Need advice on Battery Type

[Doubled]

TM for the 5 Ton 900 series says 6TN batteries.

I made a booster set out of two red tops and put them in my truck tool box with leads and a NATO plug. They cranked the trucks over very well so I was thinking about replacing the 6TN's with two red tops or two high cranking amp batteries.

Whats your opinion?

 

[glcaines]

There are threads on SS where people have used red tops. Use the search function and you'll find a lot of information.

 

[promodhotrod]

I recieved a 35a2 that the army had put red top optimas in and it cranked well, but not very long. I run Deka 931mf commercial truck batteries in all my MV's now and like them very well. They are cheap too.

 

[Blueduce]

I've been using two Super Start heavy duty batteries. CCA @ 0 degrees F 1050 and CA @ 32 degrees F 1280

I had to fab a new battery box for them but they haven't failed me yet. Grant it I live in North Texas and they haven't seen COLD weather yet.

 

[swbradley1]

I'd just go to NAPA and get two of their commercial batteries. Oh wait, that's what I did do. Unless you see some really cold temps they should work fine.

I think they were in the 1,000CCA plus range.

 

[3dAngus]

Red tops are names used for a series of batteries with different capabilities and different design. People use the name interchangeably for all. For instance, there is a 6vdc optima red top and a 12vdc optima red top. They run from 600 cold cranking amps to 800 and 1000 cranking amps normal.

Most people don't realize, but Optima actuallyrecommends yellow top, which are normally considered deep cycle in the public eye, for commercial application or large diesel trucks with lots of electronic toys. Even in that case, yellow top are not yellow top as there are many differrent types of yellow top with different salient characteristics for different applications.

I recently purchased 4 of the commercial grade yellow tops with 750 cold cranking amps for use in my golf cart, replacing 6 troy high dollar batteries that gave me the capability to play a full 18 holes if I needed. The yellow top are not as big and the dealer told me I would get an hour and a half useage in lieu of 3-4 hours like with the 6 troy batteries. I only use it in the yard so an hour an a half is fine, as long as it produces enough torque to get me up the hill from the lake. They have been installed and it does. It will spin the wheels on the golf cart, and start up a deuce fully equipped with electronics, so I now have dual capability with my golf cart batteries where the new $1200 set of Troy batteries could not be used for anything else at 8vdc each.

I will always have a slave set of batteries charged and ready to go. I will always have a set of generator batteries. Check the CCA of your red tops, and if they are 750CCA or better, they will definitely do the job and they will charge much faster than lead acid. The 6TLs are usually overkill, but have lasting capabililty. I would much rather go with suitable red top, yellow top, or even Wal Marts best high CCA batteries then buy the 6TLs.

You will have to modify the battery rack to stabilize them for rough terrain, but it is well worth the cost savings, and the fact you have a dual purpose battery you can put in your car, tractor, generator, or other civilian application and crank if you need it.

 

[porkysplace]

If your down south the car batteries will work . But in cold weather just buy the 6TL's and have the cranking power you need to start it in the cold . When the batteries are to small for the application it will shorten the starter life .

 

[emr]

Just sayin ... Battery's that dont last are 99% human error, Batts must be fully charged all the time to last there full life expected range, i and many others have 10 + years on mil batts, batterystuff.com has the most complete batt info and there techs are right on, so... 4 days of no use means they need a maintainer, short trips may leave enough juice in a batt to seam good but they are low and are sulfating, batts need to be cleaned rotated in box and fully charged at least once a year individually and let sit for a day and checked with a hydrometer looking for a bad cell, then kept on a desulfating maintainer, any batt almost will start a deuce for awhile, they want to start and does not take much, As for a 5 ton a good runner will also start on not much of a batt in mild weather.... but things like to hot and to cold will come into play and the batt that seemed to be good on the perfect day all of a sudden will leave one stuck.... U need alot of cranking amps to keep it simple for a batt to last ,

 

[3dAngus]

That's a good reason to use the CCA colume in lieu of the cranking amp column. It is usually rated at 0degrees F for cold cranking amps.

I find the spec sheets on the 6TLs and 6TNs to be different for their respective battery set. I find datasheets on the 6TLs that say anywhere from 650CCA to 850CCA, and the 6TNs from 670-750 CCA.
In any case, I would think any battery for either the deuce or the 5 ton with 750CCA would do the job without issue. The question is, what kind of quality did you buy, what kind of warranty, and how long will they last. With the bigger plates on the 6TLs, I believe the only REAL difference is they will last longer, or 5 years or more. Not sure about the other lead acid types, but Optimas should last that long as well.

