New or reconditioned lorry batteries?

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eatmoremincepies

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My good old Merc 0814 needed a jump start the other day (hope it didn't knacker neighbours car . .) I think the batteries aren't holding charge any more.

So looking at new ones, they cost £125+ and I'd need two!! Has anyone managed to get second hand ones, the lorry is nearly 20 years old so some nearly new ones would do fine.

Also wondering if I can fit more modern/efficient/cheaper battery than the original type, that still provides 12v 140mAh.

Has anyone had the same problem?
 
eatmorecake said:
My good old Merc 0814 needed a jump start the other day (hope it didn't knacker neighbours car . .) I think the batteries aren't holding charge any more.

So looking at new ones, they cost £125+ and I'd need two!! Has anyone managed to get second hand ones, the lorry is nearly 20 years old so some nearly new ones would do fine.

Also wondering if I can fit more modern/efficient/cheaper battery than the original type, that still provides 12v 140mAh.

Has anyone had the same problem?
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I would forget S/H
unless you are selling the lorry ! maybe worth charging yours before you spend just get a cheap car charger that puts out about 12 amps and charge them for about 24 hours take of one terminal and do one batery at a time, do not boost charge with one of the wheeled garage type chargers, if this isnt the answer and they are knackered then you will be ok with any baterys that are more than 100ah I guess yours have the terminals at one end? these come in various makes and sizes best is varta if you are keeping the lorry, my old lorrys baterys were varta and were still good at six years old!!! try a tractor place or look up Manbat they are batery wholesalers....
 
Thanks! OH has charged them for me a couple of times when I have left the lorry for too long - does not make me very popular! This time they were flat a week after a 100 mile round trip, which is definitely a lot worse than they were, either they are not holding charge or an electrical "leak" has appeared somewhere! I may ask OH to plug them into his charger thing this weekend and test them to make sure. Thanks for the tip about Varta and that anything over 100mAh will be ok, that's really helpful. :-)
 
Sounds more alternator than batteries!

Alternators can earth out and drop the charge on the batteries overnight! Double check that the alternator is working and charging correctly!

Good luck with searching for the problem!
 
Take your lorry to a proper lorry garage [not Quack fit type] they will test the batteries and also the alternator, if the batteries are knackered [and it sounds likely, you need two new ones or two off a crashed lorry. It is no point in buying on price as you need to have heavy duty deep cycling, bells and whistles batteries, I also recommend you take the lorry for a run every week as standing idle is no good.
If the batteries are not holding charge the alternator has to work overtime, it will then die [hundreds of pounds] and you will also need new belts, so bite the bullet and fix this before the winter sets in.
You can find a lorry type scrapyard type garage, but get a man [preferably with a rough accent to phone], or they will not be so generous, for some reason they think girls are all blonde! But they will be fine with you when you turn up, as they don't get many female visitors.
 
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