From reading earlier in this thread it sounded like that was only an Optima problem, but the rest of the manufacturers didn't limit winching loads to only the top terminals.
need a battery. Which one? and where to buy?
- Thread starter nakman
- Start date
From reading earlier in this thread it sounded like that was only an Optima problem, but the rest of the manufacturers didn't limit winching loads to only the top terminals.
My group 31 die hard platinum only lasted 18 months. But sears did give me a new one. I was hard on it. This time around I'll be kinder. Plus I did get a AGM specific charger for times when I do kill it.
My 6 year old blue top optima 31 is officially dead so I'm in the market again too. Not sure what direction I'll go this time. Maybe a Deka.
My 6 year old blue top optima 31 is officially dead so I'm in the market again too. Not sure what direction I'll go this time. Maybe a Deka.
rover67
Rising Sun Member
Same experience as dave here... One yellow top is now 11 years old and runs fine, a few years ago I added a blue top when I did dual batts. I dunno... They were both reasonably priced on amazon.com. I know their rep has gone downhill but I can tell you all I ever do is watch my blue top go from dead to charged a few times weekly as the fridge draws it down and I charge it via alternator or external charger. It would seem they all have their problems I guess. I'm sure that when I get back to DIA the yellow top will be dead now that I typed this
Check with Crase to see what he has for sale 
- Both batteries I bought from him have been great 
That said, I was happy with the Orbital I had in the LX prior to dropping the Odyssey I picked up from Crase in there. But Romer didn't have that great of experience with his Orbital as I recall. I'm not a fan of Optima Red Tops...My 40 has eaten 3 of them although I will admit that I don't run it regularly but even disconnected the Optimas died.
Right now, if $$ is no object, I'd probably suggest an Odyssey. Athough the Deka blems I bought seemed to do fine as well. You could borrow one of those if you want although they only have the small posts on them
- Both batteries I bought from him have been great That said, I was happy with the Orbital I had in the LX prior to dropping the Odyssey I picked up from Crase in there. But Romer didn't have that great of experience with his Orbital as I recall. I'm not a fan of Optima Red Tops...My 40 has eaten 3 of them although I will admit that I don't run it regularly but even disconnected the Optimas died.
Right now, if $$ is no object, I'd probably suggest an Odyssey. Athough the Deka blems I bought seemed to do fine as well. You could borrow one of those if you want although they only have the small posts on them
I'm in the same boat. The blem Optima, now about 11 years old, has finally stopped being able to start the 45. Last year, I could jump it, drive it around, and still be able to restart after 30 mins. Not so this year, even with trickle charging it. Meh....it was a good run.
So, the 100 has a pretty new batt in it, but it's tiny. I was thinking I would move that to the 45, and get a new big one for the 100. But...I have a costco optima in the 40 that's 5 years old or more, been abused a lot, and still just fine. I had a blue optima, also from costco in the 80 that I ran for 3 yrs with zero issues. Right now, I'm wishing Costco still sold them.
So, the 100 has a pretty new batt in it, but it's tiny. I was thinking I would move that to the 45, and get a new big one for the 100. But...I have a costco optima in the 40 that's 5 years old or more, been abused a lot, and still just fine. I had a blue optima, also from costco in the 80 that I ran for 3 yrs with zero issues. Right now, I'm wishing Costco still sold them.
Red_Chili
Hard Core 4+
Holy zombie threads Batman!
Well, the primary batt in the Chili is dead. Reads 6V. Guess I really should put a trickle charger on them...
Dangit, that means I only got ... lessee... ten years out of a yellow top Optima. Oh. Huh.
Since the bracket is made to fit the batt, I think I will go with same for a replacement. The secondary batt is fine as frog's hair.
Well, the primary batt in the Chili is dead. Reads 6V. Guess I really should put a trickle charger on them...
Dangit, that means I only got ... lessee... ten years out of a yellow top Optima. Oh. Huh.
Since the bracket is made to fit the batt, I think I will go with same for a replacement. The secondary batt is fine as frog's hair.
nuclearlemon
Hard Core 4+
Don't go red...last few years they've gotten a horrible reputationfor failure
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Internet wisdom says Optima is no good anymore. I dunno, I'll let you know in a couple of years. But they have a 3 year replacement warranty, so I risked it.
Johnson Controls is not a fly-by-night outfit and I would bet a lot of the problems occurred with the moving of production around. They're made in Mexico now and have been for a while, so maybe things are stabilized. It's not rocket surgery making batteries.
Odyssey offers a 3 or 4 year warranty depending on size and Sears has a reputation of being a PITA being with Diehard warranties.
Johnson Controls is not a fly-by-night outfit and I would bet a lot of the problems occurred with the moving of production around. They're made in Mexico now and have been for a while, so maybe things are stabilized. It's not rocket surgery making batteries.
Odyssey offers a 3 or 4 year warranty depending on size and Sears has a reputation of being a PITA being with Diehard warranties.
Red_Chili
Hard Core 4+
I'll risk it. Internet wisdom sometimes perpetuates itself and is (ironically!) out of date and late for the party. Just too easy to repeat what you've read, rather than experienced first hand.
