Hawker / Armasafe AGM Battery Info

[emmado22]

If you can get them for cheap/free, it's worth a day or 2 on a good high amp output charger. The rep told me that they did research/testing and 7 out of 10 Hawkers that the govt says are "dead" were recoverable and have years of life left in them. I'd go for it.

 

[4x4 Forever]

Think I'll give it a try then emmado, thanks!.

Seems that they have already disposed of 40 of them, he was saving 1 for me to look at.
He quoted me 45 clams. I told him that I would try 2, when he gets more in. Left him my name and number so he will call me when they come in.

 

[emmado22]

Get the 1, see what happens and report back

 

[4x4 Forever]

Just to see if it will hold 12.8V? Was going to try 2 and install them in the deuce. On second thought, think I'll go by there Monday and get it and try it out. All I have is 10amp schumaker chargers, nothing special, think this will work?

 

[emmado22]

I was able to recover 2 "dead" Hawkers from 8.5 Volts and 6.5 volts to 100% charged by following the info I got from Hawker that I posted in this thread. Not bad at all!

 

[4x4 Forever]

Connected it to the charger before I left for offshore, I'll know what gives when I get back home next Wed.. I told the wife and daughter to leave the charger alone/connected...

 

[emmado22]

I just brought 2 more "dead" ones back to life.. Seems that they like a high amperage charge for hours on end to bring them back from the dead.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I LOVE my Hawkers. I got two when I bought my m109- it had sat a year and a half before I finally got to pick it up- and it cranked right up.

I got two more when I purchased my M967 fuel tanker. They were put on it in 04 and the trailer sat since then. I charged them up as said above and they came right back from 4.8 and 5.0. I decided to put all four in my XM818. It will crank and crank and crank, so much power. (not that I need to crank the truck that much, unless I had to open the fuel system.) I've started the truck on a cold day with just two. One time right after I put all of them in the truck, I was using it in the cold to move the RR museum stuff. Well, I forgot to turn the 12v intake heater off- ran the truck half the day with it on. (the bulb in it was 24v, so it was too dim for me to see in the daylight) Realized my mistake, and tested the batteries. The one it was connected to was at 6.4, and the other on in that box was at 18.9!!!! without the truck running. I just drove the truck for the next week, and they equalized back out all on their own.

I think they are awesome batteries and would like to get many more.

 

[cranetruck]

FWIW.
To test your batteries using OCV, here is a chart, possibly from a link posted by Mark (an earlier save). Note that the battery must have been at "rest" for 8 (eight) hours before making this measurement.
If a LA battery including AGMs, sit for long periods in a state of discharge, they will never be able to put out 100% capacity, amp-hours, that is and the only way to test AH capacity is to run them down with a fixed load and measure the time it takes to reach 11 (eleven) volts, which would be close to zero % charge.

Charging the batteries at a higher than normal voltage will permanently damage them by boiling off electrolyte, which you can't replace in a sealed battery...

I don't have a lot of experience with AGM type batteries, but have run down and ruined several vented type lead acid types by using them for my inverters. I now use NiCd (air craft) types for my 120VAC inverter(s).

 

[OPCOM]

I have four 12-volt 93AH Hawker SBS AGM batteries that are about 6-7 years old. They still perform as new according to the battery tester. I float them at 12.65V in an 80 degree environment and use a regulated power supply to keep them charged. Sulfation or other decay does not seem to have been an issue. 12.65 is the voltage for maximum life on these. Always considering the possibility of the pockyclypse, I sacrifice a few amp-hours of ready capacity for long life and the ability later to run them up to the full voltage. I bought them as 2-year old NOS telco surplus for $35 each. Prices have likely increased since.

These are not for starting, they are telecom/DC power batteries and were used in the shelter for electronics and lights if I do not want to start the genset. I did however start the deuce with a pair of them.