Deep cycle battery

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As was suggested here earlier Ill need to change out the standard battery in my 98 Ford Ranger for a deep cycle battery so that I can run my electric water pump to continue watering my plants.
What information will I need to find and post here so that maybe someone could recommend a battery that would work?
Im not sure of the group size and I dont trust the internet to give me the correct info but I can ask at work tomm if that is all thats needed?
 
What pump did you end up with? How many minutes would you say you'd run it between charges? What would likely be best would be to keep the starting battery you have and just add a storage battery to run the pump, charging it from the alternator.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
I tried this one, I also tried the more expensive 7.0 GPM pump and found no difference in water delivery.
The pump linked above works fantastic and I am VERY pleased.
I do not want to get into adding anything other than a battery in my truck that is made to handle the discharge.
I have already run the wire from the battery to the rear of the trailer to power the pump and have been using the battery in the truck for weeks now with no issues whatsoever.
Yesterday afternoon was the first time I had an issue starting the truck.
The truck gets started and moved every few minutes as I make my way around the property line.
 
If you change the starting battery to a Deep Cycle
MOST starting abtteries are about 75 AH (not all by a long shot especially if the horse is a Diesel they use bigger)
You want to at least double that.. So a GC-12 might work
Or convert to LI
 
The truck gets started and moved every few minutes as I make my way around the property line.
My first order thought to that would be to not stop the truck. The alternator would then do most of the heavy lifting powering the pump, your starter would get much less wear and tear and it's better for the engine to stay running vs start and stop.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Starting batteries and deep cycle batteries are designed for different purposes. Deep cycling a starting battery will quickly kill it as it's designed to supply a short, high current burst of power to crank over the engine.

On the hand, repeatedly asking a deep cycle battery to supply high current burst of power will also kill it.

Or you could get a RV/Marine battery that's a compromise between the two, but does neither task particularly well.

The best thing you could do is get a separate deep cycle battery only to run the water pump, then charge it up at night.
 
The battery physical case size is determined by the vehicle manufacturer, i.e. it allowed a space with certain dimensions. That's called the battery case size and those are standardized by the battery manufacturers industry group (BCI). To determine what battery case will fit, check the size shown for your year/make/model at any auto parts store. Or online. Sometimes a slightly larger battery can be fit, especially if the extra dimension is more height. You will have to determine that on your own. You can view BCI standard case sizes online.

Battery amp-hour capacity is limited by its physical size. You can only get so many amp hours from a given amount of lead plates, so the max is pre-determined by the physical size. A battery can be less than the max, though.

Your Ranger's battery has starting the truck engine as its primary chose, so a reliability as a starting battery has to be the first priority. Deep cycling designs are less good at starting but longer lasting as a power source, and Marine/deep cycles are a hybrid (in between). Take your pick, based on your priorities. They will all work to some degree.
 
IMO the best solution is the largest deep cycle battery you can find mounted on the trailer or truck bed. An automatic charge relay is in place to disconnect the pump battery from the truck battery. When the truck is on the alternator charges the battery.

Add a 50W solar panel and the solar can charge the battery when the trailer is parked up. You could put this together for a couple hundred bucks including the battery.

A immediate failsafe would be to add the charge relay in the power supply to the pump. When the battery gets below X charge the relay opens and the pump no longer works - but you are ensured enough battery to start the truck.
 
My first order thought to that would be to not stop the truck. The alternator would then do most of the heavy lifting powering the pump, your starter would get much less wear and tear and it's better for the engine to stay running vs start and stop.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
You could buy a battery isolator and charge a separate deep cycle battery off the trucks alternator. Use the deep cycle for the pump. The isolator will prevent your truck battery from draining while using the pump.
 

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