Hawker Headlines

Fall 2019 edition

Quick Tips!

Want to know how to properly store Hawker^® batteries? Find out... Watch the training video at www.hawkerbattery .com in the Video Vault

Answer to question from last issue:

When should I replace my Hawker^® battery?

A Hawker^® battery is considered to be at the end of its “expected operational life” when…at least one of the following is true:

1. Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) Test: when a fully-charged battery measures less than 12.65 volts.

2. Conductance Analyzer Test: when a fully-charged battery fails to provide at least 80% of the battery’s rated CCAs (e.g., if a Hawker^® ARMASAFE™ Plus 6TAGM battery measures less than 980 CCAs).

3. Mechanic’s Load Test: when a fully-charged battery fails to remain above 9.9 volts Closed Circuit Voltage (CCV; a.k.a., load voltage) during the load test. The specified load should be equal to 1/2 of the battery’s rated CCAs and be applied for 15 seconds (e.g., for a Hawker^® ARMASAFE™ Plus 6TAGM battery, apply a 612.5 amp load for 15 seconds, during which the battery’s load voltage must remain at 10.0 volts CCV or higher. Note: Per TB 9-6140-252-13, military personnel need only apply a 550-amp load on the Hawker^® ARMASAFE™ Plus 6TAGM battery, since MIL-PRF-32143C only requires a new 6TAGM battery to be at least 1100 CCA).

4. Capacity Test: when a fully-charged battery fails to provide at least 80% of the battery’s rated Capacity when discharged at a specified C-rate (e.g., for a Hawker^® ARMASAFE™ Plus 6TAGM battery, when discharged at the C20 rate, if the battery measures less than 96 Ah). Note: This test is normally only conducted by design engineers.

Did you know?

Typical vehicle batteries are called 12-volt batteries, but that’s just a generic term. Actually, different types of lead-acid batteries have different “top-off” voltages. In fact, new 12-volt flooded-cell batteries typically measure 12.6 volts Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) and AGM batteries typically measure 12.9 volts (OCV) when the batteries are fully charged.

Training:

The rumor on the street is... “Military units can schedule free on-site Battery Maintenance and Recovery Training at their motor-pool.” Uhm, Is that TRUE? It sure is! Just contact your Hawker^® FSR today... and we’ll make BMRT happen for you.