Heavy Battery Removal

[sdowney717]

I only ever bought one 8D from Sam's club, and it was a lousy battery that failed in a few years.
None of them are deep cycle.
I use 31 and 27 series 12v, working fine for me.

 

[SeaBreeze]

While my original issue was getting the heavy beasts out of the engine room I am now curious what you have gone to in lieu of replacement 8d's ? Please describe what you have done - for example replaced 2 200 ah 8d's with four 110ah 6v AGM's wired in serial and parallel. This is all very helpful as I decide what my strategy should be. I am running a single Ford Lehman 120 with no dedicated starting battery. Genny has dedicated start battery.

 

[bayview]

"I consider this one of the few good reasons why God made teenagers. "


+1

 

[dhays]

While my original issue was getting the heavy beasts out of the engine room I am now curious what you have gone to in lieu of replacement 8d's ? Please describe what you have done - for example replaced 2 200 ah 8d's with four 110ah 6v AGM's wired in serial and parallel. This is all very helpful as I decide what my strategy should be. I am running a single Ford Lehman 120 with no dedicated starting battery. Genny has dedicated start battery.

All kinds of options.

On my sailboat I replaced 2 x 4Ds with 4 x 6v GC batteries. All were wet cells and were a single bank.

On my current boat, I replaced 2 x 8D SLAs house bank with 4 x L16 6v AGM.

Unless there is some reason not to, I’d suggest 4 x 6v GC batteries. I’d also suggest wet cells if they are in a location that is easy for watering. I think it is hard to beat from bang for buck standpoint. If you want more capacity and have the head space, consider L16s.

Many will argue for a dedicated start battery and for good reason. OTOH, nothing wrong with starting from the house bank, particularly since you have a separate start battery for the genset.

 

[syjos]

I have a single Lehman 120.

Starting batteries are two G31's. Also starts generator, runs windlass and thruster.

House batteries are 6 6V golf cart batteries from Costco.

Engine has two alternators, one for start and the other for house.

House batteries also gets charged with an inverter/charger. No charger on start bank.

House and start banks can be paralled via switch.

 

[sdowney717]

I have a single series 31 for starting both engines.
I have two series 27 Duracell deep cycle for the house.

People have argued with me, they are not deep cycle, but this is how they are advertised.
https://www.samsclub.com/p/duracell-marine-battery-group-size-27dc/prod3590231

One group 24 to start the gen repurposed from a car.
Honestly so far, have no need for a huge battery bank.
I do have a generator of 6500 watts.

My idea is get by with minimal batteries because they all go bad.
When they show signs of issues, I replace them. I use them up. No one would want my old batteries. Rather than sulphating they seem to develop shorted cells, but maybe because they sulphate, they do that.

I still get anywhere from 6 - 8 years of use regardless of battery price or quality, except for one 8D I bought which internally shorted out in under 3 years. Huge heavy piece of junk, hurt going in, hurt while using it , hurt coming out. Then it hurt hanging around the house for a few years, and hurt taking it back in to recycle it for $20 cash.

 

[sunchaser]

A few days ago I picked up some batteries at Napa Petersburg. We used a few bills and a strong fisherman who happened to be standing at the counter to extract old and add new. Ended making a good friend and another wonderful contact in AK.

 

[angus99]

As I mentioned earlier, I replaced four 12-v 8Ds (total ~800 AHs) with eight 6-v J305 AGMs (total ~1,250). I like the 305s because they are about the same footprint as a GC battery, shorter than an L16 and about 312 AH per pair.

I replaced the 8D that was (ridiculously) being used as a starter batt with a Group 31.

All’s been good with this setup.

 

[caltexflanc]

On my current boat, I replaced 2 x 8D SLAs house bank with 4 x L16 6v AGM.

As you well know, an L16 (which I am a big fan of) weighs as much as an 8D.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

I've got two of those huge monsters as starting batteries for my FL135's and 9K gen. Seems a bit of overkill. House is four new 6v golf cart batteries. The big starting batts were only one yr old when we purchased the boat last fall. They are below the floor, in the bilge, centered between the engines. Would love to use that space to add another holding tank. They should be easy to remove with ropes as they are in the center of the salon floor openings. And put 'normal' size batteries outside of the engines.

 

[dhays]

As you well know, an L16 (which I am a big fan of) weighs as much as an 8D.

