Dedicated trailer battery... What would you use?

[Rezarf <><]

bump.

 

[Martyn]

We are running the Group 31 AGM Deka batteries. I think they are the same is regard to specs and reliability as the Lifeline brand we were using, but they are less expensive.

Deka has their own smelter so they can recycle lead from older batteries, this way they have been able to avoid the increases in price due to the cost of lead going up.

Battery hold downs and strong J bolt are the key to all of this. Nylocks are king in the world of off road.

 

[ntsqd]

I do not like isolators based on their "cracking voltage", i.e. the voltage needed to open the diode for charge current to flow. This is usually about 1 volt, but that means that at best your battery will get charged to ~11.5 volts. Perhaps the really spendy isolators do better than that, but there are other options.

So far the best looking option to me is an Automatic Charge Relay. Senses when the charge system is operational and closes the circuit to the switch battery or batteries. When the charge system stops trying to charge the relay opens.
I've yet to pony up for one though, so no experience with them.

The old school, yet similar method is to employ a continuous duty relay such as the Cole Hersee #24059.

With regards to a pair (or more) of batteries 'self-discharging', my experience has been that both the power & the ground cables need to go to the same place. If either side of the circuit has a different resistance that is all it takes to set up the downward spiral.

 

[Dave]

So far the best looking option to me is an Automatic Charge Relay. Senses when the charge system is operational and closes the circuit to the switch battery or batteries. When the charge system stops trying to charge the relay opens.
I've yet to pony up for one though, so no experience with them.

Would the ACR 7600 work due to the 60A current limitation? The 7610 is rated at 120A, but it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the 7600. I don't remember what the rating is on my alternator, but I was thinking it was more then 60A.

The other thing that caught my eye on the 7600 is it says not to mount it to conductive surfaces due to the proximity of the mounting screws to the terminals. :yikes:

 

[ntsqd]

Keep in mind that an alternator will only generate as much current as the entire system can use. It varies the current to maintain a set voltage.

So if a dead flat battery can charge at more than the 60 amp limit then there might be a problem. If it can not, then it's not an issue.