[moovet]

I never seem to get more then 3 years outta the mortercraft and wallmart brands(I power a 1 c.f. refridgerator about 6-8hrs a day,engine off. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif) does optima make a battery for the 6.0 and how do you like them..?

 

[jdadamsjr]

Yes they do....
looked into it but was talked out of it by a lot of people that had tried them as overpriced and underperforming....

 

[teamroper60]

I was told the correct Optima battery for our trucks is the 34-78. Unlike JohnboyII, they were recommended to me as a darn good set of batteries, albeit very expensive ones. I am thinking of going with them myself.

 

[moovet]

Thanks teamroper,
I've heard good things too, mine get a lot of county road hostility if you know what i mean and the load i put on em, And maybe i am wrong but these 6.0's seem to need more juice then my 7.3's?..
j.schall

 

[noa1794]

Optima is a whole different technology. They are not your usual batteries. You can mount them just about anywhere including upside down. They are acid impregnated cotton-wrap inside, if memory serves, and there is no free standing acid in them. This makes them just about vibration proof which makes them great for severe off roaders ala Baja. But I think you might be looking for more COLD CRANKING AMPS than these put out. Nobody says you are limited to just 2 batteries. You can weld battery boxes on underneath and run 3 or x many. Batteries with max cold cranking amps is probably what you are looking for.

I had to leave my SD at an airport parking lot 2 years ago. When I got back my batteries were dead. The airport guys could not start me with a jump from their one battery gasser, it did not have enough juice. It took 2 to get it cranking and this was at about 45F degrees so, yes, it take some juice to kick them over.

 

[haul_n_horses2]

[ QUOTE ]
But I think you might be looking for more COLD CRANKING AMPS than these put out.

[/ QUOTE ]Look at these commercial yellow tops with 900 CCA.

 

[Runk]

FYI: I put a 6 volt Optima in my old Cat motor grader one day when I was feeling warm and fuzzy about how great a job the old machine does on our road....thought it would help get the pony engine to start easier than the old funky regular 6 volt which is God only knows how old.....
The Optima was touted as having alot of power etc...
The Optima cranks OK, but no better than the old battery, it definately does not crank as long nor will it hold a charge as long as the old battery. So?? Been meaning to put the old battery back in...
Just my limited experience with only one Optima.
And, it cost $120.
Today I went out and bought TWO deep cycle RV bats for the horse trailer for $107 (with tax for both).
Whatever floats your boat, friend. If you buy em for your truck I hope you fare better than I did.
Take care,
Runk

 

[teamroper60]

Well, I stand corrected.......... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/phoney.gif

The 34-78 does not fit in our trucks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif At least not and let you retain the cover over the driver's side battery/PCM. How do I know?? I bought two of them tonite and went to install them and discovered that they will not fit with the cover over them, unless you cut the flange behind the negative post (the one that holds the positive cable up and away from the negative post).... Even then, the battery is enough smaller that the slots on either side of the posts leave a huge opening on each end.....

Does anyone know if Optima makes a longer battery with sufficient CCA's for these trucks??

 

[moovet]

Teamroper,
on their website their was something about an adapter or something for 04's you might have a look 1-88-867-8462 is their number i wrote down, planned on calling them tommorow..
j.schall

 

[mike12150]

Try getting at least a Marine deep cycle battery if you dont want to spring for the optima. I have never owned an optima but have had great luck with marine batteries for cycling them back in the days of large car stereos.

 

[teamroper60]

[ QUOTE ]
Teamroper,
on their website their was something about an adapter or something for 04's you might have a look 1-88-867-8462 is their number i wrote down, planned on calling them tommorow..
j.schall

[/ QUOTE ]

Let me know what you find out. I would be intersted to see what they recommend to fit and allow you to keep the battery cover intact (something I feel is important, since the PCM is also covered by that cover). The 34-78 comes with an adapter to attach to the bottom of the battery to allow the hold down to grab it. That part works as it should, but the battery it's self is just too small and the posts too close together for it to fit. We are gonna need a longer battery, with wider spacing on the posts in order to fit correctly. I looked at their website, but didn't see the anything (probably missed it somewhere) and their battery search indicates they don't have a battery for our trucks.... If they tell you they have one, I sure would like to know what it is.

 

[062283]

FWIW, I have been using Optima's for almost 20 years in all of my vehicles. They have consistently outperformed regular wet cell batteries in my experience. The only down side is they are $$$.

 

[Glow_Plug]

If you want deeper discharge capabilities, most of the benefits of the Optimas with higher capacity, then consider getting a set of standard AGM batteries. They are a true maintenance free battery that should last a long time.

LifeLine/Concord makes an excellent line of AGM batteries.

 

[ploogs]

I've used nothing but Yellow Tops in my other truck, beat the heck out of the truck and the batteries for that matter. Had great results. Lot's of days of cranking the stereo for hours at a time. My Van has 2 Lifeline AGM's as house batteries. Been happy with their performance so far.

 

[DouglasH]

When I was looking for a high out alt for my boat every one of them asked if I was using Optima batteries. When I asked why most of them would say with the higher output of the alt there was a possibility of explosion. Something like the Optima would keep taking a charge after it was fully charged. I AM NOT AN EXPERT AND HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THIS MYSELF. IF YOU HAVE OPTIMA BATTERIES, I AM NOT SAYING IT WILL HAPPEN. Just passing on what I have been told.

BTW: The alt I purchased is a 210 amp alt and was told not to use Optima or Optima like batteries with this and if I can find the installation instructions it also says the same.
.

 

[062283]

That wouldn't be good. I had an acid battery go bang one time after a voltage regulator failed. It's a wonder I didn't have a wreck it scared me so bad. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/phoney.gif

On a similar note, I was told not to use the Optima in my VW TDI because the higher CCA's cause the computers to go goofy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif