Best batteries for our trucks

[That Guy]

Used to sell Deka. Good stuff. The do everything in house in some rural town in the north east. Mix the old electrolyte in with feed for cows apparently. The purify the lead more than most others. 

They seem to hold up fairly well.

 

Side note, when I went to get the parts truck, apparently I had left the battery in it from when I parked it originally. Of course it was dead. Spent 2 days charging it and now it is in my tractor. It has a 02/14 date sticker. It was one I got out of a junked car when I worked at Tank Town and is really about half the size it should be. It is an Everstart. Frankly, I'm shocked it came back after spending nearly 2 years discharged. Most batteries I've come across wouldn't have survived that.

[Mopar1973Man]

Just went back to Walmart and picked up a new set of 810 CCA batteries. My last set were ran dead at least 4 times and with my efforts made it to 8 years. This winter they gave up. 

 

REMEMBER: Stock is 750 CCA batteries.

[LorenS]

Normally Wal-Mart gets the nod for convenience, but I had time yesterday so supported the local automotive electrical place and bought some made in the USA DEKA batteries for the same price as Wally World.  Any time I need a starter, generator, or alternator repaired I take it to Brad.  My dad has used his shop since the 80's I believe, when he sent some things there from the Diesel program he taught at the vocational school.  Also doesn't hurt that since they're practically neighbors he does free drop off and pick ups   Well, it may cost a beer or two...

[Mopar1973Man]

At least in my position NAPA in McCall ID is a tourist trap town. It happens to have everything typically. But prices lately are higher, then Valley Co. added another 1% sales tax on top. (7% total sales tax). So by the time you start with $140 per battery and now double $280 for just the batteries. Now when you remember that there is only what 3 companies that manufacture batteries brand names don't amount to much any longer. When I saw the WalMart Batteries were 810 CCA and only $113 a piece and the last set made 4 dead cycles (zero volts) and then last 8 years... Yup I tried again. 

 

NAPA -  $139 a piece - $278 (770 CCA)

WalMart - $113 a piece - $226 (810 CCA)

 

Yup Walmart won the price and CCA battle.

[NIsaacs]

18 hours ago, LorenS said:

Picked up two DEKA Gold, Group 65 batteries today.  

 

I am a fan of East Penn/Deka (Napa) batteries. With 17 vehicles that use batteries I am always buying a battery

 

For a small town we have a large choice in batteries here. Walmart, Ace Hardware, Napa, O'Reilly, AutoZone and Car Quest. I generally buy Napa.

[Dieselfuture]

7 minutes ago, NIsaacs said:

With 17 vehicles

[Mopar1973Man]

No joke... Wow! 

[That Guy]

1 hour ago, NIsaacs said:

 

With 17 vehicles

 

Man, I'm only at 8. Sounds like I need to pick up the pace.

[LorenS]

My guy was the same price as Everstart MAXX on size 27s at $120 apiece, Costco for Interstate was like $95 apiece.  Considering that Exide makes a lot of Interstate batteries and they've been in and out of bankruptcy court (and Criminal Court!!!) NUMEROUS times in recent history, I decided to pay extra for a battery made in the US and sold by a guy with a long track record - and who stopped selling Interstate because of their reduction in quality.

Honestly, based on what I know about the food processing industry I wouldn't be surprised if the same factory makes Snap-On wrenches and Harbor Freight, but clearly there are a lot of differences!  Some distributors may want to sell the highest CCA, but to fit it in the same physical size they have to make the plates thinner or closer to one another so they shake apart when you smack a pot hole, or short out faster when the crud builds up between them.

My Wal-Mart batteries actually seem to be okay, but since I'm not certain of it they're getting replaced (though put on the shelf with a maintainer).  I'm often 400 miles from home and don't want that hassle.  Also, there's got to be a reason my terminals are constantly corroded despite getting a BATH in motor oil!  It may be the positive crossover cable, need to check that one of these days.  Is that procedure to start truck, fire up all the electrical load I can, and measure voltage drop from one end to the other of the crossover cable?

