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One trolling battery set up... #12582376 01/17/18 01:38 PM
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texasAUtiger Offline OP
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I have a minn kota 55 lb trolling motor than runs in one battery. I fish probably 100 times a year and have tried a single group 27 (95 amp hour?)and single group 31 exide battery (105 amp hour?), both deep cycle, from academy. Only my trolling motor is hooked to these. I use a separate battery of same type for my electronics and accessories.

The power is fine for a while and I have not had issues with the battery running down on the water. But 12-14 months in, I can feel less power even on a full charge. Sure enough, after a while theres significantly less power and I know shes about to give up the ghost. Of course these are 12 month batteries and they die a little after that. So Im having to get a new battery every year.

I do have a quality charger and I always plug them in right when I get home and leave them plugged in til I fish again.

Whats the best solution here? Upgrade to an AGM battery and get more than 100-120 charge cycles? Buy two cheap ones and rotate them? Run 2 in parallel to stress each battery less? I like that the least because of the added weight in a small boat.

Ideas?


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Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12582400 01/17/18 01:50 PM
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Ken A. Online Content
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Sorry to say but a 12 volt system is just plain hard on a battery. Running two in parallel would give you a lot more run time but it will add the extra weight. I know there are guys on here that get 3-4 years from a battery but my experience is they are good for about two years max.



Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12582719 01/17/18 04:55 PM
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Paul Marshall Offline
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Are you maintaining the water level (checking it) often. charging a battery with low water is a killer.


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Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12582996 01/17/18 07:38 PM
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texasAUtiger Offline OP
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I check my water several times throughout the year. On my first battery I had to add some, but not on this battery.

I'm thinking I might try two group 27's both dedicated to the trolling motor only. I could wire them in parallel so as to strain each battery less and therefore get more cycles out of each battery.

Or I could add 2 batteries, connect them to an isolating switch, and alternate between batteries on each trip, thereby getting more cycles out of each battery per year. In case one battery ran low, I could switch over to the other one.

A third option is to do away with the weight of a second battery, maybe upgrade to a single group 27 or even 31 AGM and just plan on replacing it every 12-18 months.


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Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583009 01/17/18 07:45 PM
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Jarrett Latta Offline
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On our flatbottom we have a 12v and simply use everstarts from Walmart. Exchange every year. That's the only real fix. Get a 29 series

Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583052 01/17/18 08:10 PM
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That seems too short. Since you leave the charger always connected at home, is it the type that has a float cycle so that it doesn't over charge?

Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: skeeterK] #12583223 01/17/18 09:46 PM
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texasAUtiger Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: skeeterK
That seems too short. Since you leave the charger always connected at home, is it the type that has a float cycle so that it doesn't over charge?


This is my charger: https://no.co/genm3

It says it protects the battery from overcharging.

Keep in mind I fish 100+ times per year and am on the trolling motor hard. Should I expect a $100 battery from academy (about 100 amp hour battery) to have more than 100-120 charge/discharge cycles in it?


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Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583864 01/18/18 04:27 AM
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javelin150 Offline
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Agm for sure. Lower discharge rate, better charge retention, no water to add ever, lots of benefits over other batteries. Not sure your budget but these batteries have over 900 charge cycles in them. 4 year replacement warranty too.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-X-Pure-Lead-AGM-Battery/1435369.uts?slotId=0

Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583936 01/18/18 05:55 AM
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Bobby Milam Offline
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Does your trolling motor have a digital maximizer? The newer ones do and it makes a world of difference in the battery usage. You say you are on the trolling motor hard. It may be an issue with you not having an efficient trolling motor and running the batteries too low on each trip causing them to wear out fast. My old boat was 12v and the mk would drain a battery in a day of fishing. When I put a new tm on that had the digital maximizer in it, it was like night and day. I never ran my battery low again. I ran cheap walmart batteries in it for 2 years and only had one go bad. Sold the boat and they were still kicking. I still have one of them in use today about 4 years old.

It isn't just numbers of charge/discharge cycles. The percentage of the battery discharged plays a big part in it. Running in parallel would help alleviate your problem some but like you mentioned...the extra weight. You also have to purchase 2 so AGM would be closer to your cost when you figure in the 4 year warranty.

Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583941 01/18/18 06:08 AM
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Originally Posted By: texasAUtiger
Originally Posted By: skeeterK
That seems too short. Since you leave the charger always connected at home, is it the type that has a float cycle so that it doesn't over charge?


This is my charger: https://no.co/genm3

It says it protects the battery from overcharging.

Keep in mind I fish 100+ times per year and am on the trolling motor hard. Should I expect a $100 battery from academy (about 100 amp hour battery) to have more than 100-120 charge/discharge cycles in it?


How many charge/discharge cycles you get from a battery depends on how you TREAT and MAINTAIN the battery. You have a good charger, and it seems you have good charging habits. However, there's a catch. If you discharge a battery beyond 50% discharged, you can expect to significantly damage the battery, and any bets as to a good number of charge/discharge cycles go out the window forever. I'll leave it to you to research battery discharge levels. A hydrometer is the best way to measure this, but a voltage reading with the battery at rest will give an approximation. My bet is 1000 to 1 that your "hard use" drains the cr@p out of your batteries (beyond 50% discharge), thereby causing a swift end to service life. And old saying in the battery industry is "few batteries die a natural death, most are murdered" ....as yours probably are.

P.S.: A battery can get to 50% discharge quicker than you think, and 50% doesn't mean 6V. For a lot of flooded cell batteries, this point is around 12.2V at rest.

Last edited by Flippin-Out; 01/18/18 06:14 AM.
Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: javelin150] #12583949 01/18/18 06:29 AM
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Originally Posted By: javelin150
Agm for sure. Lower discharge rate, better charge retention, no water to add ever, lots of benefits over other batteries. Not sure your budget but these batteries have over 900 charge cycles in them. 4 year replacement warranty too.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-X-Pure-Lead-AGM-Battery/1435369.uts?slotId=0


That battery might sustain 900 charge cycles in proper use, but not when the battery gets significantly discharged in each use cycle. I suspect the latter as the poster's problem, and no battery technology is going to fix a demand for too many watts from a battery.

Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583950 01/18/18 06:39 AM
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Does that 55# TM have an infinitely variable speed control, or "click to number" speed choices? If the speed selector clicks to specific settings, then it's one with an archaic power-management circuit that burns almost the same watts as wide open thrust no matter what speed setting is chosen. If that's what you have, you're going to burn through batteries as said by others.

If you have 5 forward speeds and 2 reverse settings, you need to deep six the old TM and get a new one with "digital speed control" technology. If you do, you should go UP in thrust. A 70# motor can typically deliver 50# of thrust at a partial throttle setting using less watts than a 55# motor would use to get that same 50# of thrust. The larger motor is more efficient when not running near max rated thrust, which will also help extend battery use and service life.

Last edited by Flippin-Out; 01/18/18 06:40 AM.
Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12583981 01/18/18 12:07 PM
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texasAUtiger Offline OP
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My trolling motor is an admittedly old (Im guessing about 10 years old), Minn Kota Edge, 55 lbs, it has a knob with speeds 1 thru 5 on it, no reverse, you just turn the head around to point behind you to go backwards.

I think I am discharging more than 50%. I need to price what a newer, more efficient trolling motor would be. It sounds like at a minimum I need to put another battery in an run in parallel.

However, if I bite the bullet and put 2 batteries in, I guess Im in position to have a 24v trolling motor if/when I decide to get a new trolling motor.

I need to look into the price difference for a new 12v vs 24v. Do you think a 24v set up on a 17 aluminum g3 is overkill?

Thanks for all yalls input. It is helpful.


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Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: texasAUtiger] #12584003 01/18/18 12:44 PM
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No such thing as having too much trolling motor. If you have the space for the batteries, go to a 24 volt system. There isnt much of a difference in price of a 55lb to a 70lb tm. Can find a lot of good used ones online too

Re: One trolling battery set up... [Re: javelin150] #12584045 01/18/18 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted By: javelin150
No such thing as having too much trolling motor. If you have the space for the batteries, go to a 24 volt system. There isnt much of a difference in price of a 55lb to a 70lb tm. Can find a lot of good used ones online too


What he said; I had the same problem as you and upgraded my TM and went to a 24V system. World of difference. It added a little extra weight to my Bass Tracker but I mostly fish by myself anyway. Changing to another 12V battery won't help you that much, no matter what battery you buy. Good luck

Last edited by Tin Star Cajun; 01/18/18 01:37 PM.

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