New batteries again!!

[KeepItRollin']

My X5 ran about a year on its 1st set of batteries that came with the chair. Got new ones last October and by January one of the cells went dead and got 2 new ones under warranty. They were Universal UB12750 75AH Group 24 Made in China! 2 days ago coming back from 1/2 mile round trip to Beach on a full charge they went South on me and barely made it home..
Called Todd, the Tech for IMM where my chair was made and asked him why he batteries were not lasting. He said they used to ship the chairs with those batteries but found them to be junk..They are still under warranty and I can exchange them if I wish but I don't want to change batteries every 6 months or so. He told me to get some MK batteries Made in the U.S.A by East Penn Manufacturing for it, charge every night as I have been and I should be very happy..
From now on I will be boycotting products from China!!

I did some research and found that Gel Cell is better for a heavy use chair than AGM due to a slower discharge rate and some other issues..

[Ric]

Sorry your having so many battery problems KIR. MK's have done me well for 20 years, but they are expensive. Guess you get what you pay for though.

[KeepItRollin']

Yeah, these are about $100 a pair more than the Chinese ones..How long have the MK's been lasting you?

[Ric]

Several years, but my chair doesn't get used like yours. Mine just sits in a corner nowadays.

[KeepItRollin']

50 foot truck just pulled in and dropped off a pallet of 4 new batteries!! Must of ben buy 2, get 2 free day!..Checked credit card and was only charged for the 2 I ordered. Hope they have a good shelf life or maybe I can sell them on e-bay!!:005:

[Ric]

Buy a small 1-2 amp trickle charger and keep them for later! You seem to eat batteries with your X5.

[robertjf78]

Hey KIR how has the X5 holding up? I've been thinking about switching I'm in a Permobil 2K. Not having any problems just looking for more off road durability. My batteries last about 2 years.

[jmwheels]

Next time you need batteries, check out these MK batteries (http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/match.cfm?categoryID=60). Online prices are nice. If you live in the U.S. it's free shipping too!

[RehaDesign]

This is coming late, but maybe it will help the next person who has a similar question about mobility scooter batteries (http://www.mobility-scooter.info/ScooterBatteries.html). The same information will also apply to power chair batteries. The article gives alot of advice about selecting batteries including how to extend the battery lifespan. Hope it helps.

[Burgerman]

Hi,

I have pages of info on batteries and powerchairs.

But basically you need MK for long life but pretty limited performance. They cant make big amps for "hot" chairs, ramps off road etc. But last a long time.

GOOD AGM batteries offer MORE current (Power) capability for off ropad use etc. But the ones you need are dual purpose Deep Cycle AND Starter batteries loke Optima and Odyssey batteries. They will give better performance, same range but offer slightly lower cycle life.

Only these three are even worth looking at.

Burgerman

www.wheelchairdriver.com (http://www.wheelchairdriver.com)