Trolling Motor Battery

[bmitchell]

I am looking for a new battery and have heard that a wheelchair battery may actually work better and last longer. Does anyone have any experience with this and can either confirm or bust this thought?
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[pa]

I have used a wheel chair battery with my motor for 2 years with no problems. It was used with a Minkota 30 on a Fishcat 4 float tube. I have switched to a Super Fat cat
and a series 27 battery. The chair battery handled things well for me. The motor was only used to get from point A to point B with a little trolling here and there. If you would like to "try before you buy" we could probably work something out. Shoot me a PM if interested.
pa
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I probably was about the first locally to try the smaller battery...on a MinnKota 30. It was a little 33 amp/hour Werker...SLA battery...no maintenance. It was also a deep cycle battery. Some aren't and don't hold up under repeated charge and discharge cycles. Here's a pic. [/#0000ff]

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[inline "33 AH BATTERY.jpg"]

[#0000ff]It was about $85 and weighed 24#. For the comparatively low amp/hour rating it put out a surprising amount of juice and by using it judiciously I never did run it down. But I am happy I upgraded to the larger series 27 I use today. [/#0000ff]
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[rlayton]

I just bought a motor for my pontoon and need a battery. Where do you recommend buying a battery? When I get back to town I will go check out the marine stores and Walmart and all the other usuals, but Im hoping your experience could provide a better alternative.

Thanks
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[flygoddess]

My question is, you guys bought a Werker, you say it works great, but you still up graded...why?
I buy my #27 at Wally World for like $85.
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[Jmaze]

I've gone through a few batteries in my lifetime. Not very many brands I have not tried. Wheel chair batteries work very well, but some are a bit more expensive then others. For one thing they don'last as long. They are designed to be light weight and work every day for a year or 2 (depending on cost the longevity veries greatly) and they do work well. But cost is the big thing. Unless you have a limit on weight. Like if you are using a pontoon or kick boat. I have even used 2, 6 volt batteries in a series, and they work well but needed replacing. If weight is not a constriction, then I suggest Wal-mart specials.

Below is a picture of the three I use. The newest is a 2011, the middle is an 06, and the far left is an 05. I use them all but 3 months of the year. For fishing and duck hunting. They are all in fine working order. The cost was 49.95 for the first one in 05. They go for about 96 after tax with a core deposit. No other batteries have stood the test of time so well, and they are unbeatable for the price.

If money is not an issue here are better batteries for about 50 bucks more. If weight is an issue I would run 2 6 volt batteries in a series. But my first canoe battery has out lasted several motors (not all the motors have been mine) and even if it crapped out tomorrow was worth 5 times the price.
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[The_Red_Leaker]

I'm selling this one for $70.00. I bought it a month or so ago and no longer need it. Still have the receipt for warranty purposes as well. It is a group 27. Let me know if it is what you're after...
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[OldTroller]

FWIW I just checked the Cabelas site and they have the Advanced Angler AGM 24 Series on sale for $139. That's the one I use and recommend.

A wheel chair battery will not come close to the durability of a dedicated trolling motor battery.

I have had them all. The Walmart battery, the Optima and the Cabelas deep cycle. The Cabelas Deep cycle has outlasted every other battery. Well worth the extra money too.

So here's the thing. There're two kinds of batteries (with some variations of course) sealed and regular. The regular ones need water added to them often i.e. every other charge or three. The sealed ones never need water of any kind added to them.

The Sealed type run longer. That means you're on the water longer. Is that worth the extra money? It is to me. Besides the fact that the Cabelas battery has lasted three times longer than the Walmart battery I tried first. So it was/is cheaper in the long run and is a better battery the whole time you own it.
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[TubeDude]

[quote flygoddess]My question is, you guys bought a Werker, you say it works great, but you still up graded...why?
I buy my #27 at Wally World for like $85.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Duhhhh...for more power...longer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I bought the one I got merely as an experiment...to see just how long it would perform. Obviously, with only 33 amp/hours it does not last as long as a series 27 with over 120 amp hours.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[quote rlayton]I just bought a motor for my pontoon and need a battery. Where do you recommend buying a battery? When I get back to town I will go check out the marine stores and Walmart and all the other usuals, but Im hoping your experience could provide a better alternative.

