Bonz........need your advice on battery please
Submitted: Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:16
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Member - Roachie (SA)
G'day Bonz (and others),
Just been back through the archives and found your post from April about the Delkor battery etc.
Just wondering if you are still happy with it.....early days, I know .
I have had 2 Exide Orbitals (@ $300- a piece). One is 33 months old and the other is only 8 months old. I have had them connected in parralel since November last year, when I replaced the 3 way camper fridge with an 80 litre upright Engel. I know, I know; I shouldn't have hooked up 2 batteries of different age, but what was I to do, throw away the 2 year-old one which was still okay at that time???
Anyway, have been noticing their combined performance had slumped recently and pulled them out yesterday and bench tested and charged on my 3 stage charger (which has 2 separate outlets for just that purpose).
Newer battery showed about 12.6v from memory) and the older one was 7.98 volts.
Given that these expensive batteries are only 55 a/h each anyway, there is NO WAY I am gunna buy them again......they should have lasted for 10 years at that price!!!!!!!!!!
OK; so I'm in the market for a Calcium or AGM (same thing?????) battery and want info. Went to my local auto leccy place today and the girlie behind the counter rang Exide (the only brand of battery they supply). Exide person recommended I steer clear of Orbital as they have been having a number of failures!!!! How's that for form?
I don't think I'll find a Delkor dealer around here.....one of the disadvantages of living in the bush.
So, Bonz and others, would you recommend the Delkor? or is there another sealed alternative.....like these chinese ones that I've heard people talk about?
Cheers
Roachie
Reply By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:26
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:26
Bill,
You can get a 100 amp AGM for a reasonable price. Remco or Fullriver (Chinese, and there's nothing wrong with that) for about $200 if you bargain. Lifeline (USA and I'm not sure they're a whole lot better but I bought one) for $300, again you'll need to bargain.
I've had
mine for over a year and it is simply sensational. Charges fast, and fully, from the alternator. A wet cell (Delkor or any other brand) simply can't do that.
If you like I can do some bargaining in
Melbourne on your behalf and send it to you. Even with freight it MAY be cheaper than you can get out your way.
Cheers,
Jim.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:02
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:02
Thanks Jimbo,
Leaning towards the Fullriver batt, but the $300- is a bit off-putting; especially when i paid that much for each of these Orbitals. Guess it's time to dust off the c/card ......again!!! lolol
Cheers mate
Roachie
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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:31
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:31
Bill,
I got the following URL off this site some time back and saved it for future reference. Fullriver AGM
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Reply By: Skinnydog - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:42
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:42
I nearly bought an Exide Orbital which was about $70 cheaper than the Optima yellow top I ended up with. The reason I didn't get the Orbital was that they were only warranted to 50deg C which can be ambient temp inland from Hedland in summer let alone engine bay temp. The guy at Repco said he would cover the warranty if it failed, but not in writing.
Skinnydog
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:04
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:04
Yeh mate,
I initially ran the battery that is now dead, under the bonnet for about 12 months before putting it in the c/trailer. Maybe that is what is set it up to stuff up earlier than it should have.
Roachie
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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:49
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 20:49
Hmm,
Last time I priced an Optima, I was quoted $398 from Battery World and that was for the 55AH model.
Bought the Exide Orbital for $168 through Marshall Batteries and run it as the Auxiliary in a dual battery setup.
I'm more than happy with its performance.
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:06
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:06
Thanks Sandman,
Sounds like you got a relative good price on your Orbital....$300- is just too much for such a light weight in the a/h stakes.....Too bad I didn't think that when I bought them, eh?
Cheers mate
Roachie
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 21:11
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 21:11
Running 5 fullriver [china] AGM 80amp ,3 in/on c/t ,1 as aux under bonnet and 1 as starting/main , charge aux +c/t batts thru rotronics ,,solar when camped , ducks guts ,recon will last 7/10 yrs easily.
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:07
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:07
Thanks Alloy,
I too hope your 5 batteries last the distance for you....you have a big investment in them, that's for sure!!!!
Roachie
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Reply By: Member - Bradley- Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:06
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:06
Still very happy with my delkor m27 marine batt, almost 2 years old and hasnt missed a beat, even drove for 3 hours the other week on the batt alone when the alternator got wrecked, running fuel pumps etc and it didnt drop off at all.
Call r&j batteries on
bendigo or
ballarat and they will put you on to a local supplier near you.
cheers mate
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Reply By: Steerpike - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:31
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:31
I'm running a 100 AH Delcor calcium deep cycle battery in my van, and am happy with it, though it's only 3 months old. Was at the auto electrician on Saturday, and asked the price of his Delcors. He commented that they were good, but that "Trojans" were the best Calcium deep cycle batteries, for about the same price. They "last much longer" was his comment.
