Although it still seems to have good energy, my battery is now 4 years old so I thought I would change it out for a new one. I have run batteries for as much as 6 years, but I know it's on the downhill side now so I started looking around for options.

The HD batteries are fine, just overpriced. This based on my experience. Batteries are not rocket science and I started researching the forum and other sources for a replacement with the same voltage, cold cranking amps, and size as the OEM battery.

Two alternatives, both costing $99 shipped, bubbled to the top. But at the end of the day, the batteries were identical. The only difference was the marketing and the stickers placed on the side of the batteries.

If you google "ETX30L", you will find a lot of results. On this forum, many members use the Big Crank and many use the Deka. But from what I can see, these are both the same identical battery. Same model/part number, same electrical characteristics, same weight, same terminals, etc.

I purchased the "Big Crank" from Batterymart.com . Here are a few pictures of the box and the battery. Notice there is no reference to "Big Crank" on the ouside of the box. This battery was made in the US and marketed by EPM products of Baltimore (all according to exterior box info):









The red Sharpie chicken-scratch is mine to help me remember when I installed the battery.

On the Fluke, the battery measured 12.77 volts out of the box. I placed it on the Schumacher charger, and within 30 seconds, the green light indicating a full charge illuminated. So their claim that it was ready to go out of the box was valid in my case.

The battery comes with new terminal bolts (apply only 6-8 ft lbs of tightening torque). Remember these terminals are lead, not steel. The terminals are configured for top attachment or front attachment. Two spacers are included if you need front attachment in order to properly align the lugs. I suspect that most will likely use the top, positive-left, configurataion.

I will install it today when I get around to it. But I expect it to perform well as many on this forum have had good service from the ETX30L, regardless of the marketing sticker on the side of the case.

 

My 2010 battery recently went **** up while moving houses…so at 8pm, the only place I could find a battery that would fit was Autozone. The AGM battery from there was also identical in size, shape, and weight. Plus, it only cost $110. So far, no problems, I do check it on the weekends to see if there are any problems, after a month, I will probably stop doing that.

Cale

 

I have been looking at batteries as well. Mine is giving me the tell tale signs that it's days are numbered. Been looking at one made by Power Source as well as the Napa Legend. The Power Source battery has caught my eye with the 600cca.

2010 Limited with some stuff

 

It will be just fine I am sure as long as it has the same cold cranking amperage rating.

 

That one looks good, but it weighs the same and has the same exact measurements as the Crank and Deka battery I described above. It's odd that they are advertising it at 30AH and 600 CCA. Not sure how they are getting that much more power in that same box....given both are AGM's.

 

Not trying to hijack your thread but thought I would bring up something I learned this winter regarding batteries. I needed to buy a new one for my truck and auto zone had 3 different ones for me to choose from. The standard cca one with 2 year warranty. The next one was same cca but had a 3 year free replacement and pro rated 72 month warranty. The last one was 200 more cca than stock but the warranty was only 2 year free replacement and 60 month pro rated but was quite a bit more money. I thought it was odd that the "best" one had a lesser warranty.

I talked to a diesel tech. buddy and he said it is because they have fit more plates into the same size battery to get the higher cca and that when the plates start to age and swell that they start to contact each other and that is what causes shorting reducing battery life.

So basically if you don't really NEED the higher cca that it is better to stay with the stock cca.

 

Thinner plates and more of them versus less of the thicker plates. I believe that if you use more thinner lead plates, you will end up with the same size but a larger electrical capacity battery in the same footprint and weight. I'm not an EE so I could be wrong.....

 

Excellent info and good point.

 

Makes sense to me. Don't really need the extra I don't guess, the 600cca just caught my eye.

2010 Limited with some stuff

 

I think it was a 'Modern Marvels' or perhaps the a high tech factories show, but years ago I watched an episode where they manufactured auto batteries. Most interesting to me was the packaging at the end of the line. Identically produced black cased batteries got just about every battery manufactures label in no particular order. So you may buy a Sears, or whatever Advance or Autozone or even WalMart offers, but if it came out of that factory on that particular line, its dead nuts identical to any other brand you could think of.

Perhaps there are other lines and manufacturers to give you more plates and CCA's but I suspect that a lot of us are running the same batteries in all of our stuff, regardless of what the label says.