[Evford]

The truck was originally converted to run on 20 trojan t-145 6 volt batteries. I don't have batteries on now and I am trying to figure out wich way to go.
I think I like the us batteries, they are a little cheaper.
The substitutes for the trojan t-145 are the us-145 xc, but I saw on their website that they have higher HA capacity batteries. I was wondering if i can step it up and buy higher rating batteries, can it cause damage to my conversion? I am not an expert, so please be patient with my ignorance.

 

[The Toecutter]

Higher AH rating batteries of a given chemistry and nominal voltage tend to be heavier than lower AH ones.

To determine if they are safe to use, you will need to know the following:

1) What is the GVWR(gross vehicle weight rating) of your truck?
2) What does the truck weigh without batteries? If you don't know its weight without batteries, what did it weigh with the batteries that were in it? If you know its weight with the 20 Trojan T145s, you can then find out how much each T145 weighs, and gets the trucks weight without batteries.

You don't want to exceed GVWR. Exceeding GVWR could make your vehicle unsafe to operate, and in extreme cases, damage its chassis. Going over GVWR by a few hundred pounds is unlikely to damage a truck, but it may make its braking and handling characteristics suffer greatly, resulting in a vehicle that may not be safe to operate.

You also want to make sure your charger is up to the task of charging the batteries in a reasonable amount of time.

You will want to make sure those higher AH batteries will fit in the compartments designed for the Trojan T145s, otherwise you will have to design and install new battery boxes.


Fit as much battery as you can without exceeding GVWR, and you will likely be very happy with the range. Aerodynamic modifications and low rolling resistance tires will increase your range further, and depending upon the scope of the modifications, dramatically so(30%+).

 

[rillip3]

There is no issue electronically with using the higher Ah batteries, but Toecutter is right about the weight. If the new batteries would be heavier, it could be a problem if you're up near the gross weight restriction.

 

[Evford]

Thanks guys, i did some calculation and i should be fine as far as wait, there is not much difference between us-145 xc and us-250E xc. But maybe toecutter is right about the charger, maybe it will take longer or not fully charge them.
So, maybe I will put the same batteries on again. The truck was converted back in 1996 by professionals, so i assume they knew what they were doing.

 

[The Toecutter]

As long as you keep the same nominal voltage, your charger should be suitable to fully charge them, but it will take longer to charge them if they are depleted, than the lower AH pack. Depending on how much driving you do, and how much time you have to charge it before using it again, the charger may or may not top it off before next use.

It is highly likely that you will have no issues, and I'd recommend going with the highest AH batteries you can fit to improve range and battery life(by reducing typical depth of discharge in daily use).

 

[MN Driver]

If weight isn't an issue and they are the appropriate size so they will all fit, make sure they have the same terminals so you can use the same cables, also be sure that the cables that you have are the proper length for the batteries and aren't too short. ...logstical -will it fit and connect- type stuff really, electrically I see no issue.

 

[Evford]

I was trying to figure out the charger and I discovered that it has an output of 25 amp to charge the batteries. Some very poor instructions I found show that the charger output can be increased if the pack is not getting a full charge. So maybe the higher capacity batteries will be better. I was just not sure if the controller or anything else will have trouble dealing with more amperage.

Is there any other choice out there? I have heard that US battery makes the best ones. The t-125 are the most popular, they even give an ev discount. I have not found anybody that has used us-145. I just want to make sure they are going to be my best choice for my budget, they will be approximately 2800$. Did anyone buy them recently? Is it a good price? Is there a secret way to get a discount?

 

[GerhardRP]

The truck was originally converted to run on 20 trojan t-145 6 volt batteries. I don't have batteries on now and I am trying to figure out wich way to go.
I think I like the us batteries, they are a little cheaper.
The substitutes for the trojan t-145 are the us-145 xc, but I saw on their website that they have higher HA capacity batteries. I was wondering if i can step it up and buy higher rating batteries, can it cause damage to my conversion? I am not an expert, so please be patient with my ignorance.

The t-145 batteries have a slightly larger 20-hr capacity than the US-145. BUT the peukert coefficient for rhe trojans is 1.21 vs. 1.15 for the us. So at ev currents, the us batteries are better.

battery t-145 us-145 us-125
Peukert 1.21.....1.15...1.18
20 hr.....260 ....251.....242
5-hr ......213 ...198 ....198
1 hr .......156 ..170 ....153
1/2hr ....139 ...155 ....138

Gerhard