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Reply By: Des Lexic - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:32
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 22:32
Bill, My deep cycle battery is a Delcor and have had it about 2.5 years now and appart from struggling to keep the fridge going back in Dec when it was friggin hot, it is going strong. The lesson I learn't from that was to fully charge it up at home on the charger before you leave home. I bought it locally from Hoods Tractors at
Paringa. If you can't source one local to you, give him a ring as he is often over your way. Tell him the crabs are running or something. LOL
Cheers
Alpaca
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Reply By: Twintrail(W.A.) - Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 23:40
Monday, Jun 27, 2005 at 23:40
Hi i use Cat batteries and have no problems. Last trip to Krumba Qld and back running 40 litre engel ect . Warranty of there batteries leave the rest for dead and price is very reasonable by comparison with the rest of the field.Regards Tiintrail (w.a.)
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Reply By: Member - 'Lucy' - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 02:29
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 02:29
G'day Roachie.
You of all people should know that batteries are like peas, beans, brussel sprouts, and all the other green S H I T that your mother used to dish up to you, and that is
If you like it, you will eat it.
I do know one thing though and that is , the sooper/dooper mega dollar Deep cycle batteries I have had, leave a lot to be desired.
The El cheapo ones, especially that last wet cell one I bought in an emergency in
Adelaide, is still ticking along just fine.
As for asking BONZ anything about batteries, you should first ask him how he modifies them to fit the engine bay of that 'thing' he calls a 4WD.
He actually had to a day course at the local TAFE to learn how to do it, it was that complicated.
However I am sure he will share his intimate, indepth knowlege and personal hands on experience concerning this very importatnt aspect of Delkor Batteries.
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 10:21
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 10:21
or Not...and the TAFE course was in Relaxation Massage, nbothing to do with batteries or modifications Lucy, I am amazed at how you get your wires crossed sometimes hahahahahaha
And now I am certificated in Massage .....
well thats another story
Bonz
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Reply By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 07:35
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 07:35
i use excide n70 or what ever the number....at $150 bucks each (price last july 2004) i change them over year...
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Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 10:16
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 10:16
Fully totally recommend the Delkor Roachie, really
well made holds charge really
well, ran the fridge inthe car for 8 days (small engel) after getting home from the OBC, I'll be using Delkor for the starter once it claggs too mate.
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Follow Up By: Member - 'Lucy' - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 11:50
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 11:50
C'mon BONZ!
Tell the boys and girls how you 'modified' your brand new Delkor, and what the absolutely unbelievable result was that you 'achieved after doing same.
(Everyone - this story is just toooooooo! good forBONZ to keep it to himself, as it is a life experience everyone will benefit from, and end up ROFLT(heir)AO.)
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 11:54
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 11:54
hahahahaha so what you measn is me trimming the end off the battery to enable it to fit in the neatly positioned ARB battery tray and in so doing establishing a new benchmark in the "Why did I do that" olympics? If you do a search on here you'll find that its already been told hahahaaha
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 14:32
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 14:32
Thanks Bonz....good feedback mate.....
I pity you having to live in the same state as Lucy though....living in the same bloody country is bad enough hahaha (Just kidding Ken; ol buddy ol pal).
But Ken, it was because of the charming story Bonz told about his modifying skills when he fitted that big sucker, that I went to him for advice in the 1st place......If you check back when he placed that post around 25/4, you'll see that i said then that I would seek his advice if/when i had any battery problems.....hence this post came to be. LOLOL
Cheers blokes,
Roachie
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Follow Up By: Member - 'Lucy' - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 16:17
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 16:17
Aw! BONZ
Its such a good story, that I just love hearing you tell it :-
again and again and again and again and again etc etc etc.
Its one of those stories you never tire of hearing, especially when it eminates from the 'authors' gob.
And as for you ROACHIE, go check your new oil thingo, which by the way we haven't heard of since you installed.
Or maybe eat one of those legendary ANZAC Biscuits or three that Kadina is currently 'famous' for.
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Reply By: fatz - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 12:40
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 12:40
What are Trojans like? you can get a 105A/h for about $210 from the 12 volt
shop.
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 14:36
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 14:36
Roachie , the AGM s are not exactly cheap as you know ,but bought all 5 at a good price from the 12volt
shop at Strathpine in Brisvegas ... 5x 80amp fullriver AGM for a total of 400amp for just under $1000 ,divide by lifespan of same = $100 or less per yr ,,, cheap for the amps and no maintenance or exy charger required ,,, ps. youve got an "Ultimate" c/t , give it the ultimate batteries ,
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Reply By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 14:41
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 14:41
Thanks everybody for your responses....I have sourced a price of $138-60 for a 90a/h Delkor or $166-10 for the 100a/h unit from a bloke that pesty put me onto in
Clare, SA. Will take a run over there on saturday morning to pick up one or 2.