Lifeline 8D is about 156lbs and a very awkward shape. The US Battery L16s that I got were 121 lbs each and a lot easier to handle. With the handles on the L16, even I, a rather weak guy, could lift them into and out of the back of my Explorer and onto the boat.

Definitely heavier than a GC battery.

 

[syjos]

Wow Dave, I'm a fairly strong old guy and I don't think I could lift 120 pounds!

90 pound sacks of concrete is and was my limit.

 

[BruceK]

Lifeline 8D is about 156lbs and a very awkward shape. The US Battery L16s that I got were 121 lbs each and a lot easier to handle. With the handles on the L16, even I, a rather weak guy, could lift them into and out of the back of my Explorer and onto the boat.

Definitely heavier than a GC battery.

121lbs is nearly 55 kilograms. Dave, you are no "weak guy". At one Yard we used, the owner`s son was a weightlifter and easily handled an 8D on his own. We find them difficult. Some think 2 people lifting halves the load but in our industrial law it did not,and in real terms there is a risk of one person not lifting or not lifting equally, increasing the load on the other.
I can`t now remember the industrial weight lifting limit but it was way less than 60kg, and a statutory breach meant automatic liability for injury.
I`m not comfortable with the idea of dumping the job and $20 on a passing teenager. Some medico should comment on the wisdom of that. Their bodies are not fully developed, height yes but maybe not breadth, which may predispose to injury.

 

[lipets]

I'm pulling all the batteries out soon to clean the area up and build a box to put them back into.
Reading here I like to try the saw horses to lift them up on the salon floor then slide out somehow.
These are group 31's not 8d's


then I fould an old 8d in the back shelf of a locker net a young guy to do that one

 

[dhays]

Wow Dave, I'm a fairly strong old guy and I don't think I could lift 120 pounds!

90 pound sacks of concrete is and was my limit.

I think a big part of it is the shape. I’d never be able to lift a 90 lbs bag of concrete off the ground for example. However, a 6v batttery, be it a GC battery or an L16 has a different form factor. The handles on an L16 are 18” off the ground.

When I moved them, I would set them on a 4 wheeled dolly that was only 4 inches high. So lifting from the Explorer to the dolly, from the dolly to the ground etc... wasn’t too bad. I rolled each battery down the ramp to the dock and all the way out to my boat (end of the last dock at my marina). I set them next to the boat on the dock and then used the crane to lift them off the dock and set them on the swim step. then it was just a matter of lifting into the cockpit then down into the battery box in the lazarrette. Once two were in the box, I then just had to shove that box into position.

Sure, it would have been easier with a helper, but going slow and using straight lifts it wasn’t too bad.

When I moved the GC batteries on my last boat, I created handles with some line and short pieces of PVC pipe. Worked great.

Anyway, I think most anything is easier than trying to move a 4D or 8D battery. L16s may be a stretch depending on the location, but a BCI GRP 902 is only 105 lbs and still has 312 Ah compared to the 390 Ah of the L16s. Then there are the GC batteries that are much easier to move around.

 

[Simi 60]

121lbs is nearly 55 kilograms. Dave, you are no "weak guy". .

Light batteries.
Ours were more like 75kg

 

[caltexflanc]

Lifeline 8D is about 156lbs and a very awkward shape. The US Battery L16s that I got were 121 lbs each and a lot easier to handle. With the handles on the L16, even I, a rather weak guy, could lift them into and out of the back of my Explorer and onto the boat.

Definitely heavier than a GC battery.

Standard 8D batteries come in at about 125-130 pounds.

By the way I had a set of 4 US Battery L16HC's for our inverter bank and was very happy with their performance. Beat the hell out of them, as we lived on moorings or at anchor 90% of the time.I'll have to go back and look at the log, but got many more 50% cycles and amp hours out of them than I expected. Enjoy!

 

[Carolena]

That is exactly what I did a couple of years ago except I used two ropes, one on each battery end. Fast and easy.

We did the same a couple weekends ago. Had to replace the 4d start battery (house bank is made up of golf cart batteries). The battery box sits on a shelf in the ER with out much overhead clearance - just enough for the battery with about three inches to spare. I tied thick docklines to each handle and had two friends in the pilot house to lift on the lines. I put plastic sheet on the side of the ER hatch so the lines would slide more easily and not mess up the flooring/trim.

