caterpillar Batteries

No idea to be honest, its something t think about

I'll send JohnR out in his kayak... ;)

I have a red top and yellow top as starter and deep cycle respectively. However since another wet cell chit itself in our pord palcon the red top has gone into the falcon and I am using the yellow top as a starter in the patrol. The bloke at our local battery world suggested the yellow top can be used as starter also and it seems to crank as effectively as the red top does.

Will now be leaving the red top in the falcon and getting another yellow top for the nissan, allowing me to swap both yellow tops between starter and deep cycle regularly as the deep cycle regularly goes without use for extended periods.

yawn.......is this thread still going?

Zzzzzzz.....Leroy

enlighten us plllllllleeease!

Leroy

do tell ?

looked in trader
Fullriver BATTERIES
Fullriver AGM Deep Cycle Batteries All brand new & with full warranty Many sizes, examples: 90a/h= $180 +gst, 100a/h= $205 +gst, 150a/h= $240 +gst, 180a/h= $255 +gst, 225a/h= $330 +gst, 260a/h= $420 +gst, Available in Perth & Melbourne

Price: $240
State: WA City: Perth Suburb: NOR
0-----------------------0
so sell me a battery, what do I need.. running fridge, and other accessories

Truckster (Vic)
I don't sell you the battery, I source the battery you decide you want at the prices stated, in either Melbourne or Perth.

So who makes the makes the Cat batteries Mainey ?

When i was up bush our cat fleet used only Cat batteries as you would expect,but a lot the accessaries such as starter motors etc and other bits had AC Delco stamped all across them, so maybe they made the batteries for cat. Iam reasonably sure AC Delco are sold in Aust ?
A lot of there gear is made in Thailand and China etc now so things may have changed.As for reliability they were pretty good.

Cheers

Darryl

Mainey
What Im sayign is, out of the listed ones, which would suit my application best.

As the second battery, it currently runs
- fridge
- CB's
and soon to have a couple more outlets down the back for stuff, not latte machines... wanna fit up an inverter to it one day too when I understand them.

Truckster (Vic)

you have to know;
the power draw with your 'accessories' running
how you are going to recharge it
how much space you have for it
and also how much money you want to save L0L

No good having a 'huge' battery that you recharge daily and only use a small % of the available capacity in the same time.

Gday Mainey

Westrac Equipment are the Cat dealers in WA.
(08) 9377 9555

Good Luck

Got a couple of mates that work for Westrac, they havn't spoke about the batteries much but the sweary by anything CAT, you'd think there jobs depended on them talking it up or somthing LOL. No but seriously, they are probally a good option, but it would depend on cost. If they are the same price as an equiv. excide extreme or overlander or somthing then it's probally worth giving it a go.

Talk to your mates about cheap batt, they get a significant employee discount. I also cant comment on performance of a Cat battery, most areas where they are used on Cat machines they are hooked up in series 24 volt, also they are being charged by a 130amp 24v alternator. Never seen one used in light vechile application, but could be goer.

And who makes the bloody batteries????? Are you deaf? We are all waiting!!

Leroy

Mainey
yea who makes the Cat batteries these days, and would it be the same as 10-15yrs ago? (I think I know the answer to that bit LOL)

Yes who makes them Mainey.

Leroy posted this followup

"And who makes the bloody batteries?????
Are you deaf?
We are all waiting"

leroy, I seem to remember reading where you posted that my "eyes are painted on" indicating that I'm blind, so I probably can't read the dam invoice correctly...L0L

I don't 'sell' Cat batteries direct- however an AGM at "mates" rates :-)

Ah so your first post was a question as in you didnt know either.

everyone got mixed up!

My post is:

"Truckster, are you aware who actually make the Caterpillar batteries ?"

Yes, the question mark (?) at the end of the sentance, indicates that I'm asking you the question; "do you know who makes the Cat batteries ?"

So, no it does not indicate I don't know!!

Depends on where the emphasis is in the sentence.

Could be a question or a query.

So. Who makes them if you know.

Truckster (Vic) posted this followup
"Mainey, yeah who makes the CAT batteries these days, and would it be the same as 10-15yrs ago? (I think I know the answer to that bit LOL)"

CAT batteries were previously made in the USA by East Pen Batteries, nowadaze they are made by AC Delco and also Delkor !!

So the answer is, no they are made by a different manufacturer, is that what you wanted to know :-))

yawn.......is this thread still going?

Zzzzzzz.....Leroy

Leroy posted this followup:

"And who makes the bloody batteries?????
Are you deaf? We are all waiting"

Well Leroy you asked the question "who makes CAT batteries"
and obviously no-one knew the answer...
and I thought I should tell you because as you say, you are waiting!!

Are they made in Asia... yes
But that's not indicative of low quality - is it!!!

