KEEPING DODGE RAM CUMMINS BATTERIES ALIVE

[TDRComm]

Or, How I Stopped Worrying and Got 13 Years Out of My Ram Cummins Truck Batteries.

With the temperatures dropping, the reality of impending fall and winter weather can't be ignored. So we thought this would be a good time to review what Moses Ludel has to say about keeping our Dodge Ram Cummins' batteries alive.

TDR members, you’ll recognize today’s post as it is excerpted from a past column. This is especially for those occasionally stopping by or just tuning in.


CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE


About the Writer: Moses Ludel is a long-time TDR writer and fellow Ram Cummins owner. A renowned automotive journalist who has written for numerous magazines such as Off-Road, Trailer Life, Four-Wheeler, and many others, Moses is also the author of the well-known Jeep Owner's Bible, among other well-respected automotive books. You can also check out his channel, "Road Ready with Moses Ludel" on YouTube.



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[Matt42]

To paraphrase renowned atmospheric scientist John Kerry, climate is everything. I got 24 months from the OEM batteries in my 1996 and was thrilled that they lasted that long. A colleague in Wyoming got 8 years out of the OEM batteries in her 2007 CTD, and her winters go to minus 20 degrees F every year.

Winters where I live will sometimes reach 30 degrees F, but summers will reach 118F and stay that way for two months. Overnight temperatures during that time seldom dip below 95F, sometimes not below 100. Our kind of climate just eats batteries alive. (It also ruins automotive paint and tires.) When the OEM batteries in my 1996 died, I switched to AGM batteries and kept them on float charge when the truck wasn't being regularly driven. Now I can get up to 6 years out of a set.

It's hard to believe that Bighorn Basin Wyoming climate, where summer is six weeks of bad skiing, is better for batteries. But my colleague buys the cheapest flooded cell batteries she can find, and just recently bought a replacement set. The third set on her truck, counting the OEM batteries as the first set.

 

[LarryHess]

Apparently, someone built a great batch of batteries in 2005. I just replaced the original battery in my '05 2500. 19 years. Not apples to apples as this is a gasser. Great battery life nontheless. Got seven years out of the originial batteries in my 2010 3500 6.7.