Duel Batteries???

[poppatello]

I started playing around with the Cj again. It's been about a month since I started her up and the last time the battery needed a jump. Well this time it wouldn't do anything. I noticed the terminals were a bit dirty so I tried to pull the terminals off to clean them and I popped the positive battery post off the battery!

I just removed the positive battery cable from the solenoid and left it on the battery. When I pulled it out the tray was in pretty bad shape so I figure I mind as well replace it.

Now the question is do I install a duel battery tray or do I not need two batteries? The only really thing I will have on the jeep will be the old Warn 8274 and OBA. The OBA will be belt driven though. I will have two windshield hinge mounted lights as well.

I was thinking of just getting a color top battery and installing a high output alternator instead of running two batteries. I know there was a post somewhere about the Junkyard electrical junkie about wiring and no need for duel batteries. I want to know what you folks are doing though.

Duel tray is 200 bucks vs 40 for the OEM single tray...

 

[Torxhead]

If you do a lot of serious winching go for the dual battery setup. For just an occasional tug for getting yourself or someone out of trouble one battery will be just fine. I don't think that there are too many "Winch required" trails out there anyway. Your wiring sounds like it could use some help also. When you are winching keep an eye on the voltmeter though, since a lot of use can drain a battery quite easily. My Warn 9500 draws 425 amps at full load. I don't think much of those high output alternators since a battery can only charge at a certain rate.

 

[mtnwhlr]

I think is's all in the batt you run I only use Optima red our yellow in every thing I have they cost more but you get what you pay for.

 

[coldair]

My CJ5 I ran dual batteries I used it for wielding. Also like Torxhead said works good for A LOT of winching.

 

[poppatello]

Well I don't plan to do a whole lot of winching. I also was talking about the Optima batteries when I said color top. Just not sure which one yet...

 

[Rippin]

I've had the same yellow top behind a 200 amp alternator powering a wall of 4 15's in my truck since '06, and I'm not easy on it lol. I will never use anything but Optima's, it's an outstanding battery. The red top is more oriented for a daily driving scenario, it has the highest cold cranking amps of the 3. The yellow top is dual purpose, starting and deep cycle, designed for scenarios like my truck or for offroad vehicles, it also is deep cycle

 

[poppatello]

Man, I was going to get an Optima battery and have always wanted one but I saw this thread on the JP Forum...

best battery for Jeep CJ - JeepForum.com

 

[Torxhead]

I would rate the Optima just as good as any of the other high end batteries, I had one for 11 years though. There are other things that can cause a battery to go bad like poor charging and bad connections.

 

[poppatello]

I agree, but I also don't like the fact it is now China made? I haven't confirmed this though. When did you purchase your battery???

 

[Torxhead]

The Optima that I have now has only been in the CJ for 5 years, 11 on the previous one. 8 years for the one in my Dodge truck. I also have copper battery and eye terminals with #2 wires in the CJ with a#8 for the charge wire. I'm sure most of the high end batteries would be similiar, I replaced the one in my CJ when I was getting some low readings on a battery load tester and I needed a good one for an upcoming trip. So, i'm really not sure how much longer it would have lasted.

 

[Rippin]

...I also have copper battery and eye terminals with #2 wires in the CJ with a#8 for the charge wire...

That brings up a good point. I think that the longevity of a battery has alot to do with the rest of your charging system too. I have platinum coated copper terminals in my truck with #0 wires from the battery negative to the body and frame, and from my alternator to the battery. The easier electricity flows throughout your vehicle, the longer the battery is gonna last.

...I don't think much of those high output alternators since a battery can only charge at a certain rate.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this point however. Alternators serve a much higher purpose than just charging your battery. When your vehicle is running, it is the main source of power. That's why you can completely remove your battery once the vehicle is running. Ideally your alternator's output should be as close as possible to the total constant draw of your vehicle, so that power is drawn completely from the alt and the battery is left to charge, which is another factor that increases battery life; the less it is used, the longer it will last.

Now obviously the same can't be said for things like winching setups, which can draw anywhere from 2-5 times your average alternators output capacity. But that's not a draw that is always prevalent while the vehicle is running either, so in the grand scheme of battery longevity it doesn't have a big effect so long as you have an alternator with a high enough amperage rating that once you are done winching the load can be taken off of the battery and the alt can resume providing the power to the vehicle and charge the battery back up for the next time you need a heavy demand from it.

So yes, batteries do only charge at a certain rate, however you also have to take into account the rest of your vehicle's electrical system. After all of the added amperage draw from lights and stereo equipment and other high demand add on stuff, there still has to be enough amperage to charge the battery, more-so if you run a dual battery setup