C145 — 6V 260Ah Industrial Deep Cycle Battery

Q: What does deep cycle mean?
A: Deep cycle batteries are built to be discharged down to 20 to 30 percent of capacity and recharged, repeatedly, across hundreds of cycles. Starter batteries deliver a short high-amperage pulse once and recharge off the alternator; deep cycle batteries deliver steady moderate current for hours. Different plate structure, same lead-acid chemistry.

Q: What does 260Ah at C20 mean?
A: C20 is the discharge rate the capacity figure is measured at. 260 amp-hours delivered at a steady draw of 13 amps over 20 hours. Draw harder and total delivered capacity drops because of internal resistance; draw lighter and it stays close to the rated figure.

Q: What is the reserve capacity?
A: Century doesn't publish reserve capacity for the Industrial 6V range. Industry reference for a 260Ah flooded 6V battery is roughly 450 to 600 minutes at a 25A draw. Treat the Ah at C20 figure as the primary spec and the practical runtime for most industrial equipment.

Q: Why 6V instead of 12V?
A: Golf carts, scissor lifts and industrial scrubbers are designed around 36V or 48V drive systems built from strings of 6V batteries. A 6V 260Ah pair wired in series gives 12V 260Ah; a 48V string of eight 6V 260Ah batteries gives 48V at 260Ah. The 6V format also lets you add more capacity to a 12V or 24V house bank by stacking strings in parallel.

Q: How do I wire two in series for 12V?
A: Positive of battery A connects to negative of battery B with a short heavy cable (35mm² or 2 AWG for most loads). The remaining positive on battery B is the 12V positive output; the remaining negative on battery A is the 12V negative. Charge the pair with a 12V charger set for the string's full voltage, not two separate 6V chargers at the same time.

Q: Can I use this to start an engine?
A: No. The plate structure is wrong for cranking amperage. Try to crank an engine on this battery and the plates will warp or short internally. Starter batteries are a separate product class with thin high-surface-area plates for brief hundreds-of-amps pulses. Deep cycle batteries push moderate steady current for hours.

Q: What charger profile does a 6V flooded take?
A: Bulk, absorption and float at 7.4V absorption and 6.75V float at 25 degrees C for a single 6V battery. For a 12V string (two in series), the charger profile is standard 14.8V absorption and 13.5V float. For a 48V string (eight in series), 59.2V absorption and 54V float. Charge current up to 26A per battery (10 percent of capacity) is comfortable.

Q: How often do I top up the electrolyte?
A: Check the level every three months and top up with distilled water (not tap water) until the plates are just covered. Flooded batteries lose water through electrolysis during charging. A hard-worked bank in a hot environment can need top-up every month; a lightly-worked bank once a year. Never add acid; always distilled water.

Q: What polarity is A and does it match my cables?
A: A polarity means the positive terminal is on the right when the battery is viewed from the terminal end with the vent caps facing up. Golf carts and scissor lifts built around the Trojan T145 or equivalent 6V 260Ah batteries use the same A-polarity layout, so the stock cable loom will reach without rework. Measure before swapping if your equipment uses a non-standard layout.

Q: How long will the battery last?
A: Century doesn't publish a cycle-life figure. Industry reference for a flooded 6V 260Ah industrial battery is 500 to 1200 cycles at 50 percent depth-of-discharge, depending on charge regime, temperature, and electrolyte maintenance. Daily deep cycles on a well-managed charger will see 3 to 5 years; occasional cycles with weekend-only use will see longer.