Heard something new today.

Today I was getting a few of the remaining parts for my power inverter project, so I went to a local battery/alternator shop. It turns out that they are one of the last four shops in the US that re-winds alternators (his research). Almost all have moved to China .... go figure! They seem to be pretty knowledgeable.

Anyway, the guy that helped me told me that the batteries we get w/ the truck when new (OEM) are made in the US. The replacements we buy are made in Mexico. The US made batteries are of higher quality and will last longer. That explains why I have really liked my OEM batteries (last two trucks I have owned).

Also, the OEM batteries are a lead-calcium technology. The ones from Mexico are not (at least not yet).

per google ...........

The grid structure in a battery is made from lead alloys because lead itself is too soft to stand vertically while supporting the active material. The two most common materials for the alloy are antimony and calcium.
The lead-calcium battery involves the antimony on both the negative and positive plates being replaced by calcium alloy. The fluid loss of the lead-calcium battery is about 80 % lower than that of an antimony battery and the self-discharge is lower, i.e. a lead-calcium battery can remain unused for longer periods without losing a lot of their charge.

The downside to a lead-calcium battery is that it is not as capable of withstanding "deep cycling".

When looking for a replacement battery, I guess I will be looking for US made batteries. As far as the guy at the shop knew, Optimas are now all made in Mexico and have suffered some in the quality department. Interstates may be in that same boat also.

Not saying that all of this is 100% proven, but he was VERY knowledgeable. He knew Robbie from DC-Power alternators (he recognized mine immediately). He said that they do make a very good product - which was very nice to hear.

Interested in any (most) comments for sure .................

 

I have heard similar things and the same about Optimas . My brother just replaced a red top optima that he used though two jeeps 11 years old and was bitchen cause he had to buy a new batt. But had heard of the mexico thing and went with a odyessy batt they are supposed to be the ****ttt .

 

I have to ask. How in the heck do they know? The U.S is a pretty big place. Is there a national registry of alternator rewinding shops with mandatory membership?

A while back, I spent about an hour on the phone each with an engineer at Johnson Controls (Optima) and an engineer at Enersys (manufacturer of Odyessy), an engineer at Schumaker (battery chargers) and an engineer at Deltan (Battery Tender).

I was searching for information on battery technology. At no time did any of the three engineers mention calcium vs. antimony. All four engineers agreed on the following:

All lead acid automobile batteries are very similar.

Within a battery line, more expensive batteries of the same capacity are usually identical to the cheaper models. You pay for the longer warranty.

Sealed batteries vent just like regular batteries. They are no better than regular batteries, they are just unserviceable. They are overfilled to a guesstimated level to account for venting. Whether your sealed battery vents to the point of exposing plates depends on a lot of factors. If it does, you won't know about it until it fails because you can't add distilled water.

Keeping batteries charged to 100% will maximize life. No alternator can charge an automotive battery to 100%. You need a battery tender to get the charge to and maintain it at 100%. If you use a battery tender while your vehicle is at home, your battery will be at 100% most of the time (most vehicles sit for longer periods than they are driven).

The engineer at Johnson Controls verified Optimas are now made in Mexico.

The engineer at Enersys verified Sears Platinum are identical to Odessey - just cheaper.

The engineer at Schumaker buys the least expensive serviceable (unsealed) lead acid batteries for his own vehicles. His vehicles endure Chicago winters. Obviously, he uses float chargers.


I keep all my vehicles connected to Deltran Battery tenders whenever they are parked at home. My 2005 6.0 and 2004 Mach 1 have their original batteries. They load test at 97% - 100%.

I really don't understand the fascination with "deep cycling" capacity. I live in Wyoming, and if I'm 50 miles from town, I'm fifty miles from anywhere. I don't make a practice of driving 100 miles off road, switch my engine off and turn the lights and radio on to drain my batteries. I only run my power inverter when the vehicle is moving or up idling.

If you deep discharge a battery, you are stuck. YOU"RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DEEP DISCHARGE ANY AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY BECAUSE YOU NEED IT TO START THE VEHICLE. So what if you can deep discharge an Odessey 100 times and a regular lead acid 10 times? When either is discharged, you're stuck on top of the mountain.

If you want to kill diesel batteries, use conventional 15w-40 oil in sub freezing temperatures.

Based on my own experience and the information I gathered from the above sources, I will replace my batteries with Walmart (Johnson Controls) when they finally fail. Wanna bet they will last just as long as OEM?

