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Depends on how cold it gets where you are. Cranking a cold engine takes lots of amps.
Do you have a Costco nearby, They sell batteries that meet the 850 CCA rating last time I checked.
If you never get below zero temps, and plug the block heater in a few hours before starting, you could probably get by with 810 CCA.
 

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'02 7.3L Excursion 3.73 Warn Hubs AutoTranny
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last time I was at Sam's Club, their batteries were shy on the CCA.

I bought a couple of Walmart 850 CCA batteries and they are doing just fine here.
3 Year Warranty, free replacement, not prorated.
and they were about $220 for the pair IIRC

Looked at Odyssey, $350 each? nope, not for me.


Musical instrument accessory Gas Audio equipment Machine Kitchen appliance
 

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My problem with battery warranties is that a store that I purchased them at or who will honor their warranty is never near me when they fail.

I am also a believer that the higher CCA batteries will last longer than the lower ones.

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My problem with battery warranties is that a store that I purchased them at or who will honor their warranty is never near me when they fail.

I am also a believer that the higher CCA batteries will last longer than the lower ones.

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that is Precisely why I chose Walmart, they are Every Where.

I bought a LifeTime warranty on RV Tires from Discount Tires.....
to me, I thought they were Nation Wide....
ummm, not so, just in the Greater Southwest it seems.
 

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I have settled on Motorcraft as being my battery of choice over the years. Never disappointed me.

Their 850 CCA version is what I use. Usually get what you pay for in battery quality.
 

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Believe it or not I have had great luck with Motorcraft batteries. The stock ones sucked but I replaced mine with new ones and no problems.
My first set or the original Motorcraft batteries lasted close to 10 years. The second set of batteries that I purchased were again Motorcraft. They were bad and dead after 6 years. I now have a set of Autozone Durlast Golds that are going on 11 years.

It as I have always said, batteries are a crap shoot. Even with good ones.
 

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Over the years, battery brands switched manufacturers, as well as there was some consolidation (buy outs) in the industry. So even Motorcraft likely switched manufacturers (low bid and all that).
Johnson Controls was one of the largest battery manufacturers with multiple brands including Optima from 1978 till 2018 when it sold that division to a company now called Clarion. They once supplied Costco brand batteries, which I've had good luck with. They are the major manufacturer for Motorcraft batteries.
Exide is one of the longest existing manufacturers with roots tracing back to the 1880's. They once supplied batteries to Sears, but were convicted of fraud for selling used or defective batteries as new.
Interstate was founded in the '50's. They are not a manufacturer, but a marketer of Clarion, Exide and other manufacturers batteries.
 

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Interstate was founded in the '50's. They are not a manufacturer, but a marketer of Clarion, Exide and other manufacturers batteries.
my EZ Go golf car has the OEM Trojan batteries in it, they finally died a few months ago, at something like 17 years old....

I use an extremely expensive battery charger on it, keeps it floated all the time, and never over charges.... that had to have a lot to do with the long life....

when I started pricing batteries for it again, I could NOT afford the Trojan brand, they weren't even available in Tulsa area at all.

so, I bought Interstate in a plain vanilla black case, no clue as to who built them

these are the new batteries
Audio equipment Electrical wiring Gas Auto part Machine



these are the old ones

Cuisine Luggage and bags Cake Rectangle Bag



this is the charger

Automotive tire Motor vehicle Water Bumper Gas


the EZ Go charger is a Selenium Rectifier and a Transformer,
it hit the batteries with 25 amps all the time until they reached a certain voltage, then it just turns off, never to monitor float again.... they nearly froze one winter because of that.

then I hit the trail to find a good charger, the Summit is Smart Charger, it charges at 8 amps or less, and then floats the batteries all the time.
 

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Mine are about 6 years old, so I expect to be buying 2 by spring. I'm in a cold climate, so this truck stays plugged in.. It starts fine. batteries are testing at 12.64... testiong them individually. anything lower, I'll replace them.
By the way, everything is expensive these days.. I do the grocery shopping, nothing is going down.
 

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My 6-year-old batteries died at the beginning of this winter. My "smart" charger told me they had an internal short and it wouldn't even try to charge them. My "stupid" charger would charge of course, but the batteries wouldn't pass a load test. I had heard about people "cooking" their batteries with high amperage to bring them back to life. I figured I didn't have anything to lose, so I gave it a shot. Sure enough, the process worked. I could visibly see the sulfation coming off the lead plates in the cells. After hitting them with the high amps, they took a charge and passed the load test. I've been running them all winter since then. I'm sure I just pushed back their inevitable death, but I'm happy to have squeezed a little more life out of them. I've since brought back to life a battery that died about 10 years ago and I'm running it in my skid steer. It didn't work for the 13-year-old battery, though!
 

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Mine are about 6 years old, so I expect to be buying 2 by spring. I'm in a cold climate, so this truck stays plugged in.. It starts fine. batteries are testing at 12.64... testiong them individually. anything lower, I'll replace them.
By the way, everything is expensive these days.. I do the grocery shopping, nothing is going down.
A $100 bill is not the old $20
 

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My 6-year-old batteries died at the beginning of this winter. My "smart" charger told me they had an internal short and it wouldn't even try to charge them. My "stupid" charger would charge of course, but the batteries wouldn't pass a load test. I had heard about people "cooking" their batteries with high amperage to bring them back to life. I figured I didn't have anything to lose, so I gave it a shot. Sure enough, the process worked. I could visibly see the sulfation coming off the lead plates in the cells. After hitting them with the high amps, they took a charge and passed the load test. I've been running them all winter since then. I'm sure I just pushed back their inevitable death, but I'm happy to have squeezed a little more life out of them. I've since brought back to life a battery that died about 10 years ago and I'm running it in my skid steer. It didn't work for the 13-year-old battery, though!
My CTEK charger will fix a sulfated battery. I got it off Amazon for $107 . This is the one I have CTEK MUS 4.3 TEST&CHARGE. On amazon type MUS 4.3 and it will come up
 

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I’m sure the OP has already bought and installed batteries, I’m just not sure there will be much of a cost saving going cheap and undersized. No doubt they’re expensive but if you take the total cost and divide that by their expected service ( 5, 6, 7, or even 8 years the pain isn’t quite as bad. Everything on our diesel trucks is expensive, and hopefully their owners are gaining other benefits (towing, longevity, resale, etc.) 😉
 
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I’m sure the OP has already bought and installed batteries, I’m just not sure there will be much of a cost saving going cheap and undersized. No doubt they’re expensive but if you take the total cost and divide that by their expected service ( 5, 6, 7, or even 8 years the pain isn’t quite as bad. Everything on our diesel trucks is expensive, and hopefully their owners are gaining other benefits (towing, longevity, resale, etc.)
I have a niece who with her husband will spend $20 ten times rather than $200 once for a product that will outlive all the others.

Her dad and I finally convinced them that buying a superior product will benefit them in how long it will last and perform.

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