i am gearing up to re-wire my truck (just the big battery cables) and i will prolly go ahead and get new battery's since the ones on my truck now are pushing 8 years.

my question is... does anyone see a problem with using one large single battery opposed to two smaller battery's setup in parallel? I am looking at the Odyssey PC1750 PC1750 - Odyssey batteries which should give me all the juice i need. my reason for going drycell is i plan to relocate the battery on the pass side frame rail sideways so i can still access the top posts and so i can squeeze it up the frame a little more. here are the specs...

Performance Features:

* PHCA: 1,750A at 80°F (27°C); for 5 seconds
* CCA: 930A at 0°F (-18°C)
* CA/MCA: 1,175A at 32° (0°C)
* HCA: 1,325 at 80°F (27°C)
* Reserve capacity: 135 minutes on 25amps
* Short circuit current: 3,500A
* Deep cycling capability: 400 at 80% DOD
* Design life: 12 years
* Typical service life: 6 to 8 years

i will also be running 2/0 cable with soldered ends and some sort of high volt junction box for adding accessories later if needed.

-cutts-

 

Here is my take on this, not sure if it is accurate but here goes;

I believe our batteries are around 950 cca's each. Because of this I would think you would need a battery that is near 1800-2000 cca's to support winter GP heating and cold starts. I realize where you live though so you may not need as much as others on here.

just my .02

I really do like the idea and the idea on the junction box also.

 

i was curious about the specs on standard parts houses battery specs and i found they were all about 800CCA.

i am looking for overkill so i may go with dual batts still but get larger ones

-cutts-

 

ive got that odyssey battery on my truck and love it. dont solder the connections it will make the cable brittle there your better off to have them crimped and put heat shrink tubing from the shank to the cable. if ya can run into some of your local utility lineman ask them for a tube of the silicone grease they use on urd cable works awesome for covering the battery terminals so they wont corrode!!

 

I believe Tim put a different, taller battery in his but they are in the stock location

 

i needed to move mine to make room for a couple other things......plus im gonna get a second oddysey to handle the 3kw inverter

 

I looked into the Oddysey batteries but for their rating (CCA) I could not justify the cost. I also don't think they are powerful enough. Might be fine for Jake in TX but up here in Michigan 930 CCA is not going to get it done. I went with a set of Group 31 stud terminal batteries. They are rated at 1125 CCA so I have 2250 CCA on hand all the time. They are big but they do fit in the stock location or anywhere else you want to make them fit.

 

thanks for the input so far!

i hadnt thought about the solder making the shielding brittle... very good point!

yea the cost of the odysseys are steep but my main reason was so i could still access the posts without crawling around on my back. if there is a similar battery with side posts i'd be all over it! Tim, I am assuming you got yours from Napa (i think i remember reading about your upgrade a while back)? and are you still using two, or did you get the big one to stick to just one?

-cutts-

 

I am using two. Even with 1125 CCA I would still not feel comfortable trying to start my truck in the winter. And with the snow plowing I do I want all the battery I can come up with.

Oh and yes I got the batteries at Napa. $5 less than the recommended batteries for my truck.

 

would you, by any chance, have a part number to reference them so i can go to the store and not look like an idiot, lol. i'd like to go look at them bc i am pretty sure i cannot order one off their site.

-cutts-

 

Its a 7234. I think there might even be one battery that is rated higher yet than the one I am using.

 

yup... they sure do! but wow... at 161lbs!!!

-cutts-

 

those odysseys are good batteries but one isn't going to be enough I believe. Look at the CCA's it's only 930. You are not going to get that PEAK CA of 1750 except under the right conditions. When I sold batteries at NAPA I'd always sell by the CCA not the CA. If you use the CCA against what you need you'll never go wrong. Yea I remember selling those Group 31's all day long loading 4 at a time ... makes my back hurt still thinking back on it. We had one I think that sucker was a several hundred pounds about the size of a desk for big loaders and such. Anyway I digress ... you could mount a pair of Optimas on the frame side by side. Good luck and post some pics.


Performance Features:

* PHCA: 1,750A at 80°F (27°C); for 5 seconds
* CCA: 930A at 0°F (-18°C)
* CA/MCA: 1,175A at 32° (0°C)
* HCA: 1,325 at 80°F (27°C)
* Reserve capacity: 135 minutes on 25amps

 

Ya, i wouldnt chance the single battery idea. I know it's been done for some intakes, but i like having two.
161 lb battery? how are you supposed to get it in the truck? and how are the fenders supposed to support it???

 

if your soldiering and making things brittle, you need to learn to soldier you newb.

=)

Most people soldier way way way way to hot.
like my buddy, who uses a 45 watt soldering iron to soldier small electronics which are heat sensitive.
I am supprized he doesn't burn up boards and other components.
i use an 18 watt soldiering iron to do any electronics.
Try and teach somebody how to do something, and they will most likely think they know how to do it better and never listen in the first place. Especially when their ego is to big for the warehouse you are setting in.

In this situation, you want to use a high lead content soldier as well, not a tin based or zinc based soldier like they use nowdays.
60/40 is pretty common for electronics, but most people end up with the crappy zinc soldier, which will just require more heat to melt allowing you to damage things quickly.

The reason you probably got some brittle issues is that you soldering the wires into the cable clamps caused a point where the cable was able to bend easier, especially if your soldering was uneven. Thus putting a strange pressure on it. =)

Heat shrink for the win. On everything!!!!
If its a big job, go get some of the heat shrink for big electrical, it has epoxy in it. You'll have to use a heat gun or a torch though, not just a lighter to shrink it.

Whenever using heat shrink, dont put the flame on the tubing! bad idea, just need to get it hot. =)
heat gun is always your best bet though, will get the best shrink out of it.