Truck Batteries

[SuiteSuccess]

My truck batteries are Exide(?) Premium Xtras that I bought from a Peterbilt dealer 6 years ago. They are sealed top, lead acid (no place to add water) 995cca. When not in use they are connected to my Xantrex Freedom 1800 inverter/charger. That's the background, now the question. They are still going strong or seem to be but at this age should they be replaced as "preventive" maintenance? Or is there a way to test for impending failure? Don't want to be sitting at a rest stop and not be able to start truck.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

I'd leave them alone if they're still strong. Batteries are easy enough to replace on the road and are cheap enough that it won't ruin a trip.

[HERO Maker]

Last Fall I discovered a bad post that was spinning in one of the same batteries as you have Carl. Good local price ($79) and everything was good.

 

On our rig hunting trip, truck wouldn't start down in Ocala, Florida, and found out we had two of the other three batteries that showed no amps (if that is correct) and the third one was very low.

 

My concern now is if my battery minder is actually working. Like you Carl, and many others, we plug the truck in almost immediately after parking. Of course can't do that during our hotel hoping, but was surprised at totally dead batteries!

 

So along with checking batteries maybe once per year, how do you check the charging unit you're using?

[Darryl&Rita]

Load tester. Or, wait for the starter to tell you.

[SuiteSuccess]

Load tester. Or, wait for the starter to tell you.

Darryl,

 

I have a load tester. So are you saying if they check out with that just keep going til they die? I guess what I'm asking is do batteries age out if they are maintained?

[Darryl&Rita]

They do age, but testing with the load tester will (hopefully) catch it before the road-side death. The idea is to establish a benchmark of health, then watch for shifts in performance. Typically, I check my batteries yearly, but they're all on solar when not being used. The Jeep battery is an '04, the smart is '06, and the Kenworth house bank is tagged as '05. All solar, as soon as they're parked.

 

You realize I've just cursed my luck, of course.

[HERO Maker]

Load tester. Or, wait for the starter to tell you.

So Darryl, does that mean I can load test my battery minder? See what it's putting back into the batts?

 

Only had those batteries for 4 years. The guy who changed them out on Ocala was saying sometimes the truckers only get two years on them!

 

Oh, the cost per battery when you aren't close to a major truck dealer - $139.00!!!!!!

[SuiteSuccess]

So Darryl, does that mean I can load test my battery minder? See what it's putting back into the batts?

 

Only had those batteries for 4 years. The guy who changed them out on Ocala was saying sometimes the truckers only get two years on them!

 

Oh, the cost per battery when you aren't close to a major truck dealer - $139.00!!!!!!

Rocky,

 

Obviously no expert here but would think you could just meter your battery minder and see what it is putting out. My load tester is like a big hot iron. It reads the load but has a coil that gets red hot as the reistance (load). Don't think a battery minder would even make it read but, like I said, no expert here. BTW congrats on finding a home. God is great! Sure nice meeting up with you guys in K-ville.

[Darryl&Rita]

I don't think I'd try to put a load tester on a low-current device like a Battery-Minder. If you're lucky, it has a current limiting circuit inside to keep the smoke in, if not, you could probably light a cigarette off the Minder. Assuming you were quick. Put a meter in series to see the current going to the batteries, and remember, current is voltage dependent. As battery voltage rises, current will fall. This is why batteries must be charged before using small maintainers like this, they just can't handle the current a low battery will demand.

[HERO Maker]

Thanks Darryl.

[SuiteSuccess]

Thanks Jim, Darryl, and Rocky.

[Big5er]

Hey, why not just run the batteries totally dead and then plug in the BatteryMinder and see if they charge up. That way you can test it to see if it charges

[Nuke-E]

Rocky,

 

Take a look at the meter I wrote about not too long ago. It would be easy to hook onto one of the battery minder's leads to occasionally check what it's putting out.

 

http://rvnerds.com/2016/07/20/my-new-favorite-multimeter-and-measuring-inverter-and-charging-efficiency/

[SuiteSuccess]

David,

 

You're killing me. Now I've gotta buy some more toys cause I know Steve Dixon probably already has two and I've got to keep up with the Dixon's (not the Jones').

[beyerjf]

I replace batteries every 2 years because the cost of a failure is so high to me. The two types of service are completely different so hard to compare how the same battery perform in each. I always replace all 4 at the same time. A combination of events degrade battery life, all spelled out in any battery "primer" basic information on the things.

Once the acid is put in contact with the plates, one meter starts running, which is a chemical reaction. How many discharge cycles and how deep they are is another big factor. Temp and charge state when stored is another. Like Dirty Harry puts it " Do you feel Lucky? Well do you punk?"

You are minding your own business at a campground after being there for a while. You hit the key and nothing happens. What is it going to cost in terms of money and inconvenience to remedy the situation? You can solve the problem fairly easily, except it is Sat afternoon and decent cost replacements are 50 miles away on Monday.

Sooooo, do the inevitable in your driveway. $400 at your convenience, or let the batteries make the decision trying to save a few bucks. It is the basic crux of the PM discussion. I know what I would do. I hate having an inanimate object run my life.

[SuiteSuccess]

Thanks for the perspective Jeff.

[rickeieio]

Not an issue if you always park on "Delco Hill".

[SuiteSuccess]

Rick,

 

Suppose you're referring to roll starts or push starts? Had an old Buick Special in college that needed that periodically (daily). Couldn't afford a new battery for awhile.

[noteven]

Not an issue if you always park on "Delco Hill".

My neighbor has a Cockshutt 40 with a Farmhand parked on his Delco hill, chunk of firewood for a chock....

 

We never own too many engines ... Only too many batteries ?

[sclord2002]

Rickeieio. I love learning new technical terms. I'm adding Delco Hill to my daily vocabulary. I can't wait to use the term [ not the actual hill ]. I have used that hill many times but didn't know it had a name. Charlie

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

A "Delco Hill" isn't a good answer. Once at Diamond Campground, I had Red Rover backed up a hill at a tilt. A great hill for a rolling start. But the tilt also uncovered the fuel tank intake pipe and I had not enough fuel to start. No start, no air pressure, no brake release, no roll down the hill.

[Jack Mayer]

A "Delco Hill" isn't a good answer. Once at Diamond Campground, I had Red Rover backed up a hill at a tilt. A great hill for a rolling start. But the tilt also uncovered the fuel tank intake pipe and I had not enough fuel to start. No start, no air pressure, no brake release, no roll down the hill.

Mark, the good news is that when you visit in Sept. you will be on the "flat", not up on the hill. In fact, you will be in the site Mark and Dawn just vacated.... So no chance of a rolling start

[HERO Maker]

Mark and Dale, sorry we won't be here to visit with you, but we'll catch up in Hutch.

 

Was looking forward to seeing your newer rig!

[Darryl&Rita]

Not much chance of a rolling start in any of the autoshift units. The brains won't let it happen.

[rickeieio]

Not much chance of a rolling start in any of the autoshift units. The brains won't let it happen.

Hopefully the tranny has enough brains for me too.