Thanks
Roachie
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Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 15:57
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 at 15:57
Mate,
I thought the main criteria was an AGM type battery.
Regards,
Bill.
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005 at 22:06
Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005 at 22:06
Yeh Bill, I know.....and after phoning another mate today who has just btaken delivery of a new Ultimate, I'm back to the drawing board. He installed 2 x 120a/h Chinese batteries he got from the 12 volt
shop at
Strathalbyn,
Adelaide. He said they cost him $220- each, but when I phoned up today I was quoted $250-. I was told they are SLA and are effectively the same as AGMs...Stuffed if I know now!!!! lolol
One thing I am fairly sure about is that I don't need as much
battery power as my mate....1 x 120a/h should do me just fine.
Cheers
Roachie
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Reply By: Member - Brian (WA) - Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005 at 18:20
Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005 at 18:20
Hi Roachie. Have you thought about useing 1x200 ah battery? I am going to get
2x100 ah batterys. I had given one big battery a thought but my reason was
weight not being able to lift it in and out of the wagon if need be. cheers Brian
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Reply By: craigg - Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005 at 20:30
Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005 at 20:30
well hello there Roachie
i've got a couple of comments to make here.
1st of all NEVER connect two batteries in parallel
if your looking for trouble then do it ,but if you want long term reliability buy a better quality bigger AH battery.It will cost you less in the long term, last longer and give you a lot less grief .
first hand experience
years ago we took 2x nz70 truck batteries to our
shack to run lights etc. fully charged they lasted good for the weekend but next time we went for a week but the batteries only lasted day & half then going dim
charge them up and same result!
charge them up again and only use one battery. Doing this, either battery will last full weekend no worries.
the problem is that parallel batteries "fight" against each other
If you go down to the local solar
shop to buy batteries they wont sell you batteries in parallel. If you want extra capacity then you get 2x large 6v =12v
or 6x huge2v=12v
second first hand experience
worked at a u'ground
mine where we ran optima batteries in the winder cage.
every day on night shift we changed the battery and put flat one on charge. if bat wasnt changed for some reason it would not last for second day and trip out the winder. We changed the bat after about 12-18 months when we started getting a few problems. i took old battery
home and used it for next 4 years in diesel vehicle with strong performance. The only regret i have is not keeping it when i traded vehicles, actually i need a good kick in the bum, dont worry its on my list to get another one (without hesitation)
craigg (sorry for the long post but i could go on for longer)
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Follow Up By: Mainey (WA) - Thursday, Jun 30, 2005 at 11:40
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005 at 11:40
Craig,
Almost all trucks use two batteries, and yes they are wired in parallel....
I have two 80a/h Delkors DC27's wired in parallel and they are over four years old now and without problems, it is really dependant how they are charged, as DC batteries must be kept in a fully charged state to remain in perfect condition.
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Follow Up By: craigg - Thursday, Jun 30, 2005 at 18:40
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005 at 18:40
Mainey,
Arn't most trucks fitted with 24v starter motors?
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Follow Up By: Mainey (WA) - Friday, Jul 01, 2005 at 13:29
Friday, Jul 01, 2005 at 13:29
Craig,
I posted:
“Almost all trucks use two batteries, and yes they ARE wired in PARALLEL”
If the batteries are wired in SERIES then they would supply 24 volts, and you would have to use 24v starter motors, as in semi-trailers.
However when wired in PARALLEL they still only have 12 volts
but they have the added benefit of the combined battery amperage, as is often required for running high amperage drain12 volt accessories.
Most often the two batteries are separated by some form of isolation device to avoid the starter battery from draining below a specified safe level and still allowing it to start the engine next day, while the second battery still continues to power the auxiliary items, eg; fridge.
Hope this clarifies any confusion.
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Follow Up By: craigg - Friday, Jul 01, 2005 at 17:08
Friday, Jul 01, 2005 at 17:08
hi again mainey,
yes every thing you say is correct and in my limited experience whenever i've come across a truck or bogger or whatever that has two batteries installed they have been connected in series and all the electrics are 24v and all the other vehicles with one battery are obviously running on 12v. And for long term reliability series connection is the only way to go.
As you said many trucks are fitted with batteries in parallel ,this will give extra available current for starting some of the big rigs ,because the bigger trucks require huge starting currents and the single battery can't supply enough. But i'm led to believe that these batteries don't have a very long life span (2 years)
as for running parallel batteries with some sort of isolation/management device then this is perfectly ok as the batteries are infact separate units
so you can have a normal type battery for starting and a second deep cycle battery for running your accesories all connected together with battery nanagement device in parallel and you should have years of trouble free operation
when i say never connect in parallel thats what i was talking about,dont bolt +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve because as soon as one battery starts to break down it will kill both batteries and then you will be up sh#t creek .....Hard ruck
i think i've developed RSI,need to get another beer cu craigg
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