate:   100
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA at 0 deg.F):   1150
Reserve Capacity (RC):   205 min.

[neale_rs]

Now that's a battery!

[Jeffy]

Now that's a battery!

Some of the Expo guy's are running them.  It's what you'd normally find in an RV, Diesel or other heavy truck.

There is also the Group 65;

Dimensions:
Height:   7-2/5 in.
Length:   11-4/5 in.
Width (in.):   7-1/5 in.
Product Overview:
Item Weight (lbs.):   60.0 lbs.
Battery Type:
Group Size:   65
Temperate Zone:   North or South
Transportation Type:   Passenger car and light commercial
Power Configuration:
Voltage:   12.0
Power Ratings:
Amp Hours at 20 Hour Rate:   75
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA at 0 deg.F):   930
Reserve Capacity (RC):   135 min.

For comparisons here's the Group 34/78

Dimensions:
Height:   7-4/5 in.
Length:   10-9/10 in.
Width (in.):   7-1/10 in.
Product Overview:
Item Weight (lbs.):   53.0 lbs.
Battery Type:
Group Size:   34/78DT
Temperate Zone:   North or South
Transportation Type:   Passenger car and light commercial
Power Configuration:
Voltage:   12.0
Power Ratings:
Amp Hours at 20 Hour Rate:   68
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA at 0 deg.F):   880
Reserve Capacity (RC):   135 min.

[95yjman]

I have a yellow top on the YJ and love it, its getting old though...I wanna get one for the truck and KJ heh

[road2damascus]

I have a 34/78 Die Hard Platinum. I got it last summer at Sears during a sale for $165 out the door. It is by far the best battery I have had. I have used interstate mega trons and Optima red tops. Let me tell you this battery takes what ever you can throw at it. I plow snow with my Jeep. Plows DRAIN batteries! I have a front plow and rear that I use at the same time or by them selves. I do 15 driveways, a small parking lot, two private lanes and a apt. complex. Needless to say I work that battery HARD. My lights don't even dim when using the plows. I even plowed for just over 30 hrs straight, never turning the engine off, during one blizzard in February. The only complaint I have heard about these batteries is the side terminals. I guess some have broke off inside the battery making it inoperable. Warranty covers that but not out wheeling or in my case...in the middle of a storm when my job depends on it. I don't use the side terminals anyway. I use the Wirthco battery bolt extenders on the top post mounts. Anyway, I thought I'd chime in considering I use this battery. I also just got a Die Hard Gold for $90 on a midnight online sale to replace a Interstate Mega tron on my GMC Jimmy. I have not beaten on that battery YET so no review. 

[sharpxmen]

I have a 34/78 Die Hard Platinum. I got it last summer at Sears during a sale for $165 out the door. It is by far the best battery I have had. I have used interstate mega trons and Optima red tops. Let me tell you this battery takes what ever you can throw at it. I plow snow with my Jeep. Plows DRAIN batteries! I have a front plow and rear that I use at the same time or by them selves. I do 15 driveways, a small parking lot, two private lanes and a apt. complex. Needless to say I work that battery HARD. My lights don't even dim when using the plows. I even plowed for just over 30 hrs straight, never turning the engine off, during one blizzard in February. The only complaint I have heard about these batteries is the side terminals. I guess some have broke off inside the battery making it inoperable. Warranty covers that but not out wheeling or in my case...in the middle of a storm when my job depends on it. I don't use the side terminals anyway. I use the Wirthco battery bolt extenders on the top post mounts. Anyway, I thought I'd chime in considering I use this battery. I also just got a Die Hard Gold for $90 on a midnight online sale to replace a Interstate Mega tron on my GMC Jimmy. I have not beaten on that battery YET so no review. 

how does plowing drain the batteries?

[road2damascus]

Hydraulic pumps are run off of battery power. Every time you lift or angle the plow it draws power. I run a 160amp alternator on my Jeep and a 220amp on my Jimmy. When I plowed with the stock alternator and a 4 year old Interstate Mega tron 1000ca my voltmeter would drop to 9, lights would dim, and the heater motor would slow down any time I lifted or angled the plow.

[sharpxmen]

you're running off the alternator not the battery, if the alternator can't keep up then the battery would be drained, of course you're better off with the 160 amp. A good alternator should keep up

[road2damascus]

In my experience you need both a good battery and a higher amp alternator. Most of the time the engine is at idle or just above idle when plowing. This doesn't give the alternator much of a chance to charge it. Plow trucks out the factory have a "plow prep" package that includes both a heavy duty battery and a heavy duty alternator. Its important to have both.

[sharpxmen]

In my experience you need both a good battery and a higher amp alternator. Most of the time the engine is at idle or just above idle when plowing. This doesn't give the alternator much of a chance to charge it. Plow trucks out the factory have a "plow prep" package that includes both a heavy duty battery and a heavy duty alternator. Its important to have both.

i see what you mean, i guess i was just not getting my head around how much you'd move the plow up/down (i never plowed so that's not surprizing). Probaly somewhat similar to winching i guess (as far as using the battery)

[road2damascus]

I don't know how many amps a winch pulls but I figure it would be in the same ball park, if not more than a plow. The plow motor draws 190-200 amps (theoretical) and 183 amps (actual). The battery cable to plow is 4 gauge or bigger. My route is 3 hours long (up to 5 inches of snow) with the longest rest time of 15 minutes but most of my accounts are with in a minute or two of each other if not next door to each other. I know many don't plow here but I thought maybe this could be some sort of comparison to winching and the abuse the Platinum takes without skipping a beat.

[Jeffy]

OK did some more testing.  Actually observing.  When starting up the Volt gauge drops to just above 9v.  So that's between 9v and 9.83v.  When it sits overnight and I get in it the meter is no more then 10.66v.  After driving it for a while it gets over 11.49v but then drops between 11.49v and 10.66v when I shut the engine off.  When driving the Volt Gauge reads 14v which means trying to recharge the battery and not just top it off.  The digital volt meter on my 2M radio says 12.2-12.3v still.  I'm thinking maybe a cell is going bad and shows when under a load.  I don't have a load tester to really try it out though.  Still, I'm thinking it's the battery now.  Thoughts?

[FourbangerYJ]

I'd start with the battery.