Hello,, l i was just wondering if anybody is regretting putting in lithium batterys in for their trolling motor. I am looking at getting an ulterra 36 volt tm and just checking everyones advice for battery size and configuration. I am thinking of getting a 100 Amphour, single 36 volt battery.... Thanks for any info....Duck
Boats & Motors
anyone regretting lithium trolling motor batterys
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I switched to lithiums last spring and couldn't be happier. Lithiums are far superior to lead acid in every way. (Well except if want to use that lead acid as an anchor)
Lead acids discharge just sitting there, and wear down as you use them. Lithiums give you everything they got until they shut down completely
The worst thing on lead acids are bouncing and vibration, a constant thing on while the boat is on the water or being trailered. Vibration doesn't hurt lithiums. Also, lead acids have to be upright, you can configure LiONs upside down if you want. Theyre's also the weight- 50 pounds? for a lead batt opossed to 20. Easy call there.
Yeah if you buy some cheap LiON you'll regret it- how they are put together is important.
LiONs can be used in below freezing temps but can be damaged if you charge them in below freezing temps.
I did a ton of research before buying and decided to go with BATTLE BORN located in Reno Nevada. Although they get their components from ChYna like everyone else does, they are ASSEMBLED IN THE US, and that's important. They also have a military discount so that's cool if you qualify. Battle Born's also have an internal mechanism for below freezing temps. When you're charging their battery, an internal sensor will stop the charge if it senses it's too cold (and damage the battery), and use it's own reserves to warm the battery until it is warm enough and then continue the charge. I couldn't find any other LiONs that did this, so if you bought a different battery your only option is to not charge in freezing temps or just not charge at all.
They have a great website, and their customer service is really good, all US based people with knowledgeable tech support. Most newer battery chargers will work on their batteries and they can tell you if your charger will work for their batts. Yes, it's better to get two 12V's than one 24V.
No I don't work for them or get a kickback, I'm just happy to pass on what I think is a good company. Of course they cost more than what you're gonna find at Fleet Farm or Cabela's, their stuff is poor quality in a rush to get into the market. It's not like Cabela's or any other place has a LiON factory, they contract it out to the lowest bidder. Battle Born all the way for me.
Lead acids discharge just sitting there, and wear down as you use them. Lithiums give you everything they got until they shut down completely
The worst thing on lead acids are bouncing and vibration, a constant thing on while the boat is on the water or being trailered. Vibration doesn't hurt lithiums. Also, lead acids have to be upright, you can configure LiONs upside down if you want. Theyre's also the weight- 50 pounds? for a lead batt opossed to 20. Easy call there.
Yeah if you buy some cheap LiON you'll regret it- how they are put together is important.
LiONs can be used in below freezing temps but can be damaged if you charge them in below freezing temps.
I did a ton of research before buying and decided to go with BATTLE BORN located in Reno Nevada. Although they get their components from ChYna like everyone else does, they are ASSEMBLED IN THE US, and that's important. They also have a military discount so that's cool if you qualify. Battle Born's also have an internal mechanism for below freezing temps. When you're charging their battery, an internal sensor will stop the charge if it senses it's too cold (and damage the battery), and use it's own reserves to warm the battery until it is warm enough and then continue the charge. I couldn't find any other LiONs that did this, so if you bought a different battery your only option is to not charge in freezing temps or just not charge at all.
They have a great website, and their customer service is really good, all US based people with knowledgeable tech support. Most newer battery chargers will work on their batteries and they can tell you if your charger will work for their batts. Yes, it's better to get two 12V's than one 24V.
No I don't work for them or get a kickback, I'm just happy to pass on what I think is a good company. Of course they cost more than what you're gonna find at Fleet Farm or Cabela's, their stuff is poor quality in a rush to get into the market. It's not like Cabela's or any other place has a LiON factory, they contract it out to the lowest bidder. Battle Born all the way for me.
Wow, only about 30% above what I paid for AGMs last spring.
One concern I have with the low temperature charge cutoff, is what do I do in the late fall, when the temperature in my garage might be not high enough to allow charging? Particularly if the cheap BMS's guard-band the cutoff all the way up to 40F or something, could be a real issue.
