4x4 Battery which one?

Submitted: Wednesday, Sep 27, 2017 at 20:46
ThreadID: 135661 Views:9654 Replies:10 FollowUps:17
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Its that time again when the trusty 4x4 battery needs replacing. I have had a Delco which was good and lasted 5 years but have now got a GS Yuasa battery in a 76 Series Landcruiser. It has been a good battery and is 4 and half years old. Last year we were on the road for 6 months and did a lot of rough driving including many corrugations and dirt roads. Not a bad run I guess given that it had a 2 yr warranty. Any suggestions of other brands or support for the Yuasa Century brand?
Any comments would be appreciated.
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Reply By: Member - bbuzz (NSW) - Wednesday, Sep 27, 2017 at 21:09

Wednesday, Sep 27, 2017 at 21:09
Can I add a boast?
My 2008 Prado 3000 just had its original battery replaced.

Hard to believe I know but the writing all over it was Japanese characters.

See if you can buy one of those!

bill
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Follow Up By: Batt's - Sunday, Oct 01, 2017 at 08:52

Sunday, Oct 01, 2017 at 08:52
That's a good run goes to show they can make batteries that last a long time. I replaced my daughters 2010 kia rio batt early this yr only because she went to uni in another town didn't want her having trouble.
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Reply By: Capt. Wrongway - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 07:40

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 07:40
5 years out of a good quality/band battery is a very good run these days on modern 4wds. Many of the newer 4wds have smart alternators which only supply the minimum voltage to keep the battery charged. Whatever good quality battery you purchase, I recommend that you connect it/them once a month to a good quality 240v smart charger of suitable amps.

I run 3 120A wet cell Marine grade batteries in my Patrol and use a 40 amp smart charger on them once a month. One of those batteries is 7 years old.
Capt.
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 08:23

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 08:23
From my experience working on stations, over 2 years is pretty damn good for 4WD starting batteries. In June, I fitted a new Century battery to my 79 series prior to a couple of Simpson crossings, even though the original battery was only 2 years old and still performing well.

Would agree about regular extra charging, especially on vehicles with a smart alternator.

Bob

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Reply By: Batt's - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 08:20

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 08:20
Supercharge Allrounder MRV70 or 70L - 760 CCA 105ah deep cycle cranking combo. Good for winching and also can double as a back up battery to run your fridge and camp lights off if your aux batt should pack it in. If you don't have an aux battery it can used to run your fridge I can get 2 days out of mine and start the patrols 4.2 diesel.
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Follow Up By: Mikee5 - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 11:56

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 11:56
A second for the Supercharge, good value.
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Follow Up By: 877 - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 16:21

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 16:21
Another vote for Supercharge, i run these for both crank and auxiliary.
Just replaced my auxiliary battery - had the previous one for over 5 years and it had been absolutely abused and run low frequently (spent the last 3 years touring Oz). Crank battery has been in for three and going strong. Can't rate them highly enough
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 09:59

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 09:59
I've had a good run out of supercharge and they are very well regarded in the boating community.

Unlike other brands that market a specific 4WD battery, that is just a marine battery with a different colour case and an extra $20 on the price.

supercharge just market marine batteries , which are a rugged construction battery.

The supercharge gold marine, is the sealed version and has glass mats between the plates like any good rugged construction battery.

the ting with the supercharge gold marine is that even though it is a sealed battery ..... the vent valves can be unscrewed and the electrolite topped up.

This voids warranty ..... but after you are out of warranty you have some thing you can do if the battery gets over charged and electrolite gets low.

These sealed marine batteries offer most of the advantages of AGM without the poor temperature tollerance and charge limitations
cheers
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Follow Up By: gbc - Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 08:04

Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 08:04
We had a woeful run with supercharge allrounders on our fleet Utes. They have a site delivery service in Brisbane which is just as well because once they hit 18 months old they all went short circuit. We are paying $400 odd each for optimas and $430 odd for odyssey batteries and getting anything from 7 - 10 years from them. Cheapest batteries we own by far.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 09:35

Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 09:35
Yeh there seems to be an issue with the all rounders .... possibly that people are trying to get either good cranking or good deepcycle or both performance out of a compromise battery.

they are not in the same league or the same price bracket as an optima.

From what I have heard in the last several years I would buy the marine gold long before the allrounder.

cheers
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Follow Up By: Batt's - Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 19:14

Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 19:14
Most companies occasionally get a bad batch which turn people of their brand. I used century in a few different 4WD's they had good cranking power but they never lasted..
I got 5yrs 3months out of my1st allrounder, never had any trouble ran the RF47 Evakool of it lots, sometimes didn't even bother starting the car when running the compressor topping up tyres when the fridge wasn't being used. I was told if you bye a combo battery regardless the brand to get the most out of it you should use it correctly which means low power drains over periods of time from fridges etc. It is a deep cycle and if you don't use it like one at all they are less likely to last very long.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 21:38

Monday, Oct 02, 2017 at 21:38
It seems to me that many people mis-undrstand what a deep cycle battery is and this is part of the problem.

