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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I am going to be purchasing a new battery for my trolling motor in the next couple of days. I want to hook it in a series with the existing battery I have to lengthen my trolling motor power. I was told, and I believe it's to some extent true, that nearly all batteries are equal and about three different companies make them all. Basically I'm a battery, in fact all electrical, idiot and this time I want to buy the right battery.
What I want to know is
1. Is there a better brand of battery or is the shelf brand at Fleet Farm as good as any?
2. What specs should I be looking for to maximize the time I get out of my trolling motor.
Thanks for helping a +/- challenged fool. |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | Norm,
If the battery you already have has been used much at all, I wouldn't hook a new one to it.
If it doesn't hold a charge like a new one does, it will turn the new battery you're going to buy into junk.
Batteries have a memory, and if you hook them in series, all the batteries in a series are as only good as the weakest one. Sure, you'll get more life out of the two, but you'd get a lot better power if you bought two new batteries....which sucks.
But I don't know how old the battery you're using now is. |
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | Phish is right, you would be better getting either one new "super" battery or two cheaper ones. If your "old" battery isn't that old, and had been maintained well, you should not have any problem hooking another one in series.
Too bad your in eastern Wisconsin, I am in Mpls. and have two BIG Interstate Deep Cycles that are only one year old. I have upgraded and switched to Trojans -- All batteries are not the same!
If your not in a hurry and have any plans to be in the area, let me know. $50 for the set. Each costs $90 new. |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | They are not all equal. You do get what you pay for. When comparing batteries take a look at the reserve capacity of each battery which is measured in minutes. For example, Group 27 Interestates at your local Wally World I believe are 140 or 160 min reserve capacity. Trojan Group 27 batteries are 200 minute reserve capacity and Trojan SC225's are 225 minute reserve capacity. www.trojanbattery.com has a comparison matrix for most major brands on their site. If you live in the chicago market, Battery Service Corp will sell them wholesale to you for about $78/ea and will deliver them to your house and pick up your old ones at no extra charge. |
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Posts: 355
Location: Wausau, Wisconsin | |
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Posts: 355
Location: Wausau, Wisconsin | Without a doubt Trojan batteries far exceed any other battery. Everyone I know that fishes the RCL and has to use 74 and 101 pound maxuums all day wouldn't use anything else. They last long by day and by life. The most important thing to look for is mins. The SCS225 from Trojan I believe has 120 reserve mins which is outstanding. Good luck. |
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Posts: 5874
| Lead-acid batteries DO NOT have memory! You said you were going to connect in series with your existing battery. Do you have a 12V TM, or a 24V? Series connction yields 24V. However, if you connect batteries in parallel(12V), and you have an older, weak battery, the older battery may affect the performance of the new one. Ideal would be to get 2 new ones, and get the best you can afford.
Edited by Shep 6/10/2003 1:20 PM
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Sorry Shep, I did mean parallel. My old battery is not that bad, it starts to peter out on a windy ten hour day(running it on 5-6+ all day,), but in regular outings has well over half a charge left after ten hours (running it on 3-4). I don't want to junk the battery yet. Would I be better off running them seperately and then switching batteries when one starts to lose juice?
Edited by nwild 6/10/2003 1:59 PM
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Posts: 33
| As a matter of fact, Farm and Fleet carries Optima batteries, which most big guns, like the Lindners and several pro walleye guys, swear by. The physics of how these batteries are made give them a huge advantage in holding charge, but they don't give them away. Another trick is to buy two batteries and hook them in parallel to double your reserve, but that doubles your weight and space requirement as well. Check out some of the other boards for discussion about the Optima (I have no problems with mine). Mark |
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Posts: 5874
| NWild,
If you get that time out of your battery, I'd go ahead and get one more like it, and connect them in parallel. See what happens. As long as you keep the charger on in between trips, you'll probably be fine.
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