Battery

AllDodge · Oct 15, 2015

How do you keep the batteries charged up over time. My 955 has one bad battery "again" and it has a battery switch. My D3 has a weak battery and I changed out the battery switch and push start to standard key start and no switch. The battery in the D3 isn't even a year old (NAPA), the 955 one is 2 years old the other about 3, and the 3 year old is dead. Guess I really need to install battery tenders as on my boat, either that or get AGM bats but that would be expensive.

What do you guys do for equipment that sits a lot?

Nige · Oct 15, 2015

First question. Do you always use one particular brand of batteries..?

AllDodge · Oct 15, 2015

Nige said:
First question. Do you always use one particular brand of batteries..?

For the most pat I would say yes, but this is only because the closest place is NAPA so they are used most often. Have to drive some distance to get something else

DoyleX · Oct 15, 2015

First off i'd check to see if there is a draw with the machine off. Then start looking into caterpillar batteries. They last me 10-15+ years... The older motorcraft batteries gave me good service too.

old-iron-habit · Oct 15, 2015

On my 12 volts systems with dual batteries hooked in parallel I use two battery disconnects, one from each battery. I used to have to put new batteries in my log skidder every year as one battery would crap and then discharge the good one causing it to freeze. Been 4 years now since the dual shutoff and still starting good on the same batteries. The other advantage is that I shut one disconnect off at a time while operating to insure full battery charge in both batteries. On 24 volt sysyems you need to insure you are not pulling a 12 volt load off one battery. That will do them in every time.

DPete · Oct 15, 2015

I have battery tender pigtails on everything, they make a 24V tender so on my 623's I charge all 4 batteries all at the same time. Recharge every month if the machines are not in use. On 12V the small 12V tender works fine. Keep the posts and battery tops clean and don't let them die. It is not uncommon for us to get 7 to 8 years out of batteries, had one pair of Interstate 8D's on a D8K that went 10 years. Some Cat and some Interstate or Decca, normally stay away from cheaper ones. Keep the disconnect switch off when not in use. Also your charging system is important to battery life

Nige · Oct 16, 2015

DoyleX said:
First off i'd check to see if there is a draw with the machine off. Then start looking into caterpillar batteries. They last me 10-15+ years... The older motorcraft batteries gave me good service too.

I wanted someone else to say it otherwise I could have been accused of favouritism, but Cat batteries are far and away the best on the market - with a price tag to match of course.

DPete's suggestion of battery tender pitgtails is a good one provided the machines in question are always parked somewhere close enough to the battery tender to make it feasible to connect them. Other than that it's the PITA of removing the batteries every time you park the machine and storing them in a warm garage hooked up to a battery tender.

old-iron-habit · Oct 16, 2015

I recently was told by a major battery company store manager that batteries should be removed and keep in cold storage for the best preservation, the same as the dry cells we keep in the freezer. He didn't mean in the freezer but in a unheated space. Anybody else ever hear of this?

AllDodge · Oct 16, 2015

Thanks guys, kind of figured the tenders are the main route. Plan to put the D3 on the trailer so I can get it out of the weather and plug it in easier. Never thought much of NAPA batteries even though I have a set of them in the 416, but it gets started about once a month.

Batteries in my boat would only last 2 years so I went to Lifeline AGM and its been 5 years now, they are 300 for a group 27. According to CAT the 4D is 324 but also says contact dealer, which tells me its more then that.

I did forget to turn the switch off on the 955, so guess that may have caused my issue with it. The D3 figure I'm going to check and see if I have something draining it. Looks like I'll be making a trip to CAT

Nige · Oct 16, 2015

Another suggestion when you go to the Cat dealer is to ask them to show you the Cat Emergency Start system which is basically a receptacle to mount on a convenient location on a machine and connect to the batteries. To jump a machine from another one that is equipped with the same system you then use a set of leads that are plug-in to the receptacle (one each machine) and make jump starting a one-man job plus safe as well because there is never a spark as you pull the connectors out of the receptacle.

Never heard of keeping batteries cold before. I was always under the impression with lead-acid batteries that they needed to be kept warm to avoid damage. In really cold climates we always manufactured an external booster pack and mounted the batteries in a well-insulated box to stop them being affected by the cold when we took them out to the job site.

Delmer · Oct 16, 2015

I've never heard somebody recommend cold storage, but it should work the same as other battery chemistry, even a deep freeze. What kills the batteries in storage is self discharge, lead acid should be stored fully charged and the colder it is, the slower they discharge. A charged battery left to sit at the end of fall will be fine in the spring, but if it sits through some hot months first it will probably be dead enough (acid concentration to low) to freeze. Cold weather does NOT hurt batteries, freezing discharged batteries does.

Another trick to make your batteries last longer is to deliberately dilute the acid, remove a measured amount of acid from each cell and replace it with distilled water. That effectively lets the cell be fully charged (lead only on the lead side) with a lower concentration of acid. Don't try this if you plan to use that battery during the winter, it won't have nearly the CCA it did, but it will last longer if you only use it for starting in warm weather.

old-iron-habit · Oct 16, 2015

Never heard of keeping batteries cold before. I was always under the impression with lead-acid batteries that they needed to be kept warm to avoid damage. In really cold climates we always manufactured an external booster pack and mounted the batteries in a well-insulated box to stop them being affected by the cold when we took them out to the job site.[/QUOTE]

I certainly agree that a warm battery will have a lot more cranking power than a cold one when it comes to using it. They used to say that a battery only had 25% of it power at 0 degrees F than it did at 70 degrees F. They seem to be better than that now although engnes start better now also.

Birken Vogt · Oct 17, 2015

It is my impression that time spent at elevated heat takes the life out batteries, but when they are warm the chemical action is more active. When they get cold there is slower chemical action and also engines take a lot more power to turn over. So the summertime damage shows itself in wintertime problems but it was not the winter that caused it.

Garrie Denny · Oct 17, 2015

possibly us a 12-24 volttrickle solar charger to keep topped up charge,there not overly expensive compared to a battery.

doublewide · Oct 18, 2015

Yeah, I like the solar charger idea. I took the batteries out of my dozer and put them on a battery tender last winter and you should have seen the electric bill! (not sure if it was the tender or my kids on their laptops all day!) Like others have said, buy quality batteries, make sure your charging system is working well and check your grounds. I added an extra B- to engine block ground cable. Helps with proper charging and better starting.

Garrie Denny · Oct 20, 2015

Im thinking kids on laptops, trickle charge cuts in and only tops up the charge,very low power .but with your winter weather you nee the sun of course.wait for the bill when the grand kids arrive.

AllDodge · Oct 20, 2015

Put an amp meter in line and found a 220mA draw. Only thing I can see that might draw that is either the ALT or starter. Starter is new ALT is old, so either way looks like either a switch or a maintenance charger. For now its a maintenance charger

Thanks for all the comments

Old Magnet · Oct 20, 2015

Check for leaking diodes in the Alternator

AllDodge · Oct 20, 2015

Old Magnet said:
Check for leaking diodes in the Alternator

Thanks, that was my first thought also. If I can find some time may take it in and have it checked, but don't think the shop I would take it to could determine if this was the issue

Delmer · Oct 20, 2015

Disconnect the big wire at the alternator, if the 220 mA drain disappears you have a bad alternator diode. What kind of alternator? some are easy to get apart and get parts for. Like less $ than the gas to get out your driveway cheap.

Battery

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