Battery Recommendations

[hashi08]

bought my truck last summer and it came with cheap lead-acid batteries (950 CCA). Two of them went bad a couple months ago, and the only replacements TA had were 925 CCA.

I recently started looking into AGM batteries. I live in Minnesota, so winters get brutal.

For those of you running in cold climates, what type of batteries do you recommend? I’m planning to swap all of mine out before things get ugly.

Truck: 2021 Kenworth T680, CM2450 (400 HP), Arctic Package, with a Thermo King Tripac APU.

Thanks in advance!

[marek4792]

Ta batteries (TRiP) are overpriced junk. I've had better luck with HDA branded ones. Friend of mine in MN runs Alliance (freightliner brand) and gets a few years out of them, Also put a set of them in myself. Just a flip of a coin at this point..

[mikkhh]

How much truck manufacturer genuine batteries cost from dealer? Around here those batteries are the only ones that do last. Especially if you use auxiliary heater. Sometimes dealerships make discount campaigns and they do not cost more than just regular reputable brand batteries.

[Mrkentee]

I know you can spend a lot for some batteries out there. I use Fleet Pride regular ones and replace every two years. I don’t wait for one to go bad. I live in Massachusetts.

[SquareOne]

Just to add to this thread...

I just purchased a set of 4 batteries from the Freightliner dealer. Seems the strategy is, get your attention with good pricing on a few items, only to really profit off the parts you will need in a pinch or on many maintenance items. Buyer be pricing-aware here...

This was the first time I actually checked into and purchased their Alliance batteries. To my surprise, they are very near the same battery (if not identical) as the NAPA 7236, which I have been running for some time. They are manufactured by East Penn Manufacturing and have served me well in the past. (I'm in the South, so no extreme cold here. These are just standard flooded lead-acid starting batteries).

Even with Napa offering 20% off, the price would be about $650. The Alliance batteries were $415 (9.5% sales tax included) with an 18 month replacement warranty. Unless Napa changed their warranty, they only offered a 12 month in store, even though the website says 18.

Something to chew on if any of you are in need of some decent batteries. I have been getting about 3 good years before they begin to show weakness once the cold sets in. The last 2 sets of the Napa's were replaced at 40 and 42 months.