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Old 05-27-2020, 02:04 PM   #1
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Default Added a new battery box.

Decided to replace the current group 24 battery box with a larger one. Purchased a Noco group 24-31 size box from Amazon for $9 and installed it today. Nice thing about this box is it comes with a divider to allow group 24, 27, 29 and 31 size batteries. Planning next month to purchase a Walmart Everstart Max 29DC wet cell battery to replace my 4 year old 24 size. Not sure how good the walmart battery will be but if weight is any indication it has plenty of lead (62 pounds worth) and a two year warranty.
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Old 05-27-2020, 04:40 PM   #2
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Optima batteries is all I've used for well over a decade.

Red Top in vehicles and Blue Top in the camper.

I have NEVER had one give out and had some nearly 15 years in a vehicle before trading it off........battery went with vehicle.

Whenever a replacement is needed in a vehicle with factory battery (or aftermarket), always install an Optima battery and figure will never have to replace it.


I've replaced Delco batteries, Die Hard batteries, Off brand batteries, Interstate batteries but NEVER REPLACED AN OPTIMA BATTERY!

Just my experience.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:58 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle View Post
Optima batteries is all I've used for well over a decade.

Red Top in vehicles and Blue Top in the camper.

I have NEVER had one give out and had some nearly 15 years in a vehicle before trading it off........battery went with vehicle.

Whenever a replacement is needed in a vehicle with factory battery (or aftermarket), always install an Optima battery and figure will never have to replace it.


I've replaced Delco batteries, Die Hard batteries, Off brand batteries, Interstate batteries but NEVER REPLACED AN OPTIMA BATTERY!

Just my experience.
I'm sure that the Optima batteries are superior to walmart brand but at $250 - $300 a pop, they are just too pricey for me for 3-4 camping trips per year.
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:17 PM   #4
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Eagle, my diesel truck had two Optima red top batteries in it when I bought it. I believe the previous owner purchased them at Costco and installed them just before I took custody. Quite honestly I have never been impressed. The diesel has never spun over aggressively with them. Last year I had to baby the batteries so we could complete our vacation and it still left me stranded on one occasion refusing to turn over fast enough to start.
I think there might be two legitimate reasons:
1) They are 34 size whereas the F250 specifies two #65 batteries.
2) The Ford alternators (yes, I have two) do not charge the AGM cells to high enough voltage. According to Optima they need 14.1-14.7VDC which is nominally a volt more than the Ford. I researched whether I could change the built-in regulators to a marine type and could not find any available.
As a COVID update I recently purchased two Duracell #65 batteries at Sam's to get ready for a possible trip this summer and those spin the diesel over amazingly fast.
Perhaps I just had poor luck compared to your experience.
Jimbo
UPDATE: I just went out and checked the voltage on the two red tops. I discovered the one that came out of the driver's side had 12.2VDC after sitting and the passenger side was 9.7VDC. I have previously read that the Ford Powerstrokes invariably seem to crater the passenger battery first. This might make sense since the two batteries are daisy-chained across the front so the passenger side has the shortest cable length running to the starter and takes the brunt of the starter current. I'm going to try to charge them individually with my portable AGM charger.
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Old 05-28-2020, 03:44 PM   #5
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Default UPDATE to Optima Red Top battery experience

Yesterday I was able to completely recharge the 5-year-old Red Top which was on the Driver's Side. The Red Top battery from the Passenger side has succumbed to a major failure. It shows 9.94V with a 8 Amp AGM charger connected and 9.57V with the charger OFF. I would conclude that one cell has probably shorted internally.
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Old 05-28-2020, 04:31 PM   #6
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Strange thing. The battery in our 139 is 10 years old (sometime in 2010). It was on there when we bought the camper six years ago. It holds a charge great when disconnected, lasts a long time during use and recharges great. It's some brand (I can't remember off hand) that I've never heard of before. I keep checking it waiting for it to die.
Now, If I had purchased the thing myself, it would've died in two years.......

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Old 05-28-2020, 05:01 PM   #7
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I think Ford diesels may be really hard on the passenger side battery due to the high current draw during starting. It is far different than a deep cycle or AGM in an RV. At this point my driver's side looks to be good but I have not tried to put on a load and see how many hours it lasts. A 5 Amp load for 10 hours would show the battery to have approx a 50 Amp-Hr capacity.
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Old 06-07-2020, 11:42 AM   #8
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Getting back to the battery box itself, I moved mine back to the left rear corner of the garage in order to take some weight off the tongue and to double up capacity. I have a narrow desk back there, fore and aft under the window, and the battery box is the aft support for the desk as well as the storage space for a smart charger so I don't (always) have to rely on the converter. The battery box wraps around the vent on that side so I can isolate some of the charging emissions. I bought the two DieHard deep cycle batteries in 2016.
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Old 06-07-2020, 12:00 PM   #9
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Everyone has different experiences with products of different brands....campers, batteries, generators, tow vehicles, tires, etc.

Purchase/use whatever best suit your desires.
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Old 06-08-2020, 06:48 AM   #10
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Twinster, it'll be interesting to know how the Everstart fits and works out. I've gotta buy one one of these days. Having a little extra tongue weight wouldn't hurt a bit.
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Old 06-08-2020, 11:25 AM   #11
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I've bought a few batteries and the only ones I've ever had a problem with are the ones from auto parts stores like Autozone or O'Reilly.

I've had Interstate and love them, but they are pricey.
I've had Die Hard and Die Hard Gold and those are currently on my tow vehicle (Jeep)
I've had Sears' deep cycle marine batteries too, they work but can be expensive.

If I'm able to get the FF 139FK I'm after, I'm going to spring for two 6v Interstates since I mostly boondock.
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Old 06-08-2020, 12:02 PM   #12
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Dealership had to replace factory battery in wife's Nissan altima after about 8 months under warranty and put in an Interstate. About a year later, it died and Interstate dealer replaced it. A year later that Interstate died and he replaced it again. 7 months later got rid of the damn Nissan. It was OK in the summer, got great gas mileage but totally worthless POS in 3-4 inches of snow and ate a battery annually. Could have been the Nissan ......... or just bad batteries, no idea.
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