LT40 Super battery upgrade.

[Dave Shepard]

It's taken 12 years, but I've finally made the battery upgrade that I wanted to do when the mill was new and I discovered the cheesy parts store clamps on the battery cables. The whole project only took about 45 minutes. If I was ruler of the universe, I'd mandate that there would only be five sizes of the 31S battery: motorcycle, lawn mower, car, truck, and earth mover.  ;)

The Fleetrite was an emergency battery. The DieHard is actually the correct WM spec'd Deka battery, with the exception of it being stud instead of post. Because posts are terrible. 

Before:



 

After:

 

[ladylake]

 Good job Dave. I've converter several machines from post to the stud style batteries as the work 100% better.  Those cheesy original  cable ends are junk.  They sell those group 31 batteries at heavy truck dealers reasonable, I paid around $85 last time I bought some.  Steve 

[Dave Shepard]

That's where the Fleetrite came from, my local International dealer. The WM spec is higher cranking amps to run the dual pumps. Surprisingly, this battery was only $121. The Carquest branded one I bought in 2014 was $164. Both were the same Deka battery.

[barbender]

I've heard many say the bolt on ends are junk. They've been powering my 14' dump trailer for the last 3 years, plus numerous  other pieces of equipment that the original cable ends failed on over the years (including the Ponsse forwarder I run, the originals just turned to dust). I had one on the dump trailer get melted because of a bad connection, other than that they have been completely trouble free. I keep coming across people who say how absolutely terrible they are, I feel like I'm missing something?

[beav]

You have to be careful with the torque on the stud style terminals. If you over tighten them they may loosen from the soft lead. Also recommended is periodic torquing due to creep over time.
Did you have problems with the original connections?
The best connections are tab type that the bolt goes right through.

[ladylake]

 
 When I drove truck it had 2 stud type batteries which most times lasted around 8 years, never had to retighten them, most times never touched them until the battery was shot. They should make them all the stud type.  Steve

[Dave Shepard]

My issue is the post and clamp type connections. There was ZERO corrosion on those connections, such surprised me after 12+ years. However, the clamp bolts were stripped out, so now you need vise grips and a wrench any time you need to disconnect the battery. On any other application I've come across, the bolt on ends corrode and fail. Studs on dump trucks covered in dirt and grime have never given me bit of trouble. 

[Southside]

I know the studs on my heavy equipment are all stainless steel.  Can't say the same for the bolts on any of the clamp on style I see.  Also I put dielectric grease on the studs and it stays in there, can't say the same for the clamps.  

[barbender]

Come on you guys need to live a little, take it to the edge and go with some bolt on clamps!😂

[Dave Shepard]

I do every time I drive the Jeep. Click, click. Pop hood, wiggle cable. Start Jeep. Reset clock and radio.

The best thing to do if you can't fix the cable correctly is to tin the clean cable, then put the bolt on clamp on. Cuts down on corrosion issues greatly. 

[Southside]

Barbender - living a little is when you permanently use vice grips to hold the wire to the post!!   ;D

[Magicman]

 

 
No multiple add on connection is completely bullet proof, but these 4 bolt clamps are serving me well and have been for many years.

[barbender]

Now there! If bolt on clamps are powering a legend like the Magicman, I rest my case😁 

Southside, I agree with you there! Believe me, you could ask some of my friends for stories about stuff I have wired, vice gripped, bungeed and otherwise kept patched together, and they could go on and on😂 I bought a used pickup last fall, an 01 Chevy 2500hd. First year of the Duramax, I knew it had a seal leaking on the exhaust side of the turbo, it loads up and smokes bad when it's been idling. It doesn't affect any thing other than me feeling some embarrassment when hitting the highway after letting it warm up, it really leaves a cloud! I looked at the procedure for changing out that turbo...well, I'm a Cummins guy and I think you should be able to have a turbo off in 45 minutes. So I've found it far easier to add oil than change the turbo on that Duramax🤷🏽‍♂️😁

[ladylake]

 I like the simple low maintenance stud type where you can put several leads on with one nut.  Keep it simple.  Steve

[Sixacresand]

I have never seen a four bolt clamp. The thing I learned today from the forum.  Thanks MM.