Guess batteries only last 4 years...

[Keith_J]

Last weekend was the monthly load test on m 002A and I was demonstrating it to a friend. Would not start as batteries were a tad low. And I always disconnect the ground lug on the low battery. I charged them for 24 hours at 2 amps and it started.

these are BCI 51R type. Since I did some welding for that friend, he is going to get me a pair of Continental 51Rs at dealer cost. the current batteries were purchased in Sept 2011. And this unit is run monthly with load test, boiling 5 gallons of water with a 4500 watt element. Charge system tested too.

 

[emr]

2 amps is spitting in the wind with these batts, I have had 10 years of life from 6tls. just an fyi, Batts need maintenance to live, they need to be rotated they need to be pulled cleaned charged fully individually charged and rotated for max life. Its like filling a pool, the first batt gets full then over flows to others. These are NOT smart charging systems, the last batt in line never reachs " FULL " it cant , the first would have to over charge for that to happen, Hence the rotation annually. When you do this you will find the last batt in line when pulled and charged will take longer to charge. This is usually the largest problem from people saying" My batts are shot," Usually only the last one fried a cell because of sulphation and never having a full charge. It sucks the life out of the others and there is a failure. To charge these batts fully you need 13.6 amps .yes that's a fact ... .. after that a 2 amp maintainer is good, BUT BUT BUT Extreme cold or heat and or time ... will drop these big batts faster than a 2 amp can keep up, They need to be fully charged once a month or at least every 2 months when not taking long rides long enough to send the juices flowing ... You can put a 12 volt charger on each batt when hooked up in the truck , 4 batts 4 chargers. A 24 volt charger plugged into the slave receptacle will only fully charge the first batt in the line, that's fine as long as they are fully charged every now and then... Now there ARE smart battery chargers now that send a pulse down the line and fills ALL batts in parallel .. But not in series .. they always need to be charged fully individually... Disclaimer, I have ruined my share of batts being lazy and before I knew what I know. Battery failure is Human failure.. Its kinda like saying " These tires got me stuck LOL"__ ) Most hobbiests never use there trucks enough for the trucks charging system to keep em full, So they sulphate and have a shorter life. Check out batterystuff.com make a list of questions ask a rep, google the manufacture of your batts and call them too ask the same questions , That's how I learned. Every one has an opinion and they all work for the person invlolved. but if you want you Batts to last and not be left with a dead truck follow what I have learned, these are not my opinions , these things to do are from Hawker reps and other co s That I have called wrote down the info and compared then lived it. Hope this helps )))

 

[emr]

Oh you charging the 2 amps for 24 hours " Just an fyi ... A Battery only needs a 70% rate in it to start a good running vehicle.. That 2 amps only heated em up enough to fire the truck, They were no where near full... Starting killed that charge in my opinion .. The batts were never fully charged .... To truly know if a batt is good. For real .. Is to take it out charge it with a quality charger that has variable charge rates and the good ones know to shoot in the 13.6 ... they will bounce a round a little if you have a good meter on it. Then let it sit for 24 hours to burn off a surface charge , then use a ball tester in each cell. If all cells are good its a good batt. That's extreme but the correct and best way... Any load tester is good enough fyi... for most of us... Disconecting any lug does not stop a batt from losing a charge from sitting, And temps accelerate the discharge cold or hot ...

 

[Keith_J]

13.6 amps you say? You are confusing current with voltage. My charger is a 2/10 amp selectable with an ammeter gauge. So it would be a constant voltage charger...

lead sulfuric acid batteries have plates made of lead and lead oxide. The positive plate (cathode) is lead oxide, the anode is just lead. Both cathode and anode are converted to lead sulfate during discharge. This also converts the sulfuric acid to water. Charging reverses the process (side note, you can reverse a completely flat battery by charging it with reverse polarity). A 12 volt battery will need at least 13.5 volts to start the charge, if voltage rises above 14.5 volts or so, the water in the electrolyte will be lost due to electrolysis, outgassing as hydrogen and oxygen. Furthermore, over voltage heats the battery and drops the electrolysis voltage to around 13 volts.

a 2 amp charge will not hurt the battery any, it minimizes outgassing. Furthermore, the charging system on this generator is only 3-5 amps as it is a permanent magnet type like a motorcycle. These are BCI 51Rs, less than half the size of 6TLs. But on the MEP 003A, it has the same charging system only it uses 6TLs.

