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| 12 of one and a dozen of the other.
In theory there is more room for plates in 3 cell batteries than in 12 cell batteries so 6 volt batteries should have more cranking amps than 12. There are few 6 volt batteries to choose from these days. And they are likely to have been on a shelf a long time since they were made and are half shot from lack of charging.
You can judge the batteries based on the ratings. When using two 6 volt batteries in series the cranking amps is the same as one battery. When using two 12 volt batteries in parallel, the cranking amps is close to the sum of the two individual cranking amps, or if the batteries are the same which they should be, twice the cranking amps of the individual 12 volt batteries.
In many modern 12 volt batteries the connections between cells is very short, through the walls of the cells, not up over the top. The long skinny 3EM and 3ET batteries suffer from extra long cell to cell connections and the resistance of those hurts the cranking amps.
On my gas 4020 I changed to a side terminal battery on a combination shelf/step that is next to the starter and with an alternator I have gotten much better battery life and pay less for a car battery than the long skinny Packard batteries.
The reports on this forum favor two 12 volt batteries in parallel, likely because of the poor selection of 6 volt batteries and better construction of modern 12 volt batteries and the much greater selection of 12 volt batteries these days.
Gerald J. | |
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71 4020 ?
