Are 6TL Batteries worth it?

[Hummer Guy]

I'm planning on putting together a small solar battery bank in my humvee, but I'm unsure on what batteries I'm going to use. I have 2 6TL batteries that's been sitting around for months which Im thinking of recharging, but how much capacity does these have over the 12v 1,000 CCA batteries I can get at Walmart for like $100?

 

[simp5782]

I'm planning on putting together a small solar battery bank in my humvee, but I'm unsure on what batteries I'm going to use. I have 2 6TL batteries that's been sitting around for months which Im thinking of recharging, but how much capacity does these have over the 12v 1,000 CCA batteries I can get at Walmart for like $100?

They just last longer. Some 8 to 12yrs. Etc.

Any agm is going to be better than Walmart stuff.

I personally prefer Duracell AGMs from Batteries plus. I run 31s in my big trucks but they have smaller series available. I go with the Duracells due to the 4yr Free replacement warranty. They have 15% off coupons often to knock your price down plus a Mil/LEO 10% discount. Might be a little pricey in the $250 range per battery but the 25% off helps.

 

[chucky]

Look at the amp hrs of the battery . Your wanting to run stuff off your stored battery power from your solar so you want batteries that have the most amp hrs you can get/afford so you start in agm batteries for higher amp hrs and start up the ladder from there onto lithium the only thing is how much money your willing to spend for the most reserve power capacity and how much of a draw are you going to put on them till they can charge again the next sunny day .

 

[williamh]

If your trying to use the batts from the funvee to do anything other than start it. Try and re think what your goal is. Running your house-toys off batts with a solar cell are not going to be reliable with the 6tl/tn or even the group 31. All are made for starting and slow recharge. Not any thing close to what your trying to do. The agm batts that are designed for solar use are made for the long drawdown and quick recharge, all other batts will crap out really quick , you might have better luck with a lithium ion. houses , motorhomes , etc. elion musks pos car etc. have special batts for a reason , they are not designed to take a large short load ( starting ) but are setup for long slow charge and quick recharge. I’ve tried doing both with a lot of different batts.

Used golf cart batts to run a house on an inverter with solar panels , long before the invent of agm or lithium ion, lots of experiments with diff batts. Lots of wasted time and cash. Lots of wasted time that won’t get me laid

 

[Guyfang]

William has good info there. When someone wrecks a Tesla, the battery pack gets sold in a heartbeat. And it aint going back into a car.

 

[papakb]

After years of having Interstate 6Tls fail after a little over 2 years (their warranty period) I gave up and now run 24F batteries in mine. Same CCA, fit in the same battery tray and allow them to be end to end cleaning up the battery wiring nightmare AMG created.

 

[williamh]

After years of having Interstate 6Tls fail after a little over 2 years (their warranty period) I gave up and now run 24F batteries in mine. Same CCA, fit in the same battery tray and allow them to be end to end cleaning up the battery wiring nightmare AMG created.

View attachment 870110

When I got my 1123 it had batts in it. One was doa and the second charged up good. I had a set of 6tl’s in my Duce , one died and the other was still good. Replaced the Duce batts with group 31’s and put the 6tl’s in the 1123, so far so good. The reason I put the 31’s in the Duce was they were the newest set and could be relied upon to turn over that motor. The 1123 , well….. not the heavy demand the m35 has for starting and the funvee , just drives around my yard due to the non sf97 yet issue.

 

[Weldman]

A battery can take so many cycles of charging and discharging, thinner the lead plates the faster they die and vice versus. Feel sorry for whoever is babysitting the Tesla battery when they take it out of a Tesla, not many inverters/chargers can work with their voltage cut offs and depth of discharge parameters, plus the constant check to make sure the BMS is working and everything is balanced within spec of each other.
Remember if you are going to play with solar and lead acid batteries, they off gas hydrogen sulfide which will either explode or suffocate you if put in a enclosed area along with corrode everything and they like a .10C to .15C rate which means if you have 20AH battery I wouldn't go over 3 amps going in and I wouldn't go below .05C or they will sulfate.
Lastly don't mix match different aged batteries, the older one will drag the newer one down to it's level or a bad battery will drag down a good battery to it's level.

 

[teletech]

I'm done with lead-acid batteries for anything real. Occasionally a producer makes something really good quality that really lasts, but by the time you realize how good it is, they have cheapened it or moved production and it's junk. I've ridden that ride too many times.
So, the cheaper NAPA batteries if you don't expect much, they usually work and when they don't there is a store nearby and they will replace them without a fuss. If you actually want some lasting power, it's time to move over to LiFePO4. They make some great 200AH cells that are rated for an honest 400A draw before the voltage sags. The nice thing about the Iron-phosphate cells is they work on the same charge voltage as a normal 12V lead-acid battery, so no fancy BMS needed, just use four cells per 12V rather than six for lead-acid. 2000-6000 full cycles depending on who made them. Get the nice plastic-case ones and they are insulated-case, so no insulated case required. Expect to pay $350-550 per 12V, depending on quality and quantity purchased.

 

[mgFray]

Problem with LiFePO4 batteries I've seen (for automotive use) is that they can't handle cold temps. They won't charge once them temp drops below freezing. Living in Minnesota, half the year can be below freezing so it's no good for me. (They will discharge at colder temps, just not charge.)