In my case the deep cycle yellow top just makes sense, and I run a pair.
In my case the deep cycle yellow top just makes sense, and I run a pair.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
The eternal problem of marketing, every failure generates tens of times more negative word of mouth than a satisfied customer who never thinks twice about a product that just works and blends into the background of their life. How many Red and Yellow tops are out there and still continue to be sold that never fail? Tens of millions. Just one failure ends up on dozens of forums within days, though. Even a popular forum like ExPo or Mud see a handful of people with first hand experience, most people just parrot stuff second hand.
Has anyone done research to determine where the Diehard Platinum marine and automotive batteries are truly different on the inside? I know that you get more posts with the marine flavor, and internet wisdom suggests that marine/deep cycle batteries have larger plates to handle discharging better than a standard starting battery. But it seems like if this was true and the marine construction was different, then the marine battery should weigh more (bigger plates = heavier right?) and possibly be larger than it's non-marine equivalent, and have better ratings? For the group 34, all the other specs are the same - CCA, Ah, Reserve capacity between the 34 and 34M.
I've got a nearly 5 year old Diehard Platinum 34M that seems to be slowly fading (it's my auxillary battery in the 80). It's steady state after charging seems to be around 11.8 - 12V rather than 12.6 - 12.8V. Right now Sears has the DHP group 34 in sale for $175 and comes with a 4 year replacement + 100 month prorated warranty. The 34M is still at $219 and only has a 3 year warranty.
So I'm trying to reconcile if it's worth it for me to buy another Marine battery, or just run the group 34 as the better overall value.
I've got a nearly 5 year old Diehard Platinum 34M that seems to be slowly fading (it's my auxillary battery in the 80). It's steady state after charging seems to be around 11.8 - 12V rather than 12.6 - 12.8V. Right now Sears has the DHP group 34 in sale for $175 and comes with a 4 year replacement + 100 month prorated warranty. The 34M is still at $219 and only has a 3 year warranty.
So I'm trying to reconcile if it's worth it for me to buy another Marine battery, or just run the group 34 as the better overall value.
rover67
Rising Sun Member
I thought the deep cycle batteries had thicker plates in the same overall form factor which would equal less plates and less current but a more robust battery (more plate to degrade exists).
Weight would be close if there were less plates but they were thicker no?
Am I way off?
Weight would be close if there were less plates but they were thicker no?
Am I way off?
ScaldedDog
Hard Core 4+
Your research suggests the difference is the posts, the color and the margin.
My bet is that you're right, but I don't know. FWIW, I run plain ol' Platinums in my 4Runner and tow rig, and they are plenty expensive.Mark
ScaldedDog
Hard Core 4+
I moved away from reds. I had a couple, and in a vehicle that sits a lot, they'd invariably go dead. That's OK, but what wasn't OK was that they were never the same again, or even close. I suspect, but don't know, they'd do fine in a vehicle that's driven a lot.
The wasn't the case with my single instance of testing the return process. I was in and out in minutes, without the whole "let us test it and let you know tomorrow" business. YMMV, and so might mine, next time.
Mark
My Die Hard Platinum Marine group 31 got warrantied last fall. Pretty simple in and out, just had to wait for them to test it.
MDH33
Hard Core 4+
I just added my dual battery setup in the FJ60. I had a yellowtop from my old FJ60 that had been sitting on the bench for over a year. I charged it up overnight and it came right up and has stayed at 12 nicely for the past week. It's probably 5 years old. I had both this yellowtop and redtop in my old 60 and they performed fine.
There is a Diehard Platinum starting battery that came with the rig and it seems to drop below 12 after sitting for a few days. We'll see how they do once I actually start driving this thing.
There is a Diehard Platinum starting battery that came with the rig and it seems to drop below 12 after sitting for a few days. We'll see how they do once I actually start driving this thing.
We used our winch for the first time 2 weeks ago on Yankee Hill. We made 3 good pulls. Now my 500CCA ProStart needs jumped every morning. I want an Odyssey. The stock size is group 25 for my 4runner so this is what I picked out.
At work, we order through Walter's battery service, they quoted me a little under $250 & 3 days out for that specific battery. Should I stay with the group 25 or do a different size? I read this whole thread & there is no mention of group 25's. Also, if the Sear's battery is the same as this Odyssey, I'd prefer Sears, is this true?
At work, we order through Walter's battery service, they quoted me a little under $250 & 3 days out for that specific battery. Should I stay with the group 25 or do a different size? I read this whole thread & there is no mention of group 25's. Also, if the Sear's battery is the same as this Odyssey, I'd prefer Sears, is this true?
Well - the sale is over, so nothing done at this point. I ran some tests on the system yesterday trying to find a drain that might be stealing volts from the battery, but everything tested out fine with only a small amount of mA draw detected, even from the crappy inverter I'm running. But the battery was down to 11.6V, so I think it's time for a new one. The battery has 05/08 stamp on it, so I guess 5 years is Ok in our climate. $40/year....