By the way, these are Wal Mart batteries. Probably not the highest quality. And I have not questioned my boys if they have been playing around trying to start my generator and not knowing how to properly use preheat. Due to the charging system on these generators, it is recommended to store them with the batteries disconnected as there is a small capacitive drain. And disconnecting the negative on the back battery is sufficient. Trust me, at is the way I have done it since 1988 when Uncle Sam's camo wearing band of war fighters taught me all about small generators.

 

[General Mcgregor]

I have Walmart NeverStart Maxx batteries, they are low quality and only last 2 to 3 years max in the Deuce (even with rotation and proper maintenance). Usually the winter kills or weakens them significantly. Only upside is that Walmart honors the 2 year warranty every time no questions asked. Last time I paid for batteries was 6 years ago, I believe I have done at least four exchanges since then.
Good enough for me now, only a minor inconvenience to me. When one starts to go I just exchange it.
Someday I'll upgrade to some real quality batteries when I can justify the expense.

 

[LanceRobson]

You might want to look into a Battery Minder charger/maintainer/desulphater. Our experience is that if you use them once in a while, particularly on batteries that sit most of the time you can can get roughly double the normal life out of batteries. We have both 12V and 24V units. About 6 months ago I replaced a set of 2003 6TLs in my M1009 and have been getting about 8 years or more in trucks, generators, the gas engine welder, tractor, etc. The have settings for regular batteries with plates, activated glass mats (AGM) or gel cells. For us and other MV folk in the area they are worth every penny.

http://www.batteryminders.com/truck-battery-charger-desulfator

Lance

 

[jimbo913]

Just replaced 3 year old Johnson controls 51R in a 2012 Civic. Car was always driven regularly and alternator charges good. Not too impressed.

 

[jimbo913]

And the car is garaged.

 

[bchauvette]

What would the battery rotation sequence be for my M944, Front left to ?, Front right to ? etc. Do I swap the two front and two rear with each other?

 

[Bill W]

I've never had any battery last me more than 3-3 1/2 years. I just changed out two Excides 24's from my 003a that I put in back in 2012, I replaced them with 2 group 65 Titan Batts ( Low end Excides ) that I bought from Home Depot for $89ea and I bet they will last me just as long/short as the better named version. The only brand batt I've never tried is Interstate Batteries.

 

[Ray70]

I've all all sorts of mixed luck with batteries. I have an Interstate in my F250 that is probably at least 11 years old and it still going strong, even though the truck will sometimes sit 4 months at a time unused, but I've bought other Interstates, put them in a car ( that is seldom driven) and after 1 winter it will no longer take a charge. I've also had very good luck with the Walmart yellow top batteries where they can sit dead for months at a time, charge it up and its good to go.
Lastly I've been seeing very good results with the small wall mount trickle charger/desulfators that Northern tool often has on sale for $29. I put several questionable batteries on these chargers, left them desulfating for 6 months and are now good as new.

 

[KaiserM109]

I'm singin' the blues right now, too. I have a couple of 9 year old batteries in my deuce and one is dead. I have 4 batteries in my M923 that are 4 years old. They don't seem to be doing well.

See http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?144408-What-s-the-best-safest-way-to-charge-6tl-batteries/

 

[Triple Jim]

I regularly get about 4 to 6 years from standard "flooded" lead-acid batteries, whether Walmart cheapies or name brands. Accidental full discharges take their toll, and if I have a 4 year old battery that's working fine and discharge it all the way, it's likely to become useless. Also, letting the electrolyte level drop below the tops of the plates is likely to cause premature failure, and sometimes immediate failure.

 

[Ray70]

Kaiser, I'd be willing to bet a good long stretch ( like over the winter) with the 4 ailing batteries on a desulfator would bring them back to life.
It works really well on batteries that are starting to fail, it also works sometimes on ones that have already failed but takes a long time to be effective.
You wouldn't need to buy 4 chargers either, most chargers can desulfate 2,4 6 or even 8 at a time, just check the specs.

 

[BEASTMASTER]

I've got a batt. in my 5 ton that was 4 yrs. old when I bought the truck in 2002, and it still starts and keeps a charge. had to replace one last winter with a used one. go figure.

 

[BadRobot]

I use solar panel to charge my batteries to my MEP-802A. It keeps battery full of charge since I start the generator once a month. The MEP-802A runs on bio-diesel as well.

 

[emr]

Yes I am But with that correction all holds true )

 

[Keith_J]

It was just low charge. The MEP 002A uses a permanent magnet alternator like a motorcycle. It has limited charge current and I guess batteries were not getting fully charged. Slow charging overnight and waiting a week, batteries are 12.92 volts each