[NIsaacs]

6 minutes ago, That Guy said:

 

Man, I'm only at 8. Sounds like I need to pick up the pace.

 

Lol, yes, vehicle poor and that don't count the recoil start

 

6 gassers, car, pickup, two quads, garden tractor and brush cutter. 7 diesels, 3 pickups, 3 tractors and a Bobcat. Then 2 dump trailers and 2 car trailers with winches. I think that is 17

[That Guy]

You sound like my neighbor, except, he has a trailer that has a battery on it for a winch too.

10 minutes ago, LorenS said:

My Wal-Mart batteries actually seem to be okay, but since I'm not certain of it they're getting replaced (though put on the shelf with a maintainer).  I'm often 400 miles from home and don't want that hassle.  Also, there's got to be a reason my terminals are constantly corroded despite getting a BATH in motor oil!  It may be the positive crossover cable, need to check that one of these days.  Is that procedure to start truck, fire up all the electrical load I can, and measure voltage drop from one end to the other of the crossover cable?

From my Deka sales days, the lead is porous enough for the acid to wick up over time. The terminals are supposed to have some sort of coating or some treatment to make them not wick. What that is, I do not remember.  

[Mopar1973Man]

2 hours ago, LorenS said:

It may be the positive crossover cable, need to check that one of these days.  Is that procedure to start truck, fire up all the electrical load I can, and measure voltage drop from one end to the other of the crossover cable?

 

Yes. You can measure voltage drop along the main power cable. Like I verified my ground cables and have a mere 3mV drop (0.003 volts) from end to end of both ground cables. Basically BLACK probe on NEG post then RED probe cable on clean metal of the block. 

 

Same can be done with positive cables. Again RED probe on the battery terminal and black probe at the next positive terminal it should never rise over 0.2 Volt under load. The article uses the starter to load the cable. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Mopar1973Man

[LorenS]

24 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

should never rise over 0.2 Volt under load

And that right there is the useful information we all love about this site!  Read and learned so much here I forgot there's an article about it.

[Mopar1973Man]

1 minute ago, LorenS said:

And that right there is the useful information we all love about this site!  Read and learned so much here I forgot there's an article about it.

 

Now that I found it again...

 

[LorenS]

Just now, Mopar1973Man said:

Now that I found it again...

I just did, too.  I tried to give it five stars, but it won't allow me to rate the article, FYI.

[Mopar1973Man]

6 minutes ago, LorenS said:

I just did, too.  I tried to give it five stars, but it won't allow me to rate the article, FYI.

 

Looking into it. Most likely a permission switch over looked. 

[dave110]

5 hours ago, NIsaacs said:

 

I am a fan of East Penn/Deka (Napa) batteries. With 17 vehicles that use batteries I am always buying a battery

 

For a small town we have a large choice in batteries here. Walmart, Ace Hardware, Napa, O'Reilly, AutoZone and Car Quest. I generally buy Napa.

I like DEKA too. They are made right here outside of Reading, and Iowa as well. I know a number of people who work there so I like to support them and the local company whenever possible. They make a darn good battery too.

[Tambs]

Not to bring up an old thread, but this seems to be the place for battery discussions.  
 

Someone mentioned Costco’s interstate batteries weren’t all that great on quality.  This still hold true?   Going to pick up a couple this weekend and theirs are $93 each while Wally World’s EverStart battery is $120.    Both are 810 CCA with a 3-year warranty.  If the consensus is that the differences are negligible, then I’d just as soon keep the extra $54 in my pocket.   

[LorenS]

I can't imagine that a Wal-Mart battery is worth 29% more than a Costco battery. I bought two DEKA Gold batteries for around $135 each, including sales tax. To me that's worth a premium, but not Everstart.

[Dieselfuture]

I got Walmart batteries not long ago and they were around 80 bucks a piece, you sure you're looking at the right group 27 is what I believe I got. Unless they went up in price recently like everything else.