Does anyone know about ARK Portable battery boxes and where to buy them

[Corey]

Mike is this the one you have?
http://www.sears.com/diehard-platin...p-02850131000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Getting mixed reviews there.

 

[mhiscox]

Mike is this the one you have?

That's the exact one, Model #50131.

Getting mixed reviews there.

I'd view those reviews as pretty positive. It looks like that model has 30 reviews, of which it got 26 five-star ratings. And I'm not clear why two of the one-star reviewers didn't take advantage of the 3-year replacement warranty.

When you consider that people with problems might be more inclined to write a review than people (like me) for whom all is well, I wouldn't view the reviews too negatively. More to the point, though, is that the warranty is pretty good and should protect someone who gets a defective unit. (And for many people, it's going to be easier to buy from--or return a battery to--the local Sears than an on-line supplier or a distributor farther away.)

 

[Corey]

Thanks Mike, that may be the battery I go with.

I do have another charge controller laying around here, I think it is made by Sun.
A little different than my underhood Brunton model, but I bet I could make it work.
Will have to look all of my cables over first.

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks Mike, that may be the battery I go with.

You could do worse. Unfortunately, getting the best price on one is a total crap shoot. They seem to go on sale fairly often in a pattern I absolutely cannot understand. The $290 they want on the website today is toward the upper end of the pricing, though the cheapest price on line for the equivalent with Odyssey branding seems to be $345 before shipping, so it's not like it's a bad deal. I got mine for $232, but that took watching the pricing for about six weeks; I'd had a Group 49 Deka that could be used by unscrewing the ArkPak handles, so I wasn't in a rush.

Anyway, it's not like waiting for the Labor Day sale, etc., helps. The pricing just seems to move around for no reason. Probably best not to agonize over it.

BTW, don't forget to take some sort of useless battery with you to avoid the core charge.

 

[southpier]

I suspect that the current black plastic case isn't meant to be a work of art, but I don't know that many people would want/need anything more "expedition-proof." ....

my question was intended for the ArkPac representative who solicited inquiries (post directly above it). I assumed being the representative from the company that distributes & sells the units, he would have the definitive answer.

 

[Brett From Ark]

Ark Pak

will there be a heavy duty, "expedition - proof" case offered in the near future? I can decide for myself if it is a value and within my budget. thanks.

Hi Southpier

great question about the Ark Pak, the short answer is no, as we have done testing on the unit and it is a very robust and strong unit we have had batteries that weighted up 35kg to 40kg which is approx 80 to 90 pounds and it has not failed.

best Regards

Brett From Ark

 

[Brett From Ark]

Thanks Brett for signing up.
On regards to a battery, the Sears Platinum group 31 that Mike is using is very nice.
Can you also use say a cheaper group 31 AGM with good results?
My local Les Schwab tire store stocks lots of batteries there.

Hi Corey

this is an excellent question, AGM in any brand is a very good choice of battery they can take a deep discharge and stand up to the tough stuff you put them thru.
i will be expanding on this excellent question in the near future so everyone get get a clear and detailed understanding of battery choice.
But for now just so people know and have feedback here in Australia we have chosen EXIDE batteries they have a good solid track record producing quality batteries.
the ones we have used when doing field testing in real world condition are Exide Stowaway leisure cycle gold part no ST27DC105 and Exide stowaway silver ST27DC95 and the other part numbers are MSDC31 and ST31DC120 and XMC31 megacycle
i will ask Exide Australia to confirm if the exact same batteries are available in the USA and if so what is the Part no of these batteries.
once i have this information i will post it up so people get a clear and detailed understanding of battery choice

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Brett From Ark]

Interesting. I'm thinking of a dual Jeep/trailer setup. Curious if I can use this box and a group 31 for shore power 110v connection on my trailer to power fridge/LED's in my trailer and move it to my truck when not using the trailer.

Hi Fullofdays

good to see you thinking outside the box, the Ark Pak would be perfect for the situation you mention, the only thing to be aware of is checking that you do not go over the limit of the inverter which is 150watts, if you do exceed 150watts then all you need to do is get a larger inverter and make sure it is powerful enough to run all the items you require, you would connect the inverter the external postive and negative post of the Ark Pak to power the larger inverter.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Corey]

Thanks Brett.
I plugged in that first number and Google showed me some Australian and New Zealand sites.
Found this AGM on Amazon, not sure if it has enough ooomph or not, but I have free two day shipping with them.
Have not searched them for other Exides yet.

http://www.amazon.com/Exide-MC-31-MEGACYCLE-AGM-200-Maintenance/dp/B003FFTFBW

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks Brett.Found this AGM on Amazon, not sure if it has enough ooomph or not, but I have free two day shipping with them.

I have no idea why, even in the Exide Megacycle brochure, the 20-hour amp-hour rating seemed to be secret information, but eventually I saw that one of the Amazon reviewers said it was a 100 amp-hour battery, so its capacity is in line with all the others.

 

[Corey]

Thanks Mike.
The reviews there look good with some getting a fresh battery that is only a month or so old, while others had received a battery that sat in Amazons warehouse for a full year before being shipped.

It might be better for me to look up a local Exide dealer and get a fresh one.

PS, not from Sears, they want way more than Amazon.
$229.99 verses $352.55.
http://www.sears.com/exide-mc-31-me...intenance/p-SPM6145167007P?PDP_REDIRECT=false

 

[Brett From Ark]

Hi Corey / Mike

please click on the link below it is a direct link to the Exide USA website it is full of useful info about batteries and also the location of Exide battery dealers


http://www.exide.com/us/en/product-...technology-transportation/flat-plate-agm.aspx

the Australian Exide rep advised me that you would want to consider using

Exide mega cycle model no XMC31 i confirm this battery is 120AMP hour rating

Exide Edge

Exide road force

as mentioned please click on the Exide link and you will find a wealth of info on battery tech

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Ed B]

Exide has been in business a long time and appears to make some good products. As I now have an Arkpak on order I have been looking at several battery options. Exide has apparently filed for bankruptcy and has closed various plants involved in the recycling and manufacturing process. If they are unable to recover from this I would think that the number of dealers available to address any warranty issues down the road may be problematic.

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...es-bankruptcy-after-california-officials-shut

 

[Corey]

Thanks Brett, lots of good info there.
Also found several dealers not to far from me.

PS, just saw your post Ed, that does not look good.

 

[Brett From Ark]

Hi Ed B

i have been in contact with Exide Australia and sought additional information in relation to your article and all the concerns about warranty and supply of an Exide batteries in America will not be a problem at all, it is all explained in the link below

http://exiderestructures.com/

these are all great questions everyone is asking, as i said better to ask a question and get an answer then not ask the questions and you still don't know the answer

Best Regards

Brett From Ark