'06 6.0 PSD 4x4 C/C with 42K miles. Have been having dead batteries recently whenever the truck sits for 3-4 days or the key is on Acc. for a couple hours listening to the radio. As far as aftermarket power draining accessories, I have two 12V compressors for the 6 air horns I am running and I am pushing 2000 watts of power for the stereo. I spend a fair amount of time with the truck off and the stereo on so it's no surprise with the setup I am running that I need new batteries. What size/brand can anyone recommend?

 

Check out the Optima Yellow Top. Look pretty good to me. A little expensive though.

 

x2 on the yellow tops. No kidding on the price too!

 

I've used the Optima in my previous boat and they are very good (but expensive) although your horns and stereo might justify the additional cost of the spiral technology batteries. As far as conventional batteries are concerned, there are only a couple of manufacturers which produce a myriad of brands. So essentially, they are (mostly) all the same battery with different names on the side... Go with the lowest price. I bought 3 at Costco for my boat and saved about $100 versus buying at Sears or one of the other national chain stores.

 

I'm using Red Top Optima batteries. can't beat them if you are in a cold climate.

 

I went with the Autozone Duralast Golds recently; so far happy with them but time will tell. If you're running a single alternator, you may want to consider upgrading to one with higher output also - considering your power consumption.

Mark

 

I just replaced both batts and upgraded my alternator. For the batts I went with Bosch 875 CCA/1000 CA/165 RC and for the alt. I went with a large case 6g 200amp heavy duty alternator.

I don't see any purpose in spending an extra $100 per battery on Optima's. They have less than half the reserve capacity as most wet cell batts.

Check to make sure your compressor isn't running with the truck off as that will drain the batts pretty quick.

 

I just put in two Autozone Commercials @ 1000 CCA's each they should be good for a while. I don't like the way Optima mounts in the Superduty, You have to add an adapter to get them to stay down. I think in a rough or bouncy situation The plastic adapters will fail. If they had a case that fit right, I would go for them, they give good and long service. I have had both red and yellow in a few of my cars and never a problem.

 

As said above and earlier in the thread, I like the idea of upgrading the alternator. As far as the compressors, I have a toggle switch under the wheel that I turn off whenever I shut the truck down. Riggz - where did you get the alternator? Easy enough of a project for a reasonably handy beer consumer like myself?

 

I guess your drain is from constantly running the stereo then with the truck off. Batteries can be drained and recharged only so many times, so your running the stereo with the truck off is most likely the culprit.

As for the alternator, I purchased it from www.alternatorparts.com Quick shipping and it's working like a champ so far! Install was easy enough for me. I just muscled the belt off, swapped alternators, and muscled the belt back on. It's a little tough to do, but an extra set of hands would make it very easy to do.

 

I have red top optimas and haven't been all that happy mainly as it didn't perform any better than my latest batteries "Everstates" that costed much less and performed much better. In general I would stick with a good reputable battery such as my newer Everstates or if you want better/best in my opinion and have the money to spend yellow top optimas.

This reminds me to change my signature regarding the optimas.

A friend works for a local battery wholesaler and he indicated there is only a few companies that make batteries which are essentially labeled/marketed under dozens of different lables depending on retailer it comes from. He also indicated the red top optimas have little less quality control than in the past but said the yellow and blue top are far superior. Reason being is that the red top produce high CA/CCA by having thinner and more spiral plates to give more contact area to produce the higher CA/CCA cranks but are more likley to break down, degrade and have less service life particulalry in a 4x4 due to vibration and bumps.

Therefore he recomended the yellow tops as they have thicker plates will last much longer, have more reserve power which is ideal for diesel applications and have more than adequate CA/CCA for your needs.

I would recomend upgrading your alternator as I did particulalry as you have increased your electrical load.

My opinion but everybody has one. Good Luck

 

I like the Red top Optima for a cold climate because it won't freeze up.

 

Upgraded alternator is on the way! Time to go battery shopping. Thanks for all the info.

 

Just replaced both batteries today. Went with the Duralast 1000 cranking amp. 90 bucks a piece at Autozone. My truck sat for a solid 24 hours and it wouldnt even attempt to turn over. Runs like a top now though.

 

Got home today and parked the gasser, got in the diesel to hook up a trailer and tow and dead battery. I'm down to 24 hours now as well. A friend or a friend who is a ford diesel tech swears by the red top optimas, but there are not a lot of good reports on the forums about them.