Big Beefy Batteries for Hi-Jets.

I have got quite a few Vans and Pickups at the yard that I often have to play " Musical Vans " with to get at another one. All of them have got almost dead batteries and every time out with a Jump Battery and leads getting up to four all running so as to move them --- and then one cuts out so out with the Jumpleads again. 
I got to explosion point yesterday and just HAD to bite the bullet and bought FIVE new Batteries. I phoned a couple of our Local Motor Factors and gave them the MAXIMUM sizes I could stuff in the Battery Box of a van and the same for a Pickup.

One of them --Dorset Auto Spares didnt even bother phoning back despite ME PHONING THEM BACK TWICE. Thankfully  S.E.S. Autoparts DID. So VERY helpful. They found me both sizes I wanted. The van one is the full width of the box and about 40 cms shorter than the box. Any longer and the positive battery lead would be trapped against the box side. There is about 15mm clearance on top of the battery. It is an Exide EB 704 and is 70Ah and 540 Amps . My battery that has served me faultlessly for the past two and a half years is 35Ah and 300 Amps -- just under half the NEW one which is now on a  Van I have sold as the battery on that was almost useless. 

The Pick up Battery they supplied fits snugly in the Carrier lengthwise and is a bit higher but it sticks out 15mm of the Carrier but I can live with that. 
That one is an Exide EB 620 and is 62Ah and 540 Amps. 

With winter sadly on its way and lights and heater on full blast these Heavy Duty Batteries will be a help especially if you have a tired Battery. Then hopefully these reference numbers can be cross referenced to another Manufacturers numbers. My MPV certainly burst into life tonight sounding like the starter was Turbocharged. 

Oh yes, obviously living on an Island most things are dearer compared to " Over the Water" but I bought the two Van Batteries ( 70Ah ) at £50 each and the three 62Ah ones at £40 each. How does that compare to where you live ?? I dont think I was robbed but we ALWAYS want it just that bit cheaper whatever the price --- and I do love a good haggle over prices.

i got new battery last year £38 cant remember amps but has been good,but think starter is on way out (do you have any) think its realy just the brushes need changing if they can be change on these

Saw a 45ah Exide recently for about £45 but mine was ok anyway.

nice info Woody, i would say the price is about right, you may get them slightly cheaper on ebay if you can be bothered to wait for them to be delivered etc.

So 70Ah 520amps for fifty pounds is definitely good value.
It is honestly years since I actually bought a battery  and that was around £23.

As I am always buying and selling and scrapping vans so usually I have got a few reasonable batteries I can use. So to have to fork out for five batteries was somewhat traumatic .
But so glad I have as I can just get in the sales vans and not get angry with the damn thing coz it has got a flat battery again.

Make sure you leave them running for 30 minutes

There's not enough Petrol left in the tanks for that Matt. !!
Funnily I have done that -- and more -- to top the charge up in the batteries.

I have the same problem, there are a couple of cars I store in my workshop - every morning I pull them out onto a parking space - every night I put them back in the garage. A week later the battery is on its arse

Damn nuisance having to play Musical Cars each day and even more of a beggar when I have to push them or tow them when there isn't anyone around to steer it.

Hence the batteries which I will need on vehicles at home anyway to bring them over here to the Workshop as soon as I have got rid of four more scrappers.

That pickup I mentioned last month with the perfect Headlights is still after two months unsold so tomorrow I am going to go and wave some Fifty Pound notes under their nose and see if I can buy it for £350 or at worse £400 purely for the headlights.
The top end is cooked but there are a few spares I need myself to warrant buying it. May put the headlights out to auction.

Going back to the pick up with superb headlights I

went over to see them yesterday evening and against my better judgement waved 8 £50 notes under their nose and was turned down.

We are not in a hurry to sell it !!  
At £500 you won't. I went back a little later after they were closed and had a better look all over it. There is virtually nothing on it useable or saleable
except the lights, starter and alternator and a fuel tank that I need myself.

So definitely no headlights coming my way.

What a bunch of stupid pillocks. That's the problem dealing with bigger companies. It is just figures on a sheet of paper.

Do you think they'd notice if you swopped them over one night.....?

I think the Solent Battery of cameras they have on their premises just might pick up my six foot form on their heat sensors. I am not saying I am hot stuff, but ----    
,

Go smash all the windows on it and slash the tyres - then its got to be worth £200 !!!!

Hmmm. That's what they deserve Matt. I don't know what planet they are on. I forgot to add that I heard someone out the back mutter that if they don't get £500 it can go to the scrapyard.
Well go it will I guess as my offer now is down to £350 in the unlikely event of them contacting me. Damn shame with such a shortage of headlights. I can't justify paying £500 for it. I would have to get £350 for the headlights to make it viable.

It may pay to get a few of the solar panel chargers to keep the batteries topped up just disconnect them before you start up or they won't last very long.

