Which aux battery to choose?

[Winnie]

Hello all,

Going to be installing my dual battery kit next weekend but have hit a wall..... which type of battery to get. I was looking at AGM batteries then read that they are no good with the heat under bonnet, even if I were to install a heat shield which I am more than happy to do.
I do want a deep cycle type battery, it will be used to run my 40L Engel, a few LED lights, UHF, stereo occasionally, etc. It will be controlled by a Redarc isolator.
Any suggestions of a particular battery? I just don't know now!

[MEGOMONSTER]

I have a Century 4wd Ultra high Performance battery as my secondary battery and runs my fridge non stop on zero degrees, runs all my roof spotties and UHF.
I believe Autobarn have them on special at the moment.

[Winnie]

Now I'm looking between the Supercharge Allrounder and the Century marine battery.... both very similar specs. Supercharge is 760CCA and 105Ah while the Century is 720CCA and 100Ah but is only $185 at BCF at the moment. Will find out how much the Allrounder is tomorrow.

[megatexture]

I've got a century marine on the camper... I think its about 3 years old now
Check out these guys I've used them 3 times now and they were great.http://www.allpurposebatteries.com.au/

Edit: I think it was like 40-50$ postage to brisbane.

[gaddy]

Now I'm looking between the Supercharge Allrounder and the Century marine battery.... both very similar specs. Supercharge is 760CCA and 105Ah while the Century is 720CCA and 100Ah but is only $185 at BCF at the moment. Will find out how much the Allrounder is tomorrow.

I run 2 century marines in the boat coming up 7 years on both . When the boat is in the shed I plug them into a multi stage charger . They also get used in the camper . Most will last if maintained correctly . The patrol has a pair of the 4wd version . Witch im pretty sure is the same battery different lable as both have cushioned plates .

[Cuppa]

Vibration is a real battery killer so getting one designed for off road conditions is wise. If not going with AGM, make sure to keep a reguar check on battery fluid levels. And like Gaddy does, stick it on a multi stage charger as often as possible (before & after each trip away) to make it last.

[Maxhead]

Now I'm looking between the Supercharge Allrounder and the Century marine battery.... both very similar specs. Supercharge is 760CCA and 105Ah while the Century is 720CCA and 100Ah but is only $185 at BCF at the moment. Will find out how much the Allrounder is tomorrow.

Hey Chrisso, I used to run the Supercharge allrounders before and they were great but my battery shop has advised me away from them now as they aren't as good as they used to be(not sure how true that is). I now run fullriver agm's

[Winnie]

I now run fullriver agm's

Under the bonnet? How long have you had them for and do they seem to cope with the heat?

[Maxhead]

Under the bonnet? How long have you had them for and do they seem to cope with the heat?

One in the truck and in two in the caravan...Only around 12 months in the car so don't really know the longevity but seem to be coping well with all the crap I run off it :)

[Winnie]

Now I'm undecided again............................................. ............. screw you!

[Bloodyaussie]

I to am interested in this as my aux battery is starting to go flat very quickly but I need a small bugger...

[Maxhead]

Now I'm undecided again............................................. ............. screw you!
Find a small battery business who is not connected with the big guys and talk to them...they will point you in the right direction hopefully without being influenced by their suppliers

[Winnie]

Only battery shop here is supercharge unfortunately. The ARB uses Century but they're are way too dear there.

[threedogs]

I run a wet cell 115 AH deep cycle Trojan with a water kit.
These are the same battery they use in Bass straight on the navigation buoys.
Keep the water up and you"ll have plenty of power for a long time. Not a messy battery. IMO
My battery is 3 yrs old and still going strong, will probable change after this summer not that theres anything wrong with it, but will change before it fails

If you have high under bonnet temps talk to your battery bloke, they will explode

[AB]

Winnie, if you do not have a heat shield on your turbo then go the marine mate.....100%

[Cuppa]

Ask Alco (http://www.alcobatt.com.au) for advice & delivered prices. I have found them very helpful in the past & generally with pretty reasonable prices. They have branches in several states.

[threedogs]

I have an Alco outlet nearby so BA If you find what battery you want give me a bell

[gaddy]

I like a wet cell . Easy to maintain keep the water level up and use a hydrometer to test . I reckon a nice slow charge works best as it will desalphate the plates after heavy use , you will actually see bubbles in each cell . Also if using a VSR plug the battery into mains charger regularly as the VSR will never fully charge it and the battery will develop a memory . I reckon thats why I get such good battery life .