We're all falling asleep waiting.....but I couldn't care less as I use non pure deep cycle Exide Extremes.

'But that's not indicative of low quality - is it!!! '

Now are you making a statement or asking a question?

definetly not Leroy. The Exide Extreme hybrid has been proven by users to be a top quality battery. It accepts a charge far easier than a pure deep cycle and its construction is second to none.

Leroy,
You have asked me not just once, but twice, for the specific information I posted, and then you say "but I couldn't care less"

So Leroy, why did you ask the exact same question two times ??
(obviously the above sentence is a question!)

Zzzzzz......what! what! what! .......oh......zzzzzzzz

Leroy....thought i heard something.....zzzzzz

ps MD I'm more than happy with the EE.

I have just bought one of these to use as my aux batt in a dual batt set up, what is so good about them, the salesman said they were close to deep cycle battery

I understand they are a hybrid, cranking battery with thicker plates than usual to give some deep cycle properties. They should accept a charge better than a pure deep cycle but not as good as an AGM. The internal construction is more robust which makes it suitable for rough terrain.

The one Im replacing is an extreme. But only flattened it once, and its fubar.
Got extreme for second battery too :) , but am impressed by the lasting time of these Cat ones..

Bruce,

If you check out the CAT website you will see that their batteries are AGM or Calcium. It looks to me as though most of their heavy duty/long lasting ones are AGM. They recommend calcium for high temp conditions. I suspect an AGM such as Fullriver might be a cheaper option.

Peter

http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37407&x=7

Thanks Pete. The ones at the top right of that look like TBs were.. big muthas.

Will go to Cat in Dande on Saturday and check it out.

Thanks

Bruce, you could shift that good extreme into cranking duty and get a Fullriver AGM from Mainey at a bluddy good price..see the trader

fullriver? never heard of em - they dont have an ARB logo do they? or Bill S?

Mad Dog,
are you suggesting my "mates rate" prices are a bit too low, Waaah :-)

The exide extreme give a two year warranty
darren

Darren, isn't it a two year warranty as a "Cranking" battery?
as Extreme's are a 'Cranking' battery and not specified as a 'Storage' battery by Exide!

Madcow, for a Delkor to die in two years there could be a problem with something other than the battery that has caused the Delkor to die, even if it may be as simple as the low voltage cut out being set too low, if the problem is not checked and fixed the new battery probably will also only last two years.

With regard to the warranty, I walked into an auto electrician and accessory shop asking for there reccomendation for a aux battery (besides deep cycle). The sparky went straight to the extreme battery and said he uses the same battery and they come with a 2 year warranty, So he knew it was for aux battery. He also said they were similar to deep cycle but were able to handle charging better.
Darren

>Extreme's are a 'Cranking' battery and not specified as a 'Storage' battery by Exide

Maybe maybe not but exide state this on the website in reference to the exide:

Quote:
Thick Plates - Thick plate material is used to provide plenty of power plus the capacity to withstand repeated discharge.
End quote

Given the experience of users on this site who sucessfully use them as deep cycles I think they are proven in this respect.

Some “precise” information about Exide Extreme Cranking batteries and also Exide Endurance Deep Cycle batteries.

It can be clearly seen without and doubt at all, the Exide ENDURANCE is definitely rated by Exide as their DEEP CYCLE battery.

The information below is COPPIED direct off the Exide web site:

Passenger Vehicles | 4wd | Marine | DEEP CYCLE |

http://www.exide.com.au/products/deep-cycle.php

"Built strong to withstand the pounding and vibration of marine, 4wd or heavy vehicle use, Exide ENDURANCE DEEP CYCLE battery is developed for long-running power and low amperage drain"
____________________________________________________________

It also can be clearly seen without and doubt at all the Exide EXTREME is definitely rated by Exide as ONLY a passenger vehicle battery, yes it’s a Cranking battery.

PASSENGER VEHICLES | 4wd | Marine | Deep Cycle |
http://www.exide.com.au/products/

"Extreme Vibration is one of the most common cause of damage to batteries. With this in mind, Exide designed the EXTREME to withstand conditions much harsher than most vehicle owners would ever want to encounter"

____________________________________________________________

The Exide Extreme is classified by it’s manufacturer as a 'passenger vehicle' battery, or said another way it’s NOT rated as a Deep Cycle battery by Exide, but as a Cranking battery, sure some may claim it will recharge faster than a similar wet cell Deep Cycle battery and the simple reason is because it’s a Cranker battery and NOT a Deep cycle battery because the two batteries are built differently with different characteristics to do two very different jobs.
If you look closely at the Endurance Deep Cycle range of batteries made by Exide you will see they are similar in shape and size to the Fullriver Deep Cycle range and the Cranking battery range look like conventional Cranking batteries, they are different looking batteries and made for different purposes.