Some people up north in the cold weather report the Optimas do not perform as well under cold weather conditions. The manufacture disputes that claim, and report their testing indicates the AGM spiral batteries actually perform better than lead acid in colder weather.
It is probably the colder engine block, rather than the batteries.

 

[1943ht]

I am a fan of and use Optima Batteries .. I did a significant amount of research and landed up purchasing two Red-Top's for my M818 ... I live in WI and these batteries just plain perform in the cold. Like the concept of this batteries technology as plates just break-down with continues usage. It 's a matter of chemistry and materials. Optima's are really a zero maintenance battery. A little spendy but worth the trade-off and convenience.

I also picked up a set for my M37 because I like the CCA reserve of these batteries. Taking an 3000+ mile trip on the ALCAN Jul-Aug 12 and I want the edge that these batteries give me when I'm in the hinterlands .

 

[BOXBUILDER6971]

Here Is How I redone my battery box on my M932A2 5 Ton BMY. I got ripped off when I got my truck. It only had 2 batteries, with no tie downs. I read on here where a lot of people used different car batteries. I researched several options before choosing these. I first measured my battery compartment. It was basically 21" X 32". My 6TN Hawker batteries were a hair over 11" wide. I searched the web to find the biggest battery I could find to fit my box. The 8D commercial batteries had the most power, but I could not fit 2 beside each other. The 4D commercial batteries were a bit smaller but would fit. I used the truck batteries not the SOLAR Deep Cycle batteries. I used the Duracell Ultra SLI4DA with 1290 Cranking AMPS and 1050 CCA with 290 minutes reserve. At batteries + Bulbs https://www.batteriesplus.com/replacement/battery/uni=select/4d=3/sli4da . I used the coupon CDP10011 for 10% OFF online orders For a total of $275.29 before tax for 2 batteries. I went to store and picked up. First removed the 6TN batteries to have room for the 4D batteries. They weigh right 100lbs each. I removed the boards under the 4D batteries and stacked between the 4D's for spacers. I then bought some stainless flat bar 2" wide and 3/8" thick. I cut it 13 1/2" long. I drilled a 3/8" holes through each end, and 3/4" from each end. This gave me 12" between holes. I used 3/8" stainless lock nuts with nylon inserts. I used rubber belt under the stainless bar to space and to be more secure. You should use the vent less batteries with no caps on top. the caps will get in the wat of the stainless flat bar. I used new 2/0 welding cable and crimped new ends on to make custom cables. Used heat shrink to make look neat and protect the cable. Found a diagram on the web to wire correctly. Finished connecting the cables together, checked voltage with a digital meter to make sure correct. Flipped the main switch, turned to run a moment to power up truck. Tapped the starter and about a second started like a brand new car. I hope this helps someone out there. Thank you for reading. James

 

[tobyS]

1400 cca from O'reilly about $220 each. First in M817 and then second in M925.

 

[74M35A2]

What engine and what is the coldest temp it will be started, un-assisted (no jump, block heater, or ether)? The 250 engine is an older design and nearly twice the displacement of the 8.3 (855 vs 505 cubic inches). It requires more power to start.

CCA is kind of a shade tree rating of battery potential that is mostly marketing hype, bigger is better, or so the buyer thinks anyway. Total available power rating of a battery is better described by AH, amp hour rating. Given two same sized batteries, one may have a higher CCA rating. But, to do this, the plates are thinner to stack more per cell, and the battery will have a shorter life than the lower CCA rating of the same sized battery. Ever notice that the parts store always has a higher CCA rated battery than the original? Because the original will last longer under the warranty period. Even if the original is rated at 650cca, and the starter pulls 500 amps, it is covered. Using a 900cca battery may seem more exciting, but maybe not so useful if the additional 250 amps is not needed, and the total AH rating of the battery is lower (less total cranking time available). A higher AH rated battery will crank longer, once the required CCA has been met. Typical 24v starter current for an M35A2 with an LDT-465 multi-fuel engine is 450 amps at about 75F ambient temp. Just a reference.

Once you have met the CCA requirement for your application, AH and RC (reserve capacity) values become more important than additional CCA ratings beyond what is necessary under the worst case scenario starting conditions.