[threedogs]

Get a bit more bang for your buck with wet cells as well

[happygu]

Optima .....
36091

Works for me, and had them as an auxiliary battery for years

Mic

[TimE]

One in the truck and in two in the caravan...Only around 12 months in the car so don't really know the longevity but seem to be coping well with all the crap I run off it :)

I've run a Fullriver 100ah AGM under the bonnet for the past 5 1/2 years (about 70,000ks in that time) and a Fullriver 105 ah in the back of the wagon for the second 38l fridge/freezer for a year. They are "topped up" on a regular basis (put the charger on at least once per fortnight for a day or so) and have had no issues that are obvious to me. I have had the under bonnet battery run a 50l Waeco for 4 days (in low 20s temps) without running the truck, pretty happy with that.

As a point of interest the under bonnet battery tray I use is from ARB, it partially shields the battery from engine heat, but still it can get pretty hot under there.

[liftlid]

Optima .....
36091

Works for me, and had them as an auxiliary battery for years

Mic

I use these as well and the shortest life I have got out of one of these is 8 years.
I winch off it as well

[Winnie]

Well would you believe it, the guy from Supercharge came into my work today to buy some stuff for himself, so now we've got a "you look after me, I look after you" type thing going on.
I went in there yesterday arvo and asked about AGM batteries and the bloke quoted me $280 but he gave me the wrong part number, when I came home to find the Amptech D70Z for almost $100 less from other suppliers and that it was not even an AGM battery I was a bit annoyed.
The bloke I spoke to today told me the other guy just stuffed up and gave me the wrong model number and the price is right for the AGM battery. But he recommended to me the D70Z over the Allrounder. Normal price is $200 so tomorrow we are going to double check to make sure it will fit in the battery tray.

[Drewboyaus]

What type of Redarc are you using Winnie?
I have a recollection from when I did mine that if not using a dc-dc charger on the second battery it may not charge properly.....some battery types require more to charge than what the alternator puts out.
Can't fully recall though.

[Winnie]

Quick question guys and did not want to start a new thread. Where do you run the earth for your 2nd battery to? Back to the cranker?

[Drewboyaus]

To the engine block, as I remember. Same as the cranking battery.

[Winnie]

Would I also need to run to the body?

[Drewboyaus]

No. The engine is the best earth in the car.

[Bloodyaussie]

Mine runs to the chassis but I also run extra leads from the engine to the body...

[threedogs]

Any extra earth strap wont do any harm whats so ever.
Different sections of body have an earth strap
The battery number will tell you what case size your battery is/
D70Z is that right I'll make a call if you like

[mudski]

Winnie I run a MF95D31R Supercharge as my cranker and run a D70ZZ Deep cycle as my aux battery. The deep cycle has run my fridge and light for four days and not an issue...

[threedogs]

@ Mudski,,,,,,,,,,,,How many amp hours is your battery , depends what Winnie runs/conditions will determine how long the battery lasts

[liftlid]

Quick question guys and did not want to start a new thread. Where do you run the earth for your 2nd battery to? Back to the cranker?

Run neg back to main batt , less chance of loose connection

[mudski]

105AH John...

[Winnie]

I bought the amp tech d70z. Gotta get a few small bits tomorrow and I can wire it up

[threedogs]

What size case does that battery use, Is your 2nd battery tray nice and sturdy.
Seen plenty of GQ over the years with loose battery trays and the need for
some rubber on top so it doesn't short on bonnet
I'm sure yours is sorted

[Winnie]

Standard size, 304x174x200
Of course the tray is sturdy haha, they would not have given it to me if it weren't! Only thing with the ARB tray was that the bolts that are used to clamp the battery down were way too long and needed cutting down or else I would have had two nice holes in the bonnet.

[mudski]

I bought the amp tech d70z. Gotta get a few small bits tomorrow and I can wire it up
Same as mine poo. I like having the bolt terminals these batteries too for the accessories to hang on to...

[threedogs]

Not sure of ARB mounting system but I would probably use nylocs , where possible
and penny washers or mudguard washers to spread the load over a larger area.
last thing you want is 2nd battery shaking loose out woop woop

[Lionel84]

I went to Battery World and said gimme the best. He showed me a few, so I got a Century Deep Cycle as my second. I can't remember what it cost me, but it was well priced I thought!
At the moment it's only running the winch and as a backup, but I will put some more stuff onto it in months to come, when I get the time :)