D deep cycle battery will withstand being discharged deeply pretty much no better than any other battery ....... hammer it down to 10V regularly and it will die as quickly as any other battery.

What deep cycle batteries ARE designed for is long cycles of charge and discharge where where those cycles may be many days ....... and they will be most efficient where the average discharge current is modest and likewise the charge current.

From what I am hearing many of the failures and shortened life in Allrounders is where they are hammered to low states of charge each day. and then have charge belted into them.

It is my belief that many people spec a deep cycle battery where they realy should be looking at a cyclic application battery ....... like a standard marine starting battery.

cheers
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Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 11:39

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 11:39
Hi Will, Combo batteries are a compromise, if you are looking for a straight cranking battery, then buy a cranking battery, not a combo. I agree with one of the previous responses regarding century batteries. Had a 130ah in my 76 Series for 4 years, and was still going strong when I upgraded my car this year. Macca.
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Follow Up By: Batt's - Sunday, Oct 01, 2017 at 08:56

Sunday, Oct 01, 2017 at 08:56
Compromise is that a good or bad thing ? More info would be nice.
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Reply By: Boeing (PER - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 19:52

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 19:52
Will, I think you might have answered your own question. Buy either of the ones you have used before as these have been good value.

Cheers,

Mark
AnswerID: 614027

Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 19:59

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 19:59
The first cranking battery I fitted to the OKA lasted 2 years.
The second was a "name" battery for "4wd use". It lasted 3 years.
I suspect that both were shaken to bits by the corrugations.
The third was a Fullriver 120Ah HGL AGM standby battery. It is still there. It will be 8 years old in January.

Cheers,
Peter
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AnswerID: 614028

Follow Up By: CSeaJay - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 20:38

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 20:38
Yes the Fullrivers are good.
Just dont put them in the engine bay, they do NOT like the heat and will not last long
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 10:01

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 10:01
Full rive DO make a battery that will tollerate underbonnet temperatures, but it is a different battery to commonly offered and will cost quite a bit more than people might expect

cheers
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Reply By: Will 76 Series - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 22:02

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 22:02
Thanks for the feedback and advice and agree it is not a bad run out of a 4x4 battery. Think I will go again with the same one.
Safe Travels.
AnswerID: 614031

Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 23:34

Thursday, Sep 28, 2017 at 23:34
Ive always had two starting batteries and always used Exide Extreme and I have had a very good run out of them. Now Exide are made somewhere in Asia so a month ago I bought two Century batteries, still made here in Oz. You can't beat Australia jobs and a great reputation for Century products and the prices are similar to the imported Exide. The Exide were the old style, top up type with screw caps and messy in a 4x4 and the new Century are sealed. Super Cheap are reasonably priced and have a good range. regards, Michael.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 10:07

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 10:07
Sorry but from experience and that of others you can most definitely beat Australian made Century batteries.
The best battery manufacturing plants using the latest technology and the best quality control are not in Australia.
Sad but true
As far as supercheap ...... if you can't
get a better price for almost anything elswhere particularly a brand name, you are not shopping well.
cheers
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Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 17:26

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 17:26
Bantam, I bought two N70 CCA 810 Century Ultra High Performance batteries from Super Cheap for $170 Each. I didn't look anywhere else at that price to save 10 bucks. I have two batteries in parallel for my thirsty 90 litre fridge and I change them every 4 years regardless of their condition. My needs are simple so spending double on so called better technology is pointless for me. I think Century is the only large auto battery manufacturer left in Australia so we should support them where we can. regards, Michael.
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Reply By: Malcom M - Friday, Sep 29, 2017 at 06:11

Friday, Sep 29, 2017 at 06:11
You don't say what the battery is used for or where it's located.
Heat rules out quite a few batteries plus various types are better at certain functions than others.
All our trucks have Optima Yellow Tops in the engine bay as both crankers and aux batteries.
Handle corrugations very well, much greater depth of discharge than lead acids and much higher CCA values for their size.
AnswerID: 614035

Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 10:11

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 10:11
Optima batteries ARE a lead acid battery, while they are a very good battery there are issues with their sizes and shapes and how much battery they can fit in the space due to the spiral cell form.

cheers
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Follow Up By: Malcom M - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 12:38

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 12:38
Technically comprised of lead & acid but they are an AGM type and not your standard L/A.
Obviously you would select one that fitted the space.
What I said stands.
Guess you are an Optima hater?
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 13:39

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 13:39
it's not a matter of being an optima hater, but there are practical considerations.

There simply is not the range of sizes that will be found in conventional battery packages and the extra cycle depth is required because in most packages there is not the same amount of AH capacity there would be in a conventional package of the same outer dimensions

All Spiral cell batteries have specific advantages and disadvantages.

cheers
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Reply By: Life Member - Terry 80FTE - Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 21:43

Saturday, Sep 30, 2017 at 21:43
I run a pair of Exide Extreme "red top" XN70ZZL MF
810CCA 95AH . One for starting and the other for the accessories.
Can swap them over occasionally, or if needed.
Happy so far, wasn't happy with previous century or optimas.
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