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Been Deleted
Active Member
USA
28 Posts |
 Posted - 09/19/2013 : 08:38:52 AM
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| A bus salesmen has been telling me about using group 31 batteries in series rather than 2 8D batteries for our new buses. I live in Arizona so it gets to 100 degrees in the summer and down to 0 sometimes in the winter. What are the pros a cons for using group 31s? |
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second.flood
Top Member
USA
640 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 09:16:01 AM
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| We use 3 group 31 batteries. Always have.... highs here range from 100 to -15. |
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willism
Advanced Member
United States
250 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 09:41:59 AM
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| Same here 3 group 31's as long as we have the space for them. |
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tigger2
Advanced Member
USA
469 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 10:43:53 AM
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| We here in norther Indiana use 3 group 31s 950hd, best part is no more broken or loose battery terminals. |
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slippert
Top Member
USA
630 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 11:11:39 AM
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We use 3, 31 series batteries in all buses..in mid to northern Michigan..rarely (do get a few)100 degrees here but get our share of below zero... I use 750 cca, and get at least 6-8 yrs life out of them...
Con: the higher the cca the tighter the plates are packed in cell...more apt to sulfate and maybe get a bad cell faster..
Pro: 31 is a lot lighter to carry than the 8D and if only one in bus( like my older buses use to be) you get 2250 cca or more out of 3-31's and I think about the highest cca I had seen is 1450 on an 8D
If your running 2-8d's you could get almost as much cca out of 3-lighter 31's than the 2 8D's you are running now.IMO |
Edited by - slippert on 09/19/2013 11:13:38 AM |
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Fastback
Top Member
1500 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 11:24:00 AM
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| We use either 2 or 3 group 31s in all our buses. Been doing it that way for 30 years or so. |
Why yes, the ORIGinal CHARGER is a Fastback |
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Mechan1c
Top Member
USA
853 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 12:13:25 PM
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| We've been 3 X 31 since 2007. I had just assumed I was the last one to switch. I feel better...Way less mess in the battery box! |
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Bassman
Top Member
USA
558 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 12:25:04 PM
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| Use 2 or 3 Group 31 "series" batteries but you are not going to hook them up in "series". They will be wired "parallel." |
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Fastback
Top Member
1500 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 1:05:59 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Bassman
Use 2 or 3 Group 31 "series" batteries but you are not going to hook them up in "series". They will be wired "parallel."
good catch, for a 12 volt system wire 12 volt batteries in parallel |
Why yes, the ORIGinal CHARGER is a Fastback |
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bluebirdvision
Top Member
USA
1081 Posts |
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eddo
Advanced Member
USA
311 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2013 : 2:19:35 PM
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| I'm also in AZ, and I use group 31's. On average, I get about 3 years out of them. |
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bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2013 : 6:38:13 PM
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| 2 group 31s in Illinois (about 2/3 of the way down in the state so not as cold as Chicago). I haven't had any trouble and get, the already talked about, 6-8 yrs out of them. |
Bryan |
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partsman_ba
Administrator
United States
377 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2013 : 11:50:40 AM
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We switched our buses to 1 8D from group 31's back before I started working here (7 years), and have spec'ed 2 8Ds ever since. I think the idea back in the day was to save money. I pay less than $140 for 8Ds on a contract from Batteries Plus.
Now, we have Visions with 31s in them, and are thinking about switching everything back to 31s. You can get better reserve capacity batteries in group 31 for all the extra stuff sucking down our voltage - 8Ds are pretty much just starting batteries. |
"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional." |
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batteries for new buses
