Hi Gang,
It's been awhile since I checked in, lot going on at the ranch. Anyway the batteries on my 2000 F250 have crapped out after only 5 1/2 years, not bad for Georgia. They were MAX Everstart series 65 -700 CCA, I don't remember if I got them at Walmart or NAPA. The only maintenance Was occasionally cleaning the corrosion off the terminals and topping off the acid with distilled water.
What are the latest and greatest batteries out there that don' cost an arm and a leg? I'm open to spending a little more to get a reliable pair of batteries but 5+ years is hard to beat.
Lewis

 

Hey fella, good to see your still around!

Northstar and Odyssey Extreme AGM are some of the best batteries for our trucks. They don't cost an arm and a leg, but pretty close to it now post COVID.

I have been let down too many times by flooded lead acid batteries, but if I were to get another FLA battery for the truck, it would be a CAT.

I hope your holiday weekend is a great one!

 

I went to Walmart and bought a pair of the biggest batteries they have,


850 CCA and they come with a 3 Year Warranty.

and Priced way lower than anyone else.

 

I also run the everstart maxx from Walmart. Around 100 bucks a piece here and easy to get replaced anywhere.

 

Sous,
Glad you're still alive and kicking. Those two batteries look good but overpriced for my farm truck. It's a rare trip that takes me over 200 miles from home these days, not elk hunting out west anymore. That allows me plenty of time to check minor things like battery corrosion and acid levels. If I wasn't building a new hay barn I might be tempted by the AGM siren song ( I run them on all my off road vehicles).
If you're in the neighborhood stop by for a cold one, I can always use the free labor.
Lewis

 

that is Exactly why I chose Walmart.
plus the 3 year warranty, and ~$110 here at my home.

to hell with Odyssey, they will never, ever, pay off in the long term.

If the truck is going to sit for a few weeks,
I always put a 5 amp Battery Tender on it, floats at ~13.8V and Starts are near Instantaneous with that high of a floating voltage on the electrics.

 

I disagree for several reasons. People find value in objects and products differently than others. That is OK with me, you are welcome to your own opinion and to spend your time and money how you see fit.

 

Kate and I would love to stop by and help out if/when we are down that way! It's been quite a while since we last chatted.

 

Sure been happy with my CAT batteries. Didn’t pay an arm and a leg for them either…

part number is 230-6368

 

I also run Wal-Mart EverStart batteries in my vehicles. I have run NAPA and DieHard, but Wal-Mart currently has the best price for comparable batteries that I can find. And if you have to replace one under warranty, Wal-Marts are easy to find.
I've run Odyssey on motorcycles and had mixed results, one lasted 10+ years on a 650 single, another only 3 years on a 92ci twin. On a bike, I'd run Odyssey again, but for an auto... I can't justify the cost for Odyssey over Wal-Mart's EverStart product line. I get 4-5 years our of most auto FLA batteries in North Carolina.

 

Doing an online price check, Walmart currently is asking $159.84 for an Everstart brand Group 65 850 amp battery.
Costco price is $119.99 and it's Interstate brand.

 

Be warned....Costco sells Interstate seconds.....I had 2 fail in less than 6 months. I asked our Interstate dealer what was up and he told me they wont warranty Costco batteries because of that.

 

Quoth EmptyWallet

I got 10 years out of my first set of Odysseys (actually 15 years, since I still use them as utility batteries, just not in the truck).

I currently have 5 years so far on my second set of Odysseys... we shall see how many more years they last. I put N95 masks on the batteries during Covid, so hopefully that helped?

From 2000 - 2008, my truck ate through 3 sets of Motorcraft batteries in 8 years. When compared to 1 set of batteries in 10 years, the following savings were realized:

1. Saves my back. Eight fewer hoists of a battery over the high fender. (2 batteries {always change in pairs} x 2 additional changes {3 sets vs 1 set} x 2 lifts per battery per exchange {hoist the old one out, hoist the new one in}.

2. Saves my time. Not just the time saved with four fewer battery changes. Not just the downtime saved after realizing too late that the batteries need to be changed. Not just the time lost in jockying around for a jump start. The real time saved is in not having to clean up the battery trays from corrosion, which is a normal byproduct of outgassing of flooded wet cell batteries.

3. Saves the truck. No corrosion means no changing out battery cables. I'm still running the original OEM battery cables and terminals that Ford installed on the truck at KTP in 1999. I've supplemented these wires with additional parallel cables to accommodate a higher amp alternator, but the original cables are still there, and still corrosion free. The battery trays are still original, although I did have to repaint one, due to the corrosion from the first 8 years of the truck's life running flooded lead acid. Once I switched to AGM, no more damage to any truck parts due to acid vibrating out of the battery case, or acid rain from battery outgassing.

4. Saves money. How much money I'm not sure. Yes, one can buy two sets of FLA batteries made elsewhere for the price of one set of Odyssey batteries made in Missouri USA. So if having to buy 3 sets during the same 10 year period, the scale more clearly tips beyond just the intangible values of where things are made. Especially since East Penn makes a lot of batteries in the USA, such as the CAT batteries shown in a post above. But those maintenance free, vibration resistant CAT batteries might cost more than half the cost of a VRLA TPPL AGM battery. East Penn also makes AGM batteries, which can be found under the Duracell brand at Sam's Club. Not pure lead, not as thin of plate technology as the Odyssey, but spill free, like all AGMs.

I think most of my savings is found in the value of my time, and my lack of interest in wire brushing and repainting battery trays and hold down parts. I also appreciate the savings of never having to hunt down an aftermarket supplier of battery cables that are no longer manufactured for our vintage of trucks. Over the years which have now spanned into a couple of decades, I've read of an awful lot of 99-03 Super Duty owners having to replace their battery cables. Had I continued using FLA batteries, I'd have likely had to join that club. The savings from not having to pay the dues to join that club, can go toward the next set of batteries. A 10 year battery change cycle is enough time for that money to earn a little bit of interest.

 

^^^ What he said is the reason I went with Northstar AGM batteries after FLA failed me several times in a row. I refuse to put FLA in any of my vehicles, even my JD riding mower has a lithium battery in it.

Almost 6 years later and they crank the truck over like they were new.

 

I put some in my truck before I moved in 2020. After I got here a while later I accidentally left something on in the truck and the batteries were sucked down so dead the dome light wouldn't even try to glow. Put a charger on them and got the truck running again, but the batteries failed the tester that I have from Interstate. Took them back to Costco to pay for the new ones and they warrantied them no questions asked. Plus I can find no differences in the label between the Costco battery and the ones that I used to buy off of the delivery truck for the shop.