Hi guys, with the cold rolling in it looks like my truck (DA63tT) need a new battery. I added a 12v hydraulic power pack to activate the dump bed I just finished building. Looking at the amp draw on the pump, I will draw more power than the alternator can produce so if I do a lot of dumping on a short interval I will be draining the battery down. So my plan is to switch to a bigger battery and use a deep cycle one. If it gets too low I can simply put it on the charger during the night and it will be ready next morning for more action. And since regular batteries are not made to be emptied and charged back thats why I want to use deep a deep cycle battery. The down side is they dont produce as much CCA as a regular battery. I know I can upgrade the alternator but I want to see how much I can do with just the battery upgrade. Here are my questions: 1-How much CCA (cold crank amp) does a stock minitruck battery produce. 2-Anyone running AGM battery? I want to find out how big of a deep cycle battery I need in order to at least match the CCA the stock battery produce. Thanks
I load tested a seemingly good stock battery at 160 CCA, and a U1 or U1R lawn mower battery at 275 CCA worked just fine for a daily driver, after I sulfated the original after leaving the lights on. The alternator will keep up to a hydraulic power unit, at least with lights and heater fan off... The only other thing you could do is use a DC-DC charger and a second battery for the bed hydraulics. No need for a deep cycle. but a couple lawnmower batteries would work fine
That is the best way to handle the oversized electrical load. As an isolated circuit, will not leave you stranded even if pull the voltage down far enough in that circuit, will not kill the ignition in your truck system. Could be a big safety factor, especially if you do any use during the night or remote areas. Give some serious thought to this option. Fred
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I looked at the DC-DC charger in the past took another look and decided to go with a single deep cycle battery. If I add up the cost of two batteries and the charger it goes up pretty fast. I only use the truck aroud the property so getting stranded is not a real issue for me. I can go the DC charger way if this setup does not work later on. I will buy a group 24 marine battery from interstate with 550 CCA so it will be more than enough to start it in the winter. I will have to fab up a new battery box but I can live with that.