 

The float chargers really extend the life of the batteries.. my father has been keeping them on the atv's, mower's and his 95 dodge cummins truck.. the last set lasted 11 years in his truck.. he also had a honda atv battery that was over 10 years old before needing replaced

 

If a company is in business to do specialty work, they will (should) stay aware of their competition ..... and btw, Thompsons Register, Global Spec, etc. (and similar services) has been around for quite awhile. The industrial manufacturing company I work for (and yes, we know every manufacturing site worldwide that competes with us) has custom winding done on a number of specialty pieces of equipment. We deal with this company because they are the only one in Texas. That tells me that he may be probably pretty close to accurate. I am satisfied that he knows his stuff. Anyone who isn't satisfied can do the research and feel free to report back. Seems that everyone knows how many battery manufacturers there are in the big U.S - even without a mandatory membership registry (and I bet there are more batteries made annually than alternators - lol).

As far as batteries being equal, I don't believe it. Every manufacturing process will have variability and some will be more careful than others ..... and use better parts. Just look at our FICM's (made in Mexico btw). I bet most people would have spent a few dollars more on a premium FICM (if it had been offered) - to get the soldering done more professionally.

It has always been the consumers job to track down the best value, and there will ALWAYS be differences of opinion. The best bet might be the cheap battery and replace it more often - then again maybe not. I personally feel there is a quality difference based on my experiences and supporting made in America seems like a good idea to me. Sorry to say it doesn't mean much to some people.

Lastly - just because no one mentioned lead-calcium to you, does that mean you don't believe it exists? lmao.

 

Does any battery really withstand being deep cycled? I'm thinking you're looking at this battery for your inverter project which I think would make a lot of sense if the price is right.

I didn't recognize the lead-calcium battery until I looked it up and found that lead-calcium battery = AGM batteries which I have heard of but never played with one. I think some of the forklifts running around have AGM batteries because they are used indoors.

 

Only reason for me considering deep cycle is in fact the inverter project. I have the batteries mounted and the battery isolator installed. All I have left is to wire it up (and I already have the various runs of wire already made up). I am just waiting to get some split loom that is rated for 300*F. I should be good to go on it pretty soon - oh, except I don't have an inverter yet - lol. I have a friend who will loan me one though, but it is from harbour freight. My luck and it will break as soon as I borrow it.

Expensive project, but it has been fun. Haven't really tried to make this a "project on a shoe-string" and it certainly isn't a very cost effective way to supply power, but cost was not one of my overriding considerations. One thing I have found out - the Marine industry is the place to go for parts and expertise on batteries, generators, inverters, etc. They tend to like reliability - a WHOLE LOT.

 

Can't imagine why

Sounds like the project went well, still can't wait to see some pics. My bro-in-law has a charger from HF and it's a clunker, but it's worked for him for years so. Personally, I've always been a fan of the 'buy once, cry once' (spend more for higher quality) idea so I avoid HF like the plague.

 

Speaking of which.......this is coming to fruition. I'll see if I can't hijack some pictures and put them in a new thread.

 

Look forward to it Tim. I noticed that Shawn (Evil Eye) has a similar post on the Org, but I haven't kept up with it. It would be good to have that info shared here for sure.

As far as the hijack - it is probably good timing for this thread to die, lol.

 

That's exactly where it is. Maybe Bulletproof Ken will show up and post some pic's to make us drool some.

 

Interesting information Mark...

My +2 year old Motorcraft batteries in my truck are made in Mexico and the battery in my wifes '11 Edge doesn't have a "Made in ???" label.

 

Bringing this thread back to life for one question: what are the best all-around replacement batteries currently (no pun intended) on the market for these trucks? My 7+ year-old OEM batteries are beginning to die.

 

I purchased the yellow batteries at walmart.. they are made by johnson controls and there are walmarts everywhere if you ever have any trouble with them..i also keep a solar charger on my truck because i do not drive it everyday

 

I work at Northstar Battery in Springfield, MO. We have a state of the art manufacturing process for making AGM (absorbent glass material) batteries for automotive, transportation, marine, and stored power applications.
Daimler is one of our best customers. I've been very pleased with the batteries I've purchased for myself and family. I'm surprised how well they hold a charge, how quickly they recharge, and the cranking amps provided compared to others in the same group made by Johnson Controls. Interstate, O'Reilly's, and Wal-Mart sell on price. I'd rather buy something dependable that will provide trouble / maintenance free service for a long time.