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US AGM 8D Battery

U.S. Battery Manufacturing’s US AGM 8D Offers High-Performance Power For Marine Applications

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U.S. Battery Manufacturing’s AGM 8D deep-cycle, maintenance-free battery is designed to increase runtime and service life for marine applications where reliable power is always needed.  This 8D group sized, 12-volt battery measures 20.5’ (521mm)L x 10.6” (268mm)W x 8.86” (225mm)H and has been designed to fit in tight compartments and can’t be easily accessed for routine or frequent maintenance required for deep-cycle Flooded Lead batteries.

The US AGM 8D deep-cycle battery has a 308 amp-hour rating at a 20-hour rate, with a runtime of 262 minutes at a 56-amp draw. This performance delivers the power your boat’s accessories need to run longer and reliably, powering everything from lights and troll motors to keeping your satellite and emergency communications equipment working during long voyages.  The battery’s internal structure features thick positive alloy grids for exceptional corrosion resistance, high-density positive active material, and advanced glass mat separators. These components work together to maintain the battery cell structure during deep-cycling, limit acid stratification, and inhibit internal shorts. The batteries also feature carbon-enhanced negative active material that improves charge acceptance and cycling performance. In addition to vibration resistance and main­tenance-free valve-regulated operation, the battery is one of U.S. Battery’s latest AGM designs that are engineered to improve reliability, overall performance and deliver a longer cycle life.

8D SAE post

8D SAE post

With a heat-sealed, heavy-duty, red ABS case, the US AGM 8D can handle working in harsh environments and comes with an F14 insert style terminal; an optional screw-in SAE terminal post is also available. More information on the US AGM 8D is available by downloading the battery’s datasheet.

battery pack capacity infograph

Battery Pack’s Size Impacts Capacity And Run-Time

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Having to buy a new set of batteries for your golf car is not something people always look forward to. A 48-volt golf car can take anywhere from four or even eight batteries, depending on the compartment space and vehicle model. This can be a big investment, so if you could get away with only buying four 12v batteries, would that be better? It might seem so upfront, but depending on how often you use your golf car and the amount of runtime you expect, fewer batteries with the same voltage may not always be the best choice.

Depending on the make and model of your golf car, it may seem less expensive to buy four 12-volt batteries connected in series to power a 48-volt system. Choosing higher voltage deep-cycle batteries, however,  often means sacrificing amp-hour capacity. Under constant use, a four-battery pack will have a shorter life cycle than a pack producing the same 48-volts but made up of more batteries. The reason is that the larger battery pack provides a substantial increase in amp-hour capacity, leading to more runtime and cycle life than a smaller battery pack.

More batteries connected in series can produce the same amount of voltage, but because there are more batteries to share the load, it lowers the discharge rate per battery. The driving range is also extended because more batteries increase the overall capacity. Think of it like adding a larger fuel tank to your car. With a larger battery bank, you can drive your golf car farther between charges. If you keep your depth of discharge (DOD) on the battery pack less than 50 percent, it will ultimately add to making the pack last much longer than a pack with fewer batteries.

For example, on a 48-volt golf car, you can typically get a longer driving range and increased battery life with six 8V batteries, and even more capacity with eight 6V batteries. There are still other variables to consider, as there are various 6V and 8V batteries with different amp-hour ratings, but when you replace the batteries with the same amp-hour rating required by the golf car manufacturer and provide proper maintenance procedures, the battery bank with more batteries will last longer. Additional information on explaining the effects of wiring batteries in series and parallel can be found here: https://www.usbattery.com/info-center/configuration/