Thanks[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Walmart has good batteries...and a good warrantee. And good prices. But they also have several types and different price ranges. Whatever you do, don't buy a battery based on starting amps. You don't want a battery that is not 100% deep cycle. Car batteries will lose capacity and die within a few complete drain and recharge cycles.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A lot of us tubers have "hooked up" with the AGM deep cycle batteries sold by Cabelas. The AGM technology makes for hundreds more up and down cycles on the battery before they die. Ultimately that is what it is all about...reliable performance over a longer period of time. Not all batteries are created equal.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Old Troller gave some good info.[/#0000ff]
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[dubob]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]A lot of us tubers have "hooked up" with the AGM deep cycle batteries sold by Cabelas. The AGM technology makes for hundreds more up and down cycles on the battery before they die. Ultimately that is what it is all about...reliable performance over a longer period of time. Not all batteries are created equal.[/#0000ff][/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]What TD said; the AGM from Cabela's is absolutely, 100% the BEST VALUE for your money. Going on 4 years of heavy use with pushing 12 foot jon boat full of decoy's, dog, and my 200 plus pounds 2 to 3 times a week during 3 month's of duck hunting. I have never run it dry and had to paddle back.[/#800000][/font]
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[flygoddess]

[quote TubeDude][quote flygoddess]My question is, you guys bought a Werker, you say it works great, but you still up graded...why?
I buy my #27 at Wally World for like $85.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Duhhhh...for more power...longer.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I bought the one I got merely as an experiment...to see just how long it would perform. Obviously, with only 33 amp/hours it does not last as long as a series 27 with over 120 amp hours.[/#0000ff][/quote]


THIS was the answer I think the poster needed to see.
As far as AGM batteries, you do need a special charger for them do you not?
I have been using battery on Tube/Toon for 25 years. It has been the #27 deep cycle from Sears, Napa, and Walmart. Never over $100. and I get 4 to 5 years out of each well used battery. I am not a once in a while user.
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[Jmaze]

I'm going to re-inject a bit here. I am not going to knock some one else's opinion because they are not trying to lead you astray. Cabelas makes a great battery. That being said most batteries have a little sticker placed on them to show when they are being sold. Below is a pic from my oldest. I bought it in September of 06. I use 2 batteries (sometimes 3) I have a 16 foot canoe for fishing and hunting. The cabelas battery will hold just fine against my Everstart for performance. Where they failed is years of use. They died at 4 years. Couple that with the cost of a equal Everstart costing 50 bucks less and you can form your own opinion.

I also use my canoe for duck hunting last year I ran a 45 Endura motor on my 18' 6" canoe. It pushes 2 people , a dog, 86 duck decoys, 15 goose decoys, guns, water, etc... All that while running in 6 inches of water with the prop buried in the mud at Willard spur, salt creek, public, shooting grounds, harolds crane, or any other place in between. My experience is the cabelas did not last as long. I hunt with a few other people and have not been able to convert them to everlast batteries either, but this year I will be collecting boxes of shotgun shells from friendly side bets because my batteries are still running. If any one else out there has even a five year old cabelas brand battery that gets used as much and has lasted as long I would like to see it. If for no other reason then I my self need to look at there brand again to start using them.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No special charger needed for AGM. I have a regular 12 volt charger...2 amps or 10 amps settings. I start out the low batteries on 10 amps and then switch down to 2 amps to top them off. Using a volt meter I have determined that the low amp setting adds a bit more charge than a fast charge with the 10 amp setting.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been told that overcharging on the higher setting is one of the biggest detriments to the AGM batteries. So I never let the batteries sit unwatched for very long while charging. I have known guys who leave them on the chargers at maximum amps overnight...even after minimal use. Not good.[/#0000ff]
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[bmitchell]

This has been very helpful. Thank you all for your advice.
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[pa]

I went with the Werker battery because the 24 and 27 series batteries were a little to heavy for the FC4. Even with boat bumpers underneath, I did not feel comfortable with the heavier batteries. The rating for the FC4 was 250lbs and at the time I was pushing 245lbs. But it worked for me. Thanks to Nutri-Systems wont be long til it wont matter. Been on it 8 weeks and I am down to 215. The Super Fat Cat and I have an appointment with Vernon Res. this week. Can't Wait.
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