Freightrain (2/5/2023)

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The only issue I have is the Harley.  Even with a trickle charger on the AGM battery all winter, if it is too cool outside, it won't start the bike.  Too much load, not fast enough and it won't light off, no way.  I usually have to jump it with a car battery.  Once it gets a touch of heat in the motor, it will start again.  Even with std battery, it does the same thing.  I think it is just a drawback to the design of it all.  It's a 96ci, my buddies 88ci spins over like it doesn't have plugs in it. Mine struggles all summer.



This part is interesting to me.  I just swapped my 88 for a 95 high compression engine built by Ft Wayne Speed Shop. Brought her home yesterday. I have always kept her on a Batter Tender during the winter months and she fired right over.  I'll have to pay attention to her next winter & see how much of a difference I have between the bigger fresh engine & the 71,XXX tired engine.

Churubusco, IN

Facebook: Terry Tombaugh

Frank Surber (2/5/2023)

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Over time FLA and SLA batteries can become sulfated reducing their ability to take a charge and deliver their full potential. the battery minders like Keven mentioned seem to spike charge every so often, what this does is the higher voltage spikes briefly deliver higher amps. causing the sulfate to break up and dissolve the same thing happens when using a dumb charger on a battery at a high output rate. Smart chargers are incapable of doing this. Many off griders will periodically really boil their batteries so to speak. by pushing more charge in them after their bank has sat on absorb for a length of time. The problem there is if they don't monitor the charging process closely the batteries will overheat and the plates will warp or the lead sulfate will settle between them and short the cells. 
What you are describing is a equalization charge. 
 Any collection of cells in series (definition of a battery) must pass all the current though all the cells in the battery. So if they state of charge of the individual cells becomes un balanced, the only way to bring all cells to full charge is to temporarily overcharge the collection of cells to bring the lowest cell to full charge. It has to be done with care to not damage the other cells, which are temporarily being overcharged.
 It is one reason why big industrial batteries are made up of individual "jars" that can be charged individually or replaced on their own.
 This is also why you must never center tap a set of batteries without either a battery balancer or a way to recharge the one battery from which you are tapping current. 
 Yeah, I know many people say they have done it on either two six volts for 12 cranking on a six volt car or 12 volts on a 24 volt crank vehicle. But it sets up the imbalance and causes short battery life.

Larry a lithium-ion jump stick doesn't take up nearly as much space as jumper cables it easiervto use, it fits in the glove box and it'll start anything anytime


Double Mountain Manufacturing LLC
EddyLucast@hotmail.com 
203-228-1961

Over time FLA and SLA batteries can become sulfated reducing their ability to take a charge and deliver their full potential. the battery minders like Keven mentioned seem to spike charge every so often, what this does is the higher voltage spikes briefly deliver higher amps. causing the sulfate to break up and dissolve the same thing happens when using a dumb charger on a battery at a high output rate. Smart chargers are incapable of doing this. Many off griders will periodically really boil their batteries so to speak. by pushing more charge in them after their bank has sat on absorb for a length of time. The problem there is if they don't monitor the charging process closely the batteries will overheat and the plates will warp or the lead sulfate will settle between them and short the cells. 

Double Mountain manufacturing LLC
Don't try and tell me what I can't do, try to convince me of what you can do

I have tried Battery Tender and Battery Minder trickle chargers.  The Battery Minder's actually work as advertised and have brought back quite a few batteries I thought were toast.  They send periodic higher amp jolts into the battery via some capacitor or something.  Whatever it is, it brought back an optima on my tractor that a tender would only charge sorta but not really hold.  After the minder they seem more rejuvenated and don't need attention for longer.  My Pete has batteries about 10 years old on it and previous owner kept a Battery Minder on it when not being used and I have been having good luck with mine keeping them going. 

1986 Peterbilt 359

I do all my own stunts. 

I've run Interstate in most things these days, just because I can get them at Summit Racing and get summit bucks back on the purchase.  Two deep cycles for the trailer, typically get about 5 yrs out of them before they just won't keep up.  Though, after struggling the last few years with a weak winch I realized that I have too much load on the batteries for the size trickle charger I have.  I used a 1.5 amp tender and I have about 1 amp draw for frig, radio, etc that never turn off.  I put a 5A trickle charger on the trailer and that seems to keep the batteries charged much better(well, duh).  I run standard batteries in race car and two hot rods, along with the two in the Mack(which see nearly NO load anymore since I installed air start).  I keep them on trickle chargers all winter to keep them up.

The only issue I have is the Harley.  Even with a trickle charger on the AGM battery all winter, if it is too cool outside, it won't start the bike.  Too much load, not fast enough and it won't light off, no way.  I usually have to jump it with a car battery.  Once it gets a touch of heat in the motor, it will start again.  Even with std battery, it does the same thing.  I think it is just a drawback to the design of it all.  It's a 96ci, my buddies 88ci spins over like it doesn't have plugs in it. Mine struggles all summer.

I did have an Autozone battery in my 87 F150 that was on 10 yrs and I finally just put one in it just because I knew one day it was going to let me down.  I know some people carry jumper cables in their vehicles.  I haven't for 25 yrs.  Keep up on the battery and you don't need to worry.

Larry

I'm no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Geoff Weeks (2/4/2023)

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rubbishman (2/3/2023)

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jhancock (2/3/2023)

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I wouldn't mind if Delkor batteries were available in the US.  Easy to get in Australia and Asia supposedly.

My 2005 Massey 1533 tractor built in Japan has one of their calcium models and is going strong.  I have never touched it.  18 years for a battery is pretty good!

Also had good luck with Motorcraft batteries lasting 9-10 years.  Never researched who makes them for Ford.


What is calcium?
Calcium is added in FLA cells to reduce water use. It has been the std for decades to keep from having to add water.


I never knew that...never too old to learn new.

H.S.Blake
1971 IH VCO(T)-190 Leach 2R Packmaster
Fawnskin, CA 6,750 feet above tidewater

I live about 20 minutes from Deka in Lyons PA. I take my dead batteries there but I buy new batteries from Interstate. I can get well over 10 years out of a battery if I put a trickle charger on it occasionally in the summer and take it in in the winter. I have not had that experience with Deka. Michael

Michael Yarnall,

Boyertown, PA

rubbishman (2/3/2023)

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jhancock (2/3/2023)

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I wouldn't mind if Delkor batteries were available in the US.  Easy to get in Australia and Asia supposedly.

My 2005 Massey 1533 tractor built in Japan has one of their calcium models and is going strong.  I have never touched it.  18 years for a battery is pretty good!

Also had good luck with Motorcraft batteries lasting 9-10 years.  Never researched who makes them for Ford.


What is calcium?
Calcium is added in FLA cells to reduce water use. It has been the std for decades to keep from having to add water.

jhancock (2/3/2023)

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I wouldn't mind if Delkor batteries were available in the US.  Easy to get in Australia and Asia supposedly.

My 2005 Massey 1533 tractor built in Japan has one of their calcium models and is going strong.  I have never touched it.  18 years for a battery is pretty good!

Also had good luck with Motorcraft batteries lasting 9-10 years.  Never researched who makes them for Ford.


What is calcium?

H.S.Blake
1971 IH VCO(T)-190 Leach 2R Packmaster
Fawnskin, CA 6,750 feet above tidewater