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what one is better


series3_mad

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I personally prefer a pair of the most enormous conventional type batteries I can physically fit in, coupled to a decent alternator, and a voltmeter so you can see whats going on.

Cheap and chearful, and when they die if they're still under the 3 years warranty I take em back and get em swapped, and if they're not they're cheap enough to simply replace!

My batterys live under the passenger seat, and yes I have rolled my truck, and no they didn't leak acid!

I know the wizzy ones are supposedly better, but looking at AH capacities they're no higher than my batteries are. I know you supposedly can deep cycle blah blah blah, but they're a quarter the price of the wizzy ones so you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Jon

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Also agree - I used a Discovery Td5 battery in mine when I had an electric winch, not the cheapest but 110 amp hours meant loads of oomph. No idea about elsewhere but they cost about £80 odd here; if I got an Optima it would be somewhere the wrong side of twice that price by the time I shipped it here (I looked into it once and just about died of fright!!). Since I got the MM I don't need lots of capacity but the same battery will go in the 90 when the standard one dies in a couple of years.

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Yup, I am also with Jon, Tony and Stephen - get down your local motor factors or agricultural supply shop and get a couple of the biggest batteries that will fit.

I managed to get 2 for £85 all in and they're still going strong - quite a testiment considering how often I get stuck! (quiet you lot.... ;) )

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I know the wizzy ones are supposedly better, but looking at AH capacities they're no higher than my batteries are. I know you supposedly can deep cycle blah blah blah, but they're a quarter the price of the wizzy ones so you pays your money and you takes your choice.

It's not about the Ah capacity it is about both the cranking current and the discharge voltage profile.

The spiral cell technologies win hands down on current delivery, but more importantly, are not damaged by prolonged high current discharge. In parallel plate batteries, this often causes the plates to warp.

Maximas are pretty much on a par with optima yellow top - there's nothing in it in terms of performance or life.

Hawker Oddesey (sp?) have one more trick up their sleeve though. They will stay at more or less 12v for far longer than most batteries as they are discharging. They get to a certain level of discharge then the voltage drops like a stone. With most batteries the voltage is more or less proportional to the degree of discharge and fairly linear.

Why is this an advantage? If you run two identical winches from two batteries with the same Ah capacity (and other parameters more or less the same) The winch on the normal battery will get slower and loose power much faster than the Hawker.

This is the single biggest reason they were favored by Robot Wars teams.

The down side - is the cost. Also, they are not as resistant to abuse as spiral cell batteries and you cannot discharge them as far as a spiral cell before they are damaged.

In conclusion, If you want the best possible performance, have stolen Will Warne's Cheque Book and you have uprated the alternator go for Hawker PC1200 or similar.

If you have not uprated the alternator (and the battery is more likely to become discharged) Yellow Top Optima or Maxima.

If Will has reported his cheque book stolen, buy the biggest agricultural batteries you can fit in the space.

Avoid Optima Red or Orange top - not good value for money.

Si

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One more point: spiral cells are more resistant to cold; at -10°C I think normal sandwich construction is at less than 50% of full power, vital for cranking, while a spiral is at 80-90%. Horrible cold weather, it looks as though I'll have to lug the blue top to the vehicle one day, although parking on the hill works until a d*ckhead parks too close :)

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if you want a price comparsion on Hawker give our Jen a call.....

Yeh, Yeh i know, But if you stock it, Flog it.... :P

Hawker do three sizes PC925, PC1200 and the huge PC1700

I have run Hawkers for three years, No probs (Kiss off death)

Only fault is the terminals are quite close to the outside of the casing.

We tend to sell more of the Maximas due to the fact we also sell the tray that they bolt to, thus making a nice tidy installtion (For Def only)

Plus the oddssey and the maxima comre with a three year warranty :) , whereas the optima ony come with a one year :(

But as the man says , Oddessys kick arse :D

But are a pain to mount compared to the maxima.

Jim :)

01732 463600

Edited by D9OSV
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I dont bother with split charging. Just wire two batterys in parrallel permanently.

I have a volt meter which I keep an eye on, but I also work on the fact that if the engine isnt running then I've got very very limited winching anyway before the batteries die.

In my opinion split charge systems are ideal for running fridges etc, but for winching you want all the capacity and the alternator to help you out. Otherwise how long is you winch going to last running on one battery?

Jon

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If Will has reported his cheque book stolen, buy the biggest agricultural batteries you can fit in the space

Err,unless Will passes me one of his chequebooks

:D

I fear that'll be my choice!

So,Tony,what FIAMM batteries you got there?

I could be able to have a bit of discount from my spares dealer...

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