To suggest Exide Extremes are 'successfully' used as Deep Cycle Storage batteries is a bit risky as the actual technical specifications of the two batteries (Endurance & Extreme) are totally different, if they were the same Exide would only make either a Deep Cycle or a Cranking battery and just change the labels depending what the customer asked for L0L

Well you can't dismiss the pratical experience of users. The results speak for themselves.

Mad Dog, unfortunately for various reasons I can’t agree with your thoughts on a Cranking battery being as good as Deep Cycle battery when running a fridge and lights etc, so can we agree to disagree?

The only way either consideration can be conclusively shown to be correct is to actually ‘test’ the two batteries, an Extreme cranking battery and an Endurance Deep Cycle battery and see if they both power a fridge for the same or lesser period of time…

I will leave this up to someone else as I don’t have access to Exide batteries.

Is that all you want to test, what about recharge time and cranking ability, after all they are marketed as a hybrid

as I said quoted from the exide.com.au website in regards to the exide extreme battery

Thick Plates - Thick plate material is used to provide plenty of power plus the capacity to withstand repeated discharge.

They are their words Mainey not mine. Take it up with them if you don't agree but lots of satisfied users on this site with cold beer.

They are both conventional wet cell batteries, however I bet the Extreme recharges 'quicker' than the Endurance for the reasons I have stated.

As to the word 'Hybrid' it is not used on the Exide web site under the specifications heading - is it?
The specifications area where I copied from calls the Extreme a "Passenger Vehicle" battery, which in real terms is a Cranking battery.

What do they compare the 'thicker plates' with?
Do you actually believe Exide would say 'thinner' plates than the Endurance battery, I don't think so either.
As I said can we agree to disagree till it's tested :-)

It appears the battery was manufactured in 2002 although I bought it in 2004 from one fo our more reputable 4x4 accessory dealers (who are a great bunch of blokes). I am running a Pirahna system and very happy with it. Everything is up to spec in regards to cut out etc. I'm putting it down to the fact I was sold an old battery which was replaced free of charge. I have used Exide in the past and have had a good run out of them also. I wanted to try a sealed unit to see how it would go. @ years from now we'll see how things are holding up.

Cheers

>What do they compare the 'thicker plates' with

A convential cranking battery. The thicker plates gives it the ability to withstand discharge cycles better than a straight cranker. It's a hybrid mainey, a compromise, they call it a four wheel drive battery. Read between the lines and draw conclusions Mainey, not everything is spelt out in black and white. The numerous reports from users using the extreme for aux power confirms its ability in this respect.

Ray, the fact is I 'sell' solar systems and the suitable storage batteries for them!!

Scenario:
If you asked a large company to specify an Aux battery system for you, and they stated a "Passenger Vehicle Battery" as the Extreme is stated to be by Exide it's manufacturer, would work as well as an AGM battery of same size and similar price, would you be happy? or would you seek a second opinion?

If you E-mail any company that sells solar systems and ask them the exact same question, you will be informed an AGM battery is superior as a 'storage' battery to a Cranking battery, which is the sole reason they are specified in Aux battery systems by commercial operators.

** Exide technologies Deep Cycle battery facts site:
http://www.exide.com.au/products/deep-cycle.php

** All Exide battery specifications:
http://www.exide.com.au/products/specifications.php

Notice the weight difference between the 'Extreme' battery and the 'Deep Cycle' battery.

E-mail Winabago, ask them what type of storage battery they use and recommend in their vehicles?

Yes, I agree you can use an Exide Extreme battery, however an AGM battery of the same capacity will give superior service as a 'storage' battery therefore it’s more cost effective also.

I can source a battery for about $100 that is superior to the Exide Extreme in technical specs and could be used as a ‘pseudo’ DC battery, but it’s a Heavy Duty Cranking battery, as is …?

This is what Im hoping in terms of lasting.

But the more I think of it and most things made in China these days, Im not holding out much hope for similar period of time with modern made ones.

Wanna sell the battery ;)

Hmmm...... let me think, no thank you!

There used to be a dude in Mount Eliza that sold secondhand batteries, had 100's of them at his house, that is where I got mine, if I still have his card at the office I'll let you know. He had about a dozen Cat batteries when I was there.

batteries made in china appear not to be as good as those made in other places. A mate of mine used to disect them and do reports and found many problems with them. This is not to say they didn't perform but they may not last!

Leroy

Agree Leroy, most things from china are made CHEAP....

but nobody has said Cats are made there yet.

Shti Mercury outboards are made there now!

'Shti Mercury outboards are made there now!'

thats disappointing.....

Leroy

I have two cat batteries!

190 AH 1300 CCA Premium high output. Made in the USA

100 AH 750 CCA Premium high output maitenance free. Made in china.

Both batteries perform well!

get back to work u