I was in the ER to provide some additional lift and to direct the battery out of the box. Once we had it out, it was easy for two of us to carry out of the boat and to the dock. Not fun, but worked out fine. Just glad I shouldn't have to deal with that again for at least 7 years or so, or maybe never if we decide to get a larger boat.

 

[Chrisjs]

The Full River 8D AGMs we installed a few years back weighed in at right around 200 lbs a piece. I notice that they have reduced the weight to about 170 lbs now, presumably by making thinner lead plates. The ones we installed were still going strong at 7 years, and contrary to popular opinion at the time, DC Battery recommended equalizing AGMs. It worked wonders when the batts started to get a bit tired in year 6. I figure, apart from the pain of installation, heavier is better (construction).

 

[syjos]

When we bought Sandpiper, it had 4 Rolls 8D wet cell batteries, one for starting 3 for house.

They weighed around 170# each!

I had to build tracks across the engine room with 2X lumber and used low appliance moving caster gadgets to get them to the hatch. Sawhorse and winch to get it to the cockpit. 3 old guys to carry it to the dock cart and into the truck.

We now have G31's and golf cart batteries.

The Rolls batteries were 18 years old! And still holding a charge. But for their purchase price, I could buy 2 or 3 sets of Costco batteries which would last about the same length of time.

 

[angus99]

Somewhat related to topic, here are some pix of how we schlepped our 50-amp Charles IsoBoost transformer to the boat, up and down steps, through the floor and mounted on the ER bulkhead. It weighs about 235 lbs, but as Dave noted, form factor matters. It’s really a 235-lb basketball.

The two-bys made moving it easy for one of the teenagers and me and the series of planks I set up made it surprisingly easy to slide it to an all-but-inaccessible part of the ER and onto the studs I had fabricated to receive it. Can’t tell you how many hours sleep I lost wondering if this would work and it slid on like it had eyes. Better lucky than smart!

 

[Comodave]

We have 4 6 volt batteries as our house bank. They are a PITA to change. When we picked up the new ones they did not come with a handle. The store had some nice clip on strap handles to carry them out to the car. I asked if I could buy one and was told they don’t sell them but when I went to give the strap back she said keep it. It made installation much easier.

 

[BruceK]

Light batteries.
Ours were more like 75kg

 

[AusCan]

I'm just wondering, what is the advantage of big batteries this size? There isn't much difference in price between one 360 Ah battery, and three 120Ahr batteries. The savings certainly isn't worth a ruptured spinal disc.

 

[FF]

"I'm just wondering, what is the advantage of big batteries this size? "

Usually the single case will be heavier full of lead plates.

Easier maintain, water and clean terminals.

Its the lead that does the work , so more weight of lead the more capacity.

Big big batt sets may come with 2 volt cases that connect to create 12v.


Trojan L16RE-2V Battery

 

[AusCan]

I'm just wondering, what is the advantage of big batteries this size? There isn't much difference in price between one 360 Ah battery, and three 120Ah batteries. The savings certainly isn't worth a ruptured spinal disc.

 

[lipets]

Trojan makes a 6v RE (carbon battery) I've had them for 3 years in my RV with solar.
So far great.


Plan on checking all my batteries today on the 'new to me" Benne today
Date of manufacture, cabling etc.


If the house batts need replacing I'll get the 6v RE's because I'll be adding about 550 watts of solar later on.

 

[dhays]

I'm just wondering, what is the advantage of big batteries this size? There isn't much difference in price between one 360 Ah battery, and three 120Ah batteries. The savings certainly isn't worth a ruptured spinal disc.

In my case I went with the L16 AGMs for a few reasons. They were lighter than an 8D (not saying a lot). Given their location, the L16s gave me the most capacity for the space available. In other words, I had the vertical clearance to fit the L16s. Finally, I got them at the great price so they were a bargain as far as $/Ah.

 

[Tangler]

Sling a thick rope between the handles and get another person to help. Easy to lift an 8D that way. Much easier than trying to lift directly.

Agreed..that’s how I did it

 

[Gypsy Diver]

2 teenagers and 2 $20 bills.

That is by far the best solution. Why go to the trouble and expense of re-wiring to accomodate 6 volt batteries??