Get a big enouigh panel, raid the washing machine for the motor and you can say goodbye to Head Gasket and coolant issues forever.  Well, as long as the sun shines anyway:

hi woody, im going to order myself one of those batteries for the van, i take it they have the posts and connect the same as the pissy little battery im getting rid of?!

Hi daisy. Yes the terminals are the correct layout and they are the proper, large terminal ones too.
Not the stupid pencil size Japanese ones.

i recently bought a new battery
i wanted to put in a bigger one than the standard.
the guy from the batteryshop said that was a bad idea because my altenator couldnt handle that size..

so thats nonsense if i read this
you guys drive around with bigger batteries ?

That's a new one on me Scotia.
How does he reckon an alternator copes with charging two batteries on a split charging system on a Camper where you have one battery for the vehicle and  the other,  a leisure battery for the camper lights and accessories.
Leisure batteries are designed to deliver a low amperage supply over a longer period and we all know what is expected of the vehicle battery.

I have had cars that I have put four 150w spotlights on and 130/100w headlight bulbs in so with all that on that's over 1kw of lighting .
I had two batteries on them too coupled in parallel. It's keeping up with the load like that,  that kills an alternator. Not charging a bigger  battery.
Unless anyone knows any different.

mmm wel that sucks then.
i believed the guy from the shop without any doubt
because i dont know anything about power/electricite and well.. thats his department.

but he was wrong
f###g half ass service everywhere now a days pfff

My 70amp alternator on my boat charges one engine start battery and the domestic bank with a pair of 110 amp/hour batteries via a switched relay, so I think your man in the shop is talking bollo may want to re-appraise his advice

woody wrote:
Unless anyone knows any different.

This is a complex issue.

Hijets have a very weak alternator, something like 40amp I think (ask Dino, he is getting very clued up on this as he keeps burning out alternators running his lighting rigs) - so a total output of 480 watts for a stock alternator.

Trying to charge a mostly discharged leisure battery, while running the ignition system, fuel system, heaters, lighting, etc, etc - this is working the alternator very hard.

A good indicator to see if you are overloading you alternator is to watch you battery/system voltage. If it is falling below about 12.8 volts, then you are overloading the alternator and thus reducing its life span.

I have no simple little answer to this topic, but ballencing typical loading to the correct alternator size is important - ask Dino - he has unknowingly failed in this department!

Eloquently put Matt. My understanding of what Scotia was told was that putting a bigger battery on would damage the alternator.
Provided the battery is good and as he would have been supplying a new battery then an alternator will charge it to 14.4volts and maximum amperage or storage capacity and automatically adjusts the output as the battery fills up or drains.

As you and I agree it's the load you are putting on the alternator if the load exceeds the output of the alternator then you start running the battery storage down and overloading the output of the alternator and as you rightly say the alternator can't cope and eventually burns out as D1noh is finding out.
Finding a larger output Alternator that fits the small amount of room seems to be the biggest problem at the moment.

Correct, I am having the problem with burning alternators out, the Hijet uses a 40amp alternater, I run a 230amp starter battery which is charged up at the end of a nights work so fully charged, the lights are approx. 300 watt = 25 amp so should give me 6 hours without the engine running, I have the engine running as the vehicle needs to be moved around, Kenlowe fan (8mp) side lights and a led beacon is swithched on, A clamp on meter tells me I am pulling anything from 30 to 37 amp, I can tell you that you can't touch the alternator as it is that hot

Well with a little bit of cutting and welding I think I have the answer to your problem. Give me a call.

Maybe Dino,

To give yourself a little bit of free slack, you could change lots of the Hijets lights like Tail bulbs, side lights, brake like, dash lights for LED replacements?

Might be able to find another 5 amp or so in there.

Can you rig up a voltage meter to the fag lighter or something next time your burning all these candles ?

I do love this lighting tower alot!!

Seems a properly pish output, is the one fitted to the Granny Mover or the Sportrack any better?
(assumin they fit)

The casting bracketry  is different Logi on the Grand Move. Matt reckons that later models poke out 70amp. I have a 1600 engine out of a T reg one so am going to check out the numbers on the alternator.

D1noh  and I talked at length  last night mooting a few ideas  including mine of fitting an additional Alternator.

I have also discovered in the past that holding engine revs at around 1800 - 2000 rpm drops engine temp by 4-5 degrees and at that speed keeps the engine temp steady at halfway on the gauge which stops the engine fan kicking in draining power.
Go over 2000 and temp climbs and on tick over it climbs as water pump isn't turning fast enough.  A larger bottom pulley would  help that in that both pump and Alternator would run faster and assist with  cooling and output lower down the Rev range.

But we are still back to actual output  problems - needing a beefier alternator.

Annoyingly enough I have a 993 engine that has a Poly V pulley ( 5 groove flat drive belt usually used on power steering layouts )  on the front of the bottom pulley that could be used to drive an additional Alternator  but 993 pulley and 1300 are different. Ho-hum!!