On the construction side, shoving 5 #12 wires into a lug is not exactly kosher, very highly dependent on the assembler's skill and somebody's quality inspection. Putting silicone over connections as they did only serves to obscure serious quality concerns; it adds no value otherwise. Other than that, they looked OK. I do like that they are using prismatic cells, and only 8 of them, to construct the battery. Contrast that to the Battle-Born construction, which uses 120 cylindrical cells. Simpler is nearly always better, and it is certainly cheaper.
Let us know your experiences this season...as I said, I may be in the market next spring.
One concern I have with the low temperature charge cutoff, is what do I do in the late fall, when the temperature in my garage might be not high enough to allow charging? Particularly if the cheap BMS's guard-band the cutoff all the way up to 40F or something, could be a real issue.
On the construction side, shoving 5 #12 wires into a lug is not exactly kosher, very highly dependent on the assembler's skill and somebody's quality inspection. Putting silicone over connections as they did only serves to obscure serious quality concerns; it adds no value otherwise. Other than that, they looked OK. I do like that they are using prismatic cells, and only 8 of them, to construct the battery. Contrast that to the Battle-Born construction, which uses 120 cylindrical cells. Simpler is nearly always better, and it is certainly cheaper.
Let us know your experiences this season...as I said, I may be in the market next spring.
Decided to go with the WEIZE after watching this review, $350 Weize 12V 100Ah LiFePO4: Ripoff??.
On sale through eBay for $297 through Friday, they are also available on Amazon and directly through their website. I will let everyone know my thoughts after I receive them. Long term will hopefully take years before I can post a review! I guess my thinking is just like everything else, after something becomes popular and more companies jump in the market the competition drives prices down.
On sale through eBay for $297 through Friday, they are also available on Amazon and directly through their website. I will let everyone know my thoughts after I receive them. Long term will hopefully take years before I can post a review! I guess my thinking is just like everything else, after something becomes popular and more companies jump in the market the competition drives prices down.
I did what I thought was a reasonably thorough survey of lithium batteries last spring, and I did not come across Epoch, Weize, or LiTime. Curious how you folks came across those brands.
Course, I was specifically looking for Group 27 sized batteries, 12V only, for RV application. That might have limited my choices. May be replacing boat 24V TM + batteries next season?
Course, I was specifically looking for Group 27 sized batteries, 12V only, for RV application. That might have limited my choices. May be replacing boat 24V TM + batteries next season?
Decided to make the jump to LiFePO4 (Lithium) batteries. Trying to decide between WEIZE and LiTime, both have 10 year warranties. Has anyone purchased either of these and if so how do like them? Are they performing as expected?
My charger should be OK, it charges to 14.6 volts with a constant current held until 1 amp at which time the charge terminates with a 6A max current. I emailed both companies but still waiting for a response to see if that is sufficient current. Generally lithium requires a recommended charge voltage of 14.2-14.6.
My charger should be OK, it charges to 14.6 volts with a constant current held until 1 amp at which time the charge terminates with a 6A max current. I emailed both companies but still waiting for a response to see if that is sufficient current. Generally lithium requires a recommended charge voltage of 14.2-14.6.
My old gel cells packed it in last winter so I replaced them with Re-Lion lithium-ions (12.8 volts, 75 amp hours, powering a 24-volt Terrova on an older Lund Pro V). The run times are completely insane, I can go all weekend on a single charge no problem, where in the past I'd start to notice the gel cells losing steam after 6 - 7 hours. Even if it's really windy and I'm on the electric non-stop, the new batteries run all day without fading at all. They're freaking awesome.
The main reason I bought them is because they're supposed to last 5x as long as gel cells, which right now I'm replacing every 2 - 3 years. If I can get 10 years out of these things like they say, I'll have saved $200.
The main reason I bought them is because they're supposed to last 5x as long as gel cells, which right now I'm replacing every 2 - 3 years. If I can get 10 years out of these things like they say, I'll have saved $200.
