agm batteries and charger

[dogsbestfriend]

hello gang, i am in need of new trolling motor batteries. i would like to hear what you guys think about the agm batteries, and the chargers that they require. its quite a bit of money. these batteries would be used in my river boat. i have read that they hold a charge longer and last for a few more years. can i hear your experience with them? thanks

[Brian]

AGMs are great and don't require special chargers (you're thinking gel cells which need special chargers). Their biggest advantages are zero maintenance and they can be used in any position. If you do barrel rolls off of cruiser wakes in the summer time you don't have to worry about your batteries leaking.

I've had them before and they were trouble free and long lasting. If you can afford them and want them, go for it. I can afford them but decided they were not worth the price premium and put cheap batteries in my current boat.

[striperjohn]

Hey Dogs... do a little research and you'll find AGM's don't do well when overcharged. A buddy put two in his boat and apparently ruined them with and old charger in a year. At their cost that's tough. Some older chargers will jump right up to 15 volts when detecting a low battery voltage and AGM's can't handle something like 14.2 volts. Good thing about them is being able to install them in just about any plane and they work. But charging is the main issue with them. Trojan Battery website and just about any other battery site has info on charging them. Just and fyi.

[prodigal]

I agree with them being near bulletproof. As far as the long lasting charge, batteries from Advance Auto held charge just as long. Also stored both types for a few months through the winter, checked the charge on both, the AGM'S had a little more in them, but not enough to merit the cost.

[steviejayvaughan]

I don't have any experience using them, but Sams club has Group 31 AGM batteries for $180 last I checked. Still not as cheap as a lead acid, but worth trying at that price.

[mwardncsu]

Jan 23, 2016 11:47:27 GMT -5 steviejayvaughan said:

I don't have any experience using them, but Sams club has Group 31 AGM batteries for $180 last I checked. Still not as cheap as a lead acid, but worth trying at that price.

That's a good deal for a Grp 31 AGM if its a quality battery. The ones I've always seen the best reviews on are the Sears DieHard Platinum AGMs - but they are not cheap either - hard to justify 2X unless it truly will last 2X or more longer. I've also heard good things about the Cabelas AGM's, but they have non-standard terminals

[steviejayvaughan]

They are Duracell which is Deka or EastPenn manufacturer. The Sears seem to be Oddysey made by Enersys Batteries.

[dogsbestfriend]

thanks for the reply's. the 31 group i now have are from orielly, lead acid, 2-3 years old, $135. they dont hold the charge near as good as they use to. i looked online at sams club , for the duracells but didnt see them. i have read good things about them.

[dogsbestfriend]

just went to sams club website again, found them , reminds me of looking for stripers, here one day , gone the next

[BentRod]

I have the 27grp Duracells - they were ok for about a year. They'll still run my boat for 5-8hrs, but if I fish a full or windy day, I'm struggling. They're over 2yrs old now - course they weren't put through near the abuse that I normally put batteries through. I need a new cranking battery and bait tank battery immediately and then trollers are on the list - it's hell being poor.

[steviejayvaughan]

Jan 23, 2016 21:45:28 GMT -5 BentRod said:

I have the 27grp Duracells - they were ok for about a year. They'll still run my boat for 5-8hrs, but if I fish a full or windy day, I'm struggling. They're over 2yrs old now - course they weren't put through near the abuse that I normally put batteries through. I need a new cranking battery and bait tank battery immediately and then trollers are on the list - it's hell being poor.

Were they the Duracell agm's or the lead acid?

[BentRod]

Lead

[dogsbestfriend]

i know all about being poor, money wise

[striperjohn]

Hey dogs... obviously there are many opinions on batteries. Since the internet (thank God Al Gore invented it ) I just look up marine battery tests etc and you can find out a great deal of info on them as I'm sure you know. But most batteries are made by three big companies in the U.S. When they come down the production line a different label is placed on the same battery, with sears going to the left and Delco to the right etc etc. Saw that on "how it's made" show on the tube. That's why to hear one guy say he prefers Delco over this or that battery--most times they're made by the same dang company off the same production line. If you have some old batteries pull that label off and underneath many of them you'll see production, type, and model numbers that you can compare. Pretty interesting in that some companies charge 20.00 more for the same dang battery. I think you're paying for their name.
   I've had great Delcos, and great Sears, and some incredible Napa's but all in all it depends so much on how you use them and how you take care of them. Just my 2 cents worth.

[dogsbestfriend]

yeah i read some old post on here ( i think ) telling about the you tube video, and the three battery companies. i use to use delco voyager, they were great. that was years ago.thanks for all the replys