From the few folks that I know that have them they are impressed, I have read where some guys bought cheap ones and they basically did not hold up as advertised, so buyer beware.
Pro's I see.
+Battery gives consistent output over a longer time period as it discharges ,ie longer fun times.
+Weight
Life of battery although I think the jury is still out here, and this will be played out. Advertised 11 year warranty hmm...
Con's
- Cost, Pricing 100 amp hr 12v batteries I have seen prices from $350 to $900 so I suspect not all are created equal so buyer beware.
Charging/charger may or may not be an issue so it may or may not be a con.
My personal thoughts are I have 4 lead acid batteries in my boat, and for all the Wal-Mart haters they are Wal-mart brand. I get 4-6 years out of those batteries and I change them out of the boat at 4yr and use them for another 2-3 years around the place. Campers, RV's, Tractors etc.
What is appealing to me is weight, with roughly 200 + lbs of lead acid batteries I could get 100lbs of additional weight out of the boat. I get all the run time I need out of the lead acid batteries so no noticeable saving realized for me there. I am skeptical of the 11 yr service live, and truth be told technology changes so fast. And since I can change out the lead Acid batteries 3 times and still cost less than a lithium battery, I am really looking at the weight reduction as my main advantage. So I am in a wait and see mode for the time being. I understand how others use their boat and batteries will definitely shape how they make the decision. I like the fact that as more and more people adopt them we will learn more , and have potential better options as well in the future.
Good luck
Pro's I see.
+Battery gives consistent output over a longer time period as it discharges ,ie longer fun times.
+Weight
Life of battery although I think the jury is still out here, and this will be played out. Advertised 11 year warranty hmm...
Con's
- Cost, Pricing 100 amp hr 12v batteries I have seen prices from $350 to $900 so I suspect not all are created equal so buyer beware.
Charging/charger may or may not be an issue so it may or may not be a con.
My personal thoughts are I have 4 lead acid batteries in my boat, and for all the Wal-Mart haters they are Wal-mart brand. I get 4-6 years out of those batteries and I change them out of the boat at 4yr and use them for another 2-3 years around the place. Campers, RV's, Tractors etc.
What is appealing to me is weight, with roughly 200 + lbs of lead acid batteries I could get 100lbs of additional weight out of the boat. I get all the run time I need out of the lead acid batteries so no noticeable saving realized for me there. I am skeptical of the 11 yr service live, and truth be told technology changes so fast. And since I can change out the lead Acid batteries 3 times and still cost less than a lithium battery, I am really looking at the weight reduction as my main advantage. So I am in a wait and see mode for the time being. I understand how others use their boat and batteries will definitely shape how they make the decision. I like the fact that as more and more people adopt them we will learn more , and have potential better options as well in the future.
Good luck
I bought 2 Battle Born 100ah batteries last summer for a 24v Terrova and a separate 50ah for electronics. So far I’ve been impressed with them. Thru my research, I was told from several sources to get 12v batteries instead of one 24v or in your case, a 36v. I honestly don’t recall why but for what the batteries cost, I figured I’d take their advice. My advice would be to call the manufacturer and ask what they recommend. Walleye Central is a good place to do research as well.
That 100Ah 36V lithium is pretty much the same capacity you would get if you strung 3 Group 31 lead acid batteries in series, which is what virtually everybody does. So, nominal capacity-wise, you are at the same place. Except the lithium will hold its voltage pretty much all the way down, giving you considerably more W-h than the lead acids will.
The downside is now you have to purchase a 36V lithium charger. Not common, good luck. Keep your CC warmed up, LOL.
Minnkota had warnings about using lithiums on their website at one time, have not looked recently.
The downside is now you have to purchase a 36V lithium charger. Not common, good luck. Keep your CC warmed up, LOL.
Minnkota had warnings about using lithiums on their website at one time, have not looked recently.
I would look into how many amps a 36 V motor draws and then calculate how many hours of run time you will get from that single 36 V 100 amp hour battery. A search of 112 lb thrust 36V motors shows a 20 amp draw at 50% thrust. If I understand correctly a 100 amp hour battery would run for 5 hours before depleting the battery.
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