Choosing a Maintenance Free Starter Battery
Capacity, cold cranking amps, reserve capacity and terminal position — which figure actually decides whether the engine starts.
Capacity is not cranking power
The 20-hour rate in ampere-hours describes how long a battery can supply a small current. Starting an engine is the opposite situation: a very large current for a few seconds. A battery can have adequate capacity and still fail to turn an engine in the cold. The figure that governs starting is cold cranking amps.
Cold cranking amps
CCA is the current the battery can deliver at low temperature while holding usable voltage. In our range it runs from 370 A on the MF40 up to 1050 A on the MF200. Match it to the engine's requirement in the coldest condition the vehicle will actually see, not the average.
Reserve capacity
Reserve capacity, in minutes, describes how long the battery can run the vehicle's electrical load if the charging system fails. It runs from 52 minutes on the MF40 to 441 minutes on the MF200. On a vehicle that operates far from support, this is the figure that determines whether a charging fault becomes a recovery.
Dimensions decide whether it fits
Our table publishes length, width, height and total height separately, because total height includes the terminals and is what determines clearance under a bonnet or a battery box lid. An MF100 is 404 x 171 x 200 mm with a total height of 220 mm. Check the tray, not just the capacity.
Terminal position and the L suffix
MF50 and MF50L are the same battery with reversed terminal positions, as are MF70 and MF70L. Order the wrong one and the cables will not reach. Look at the vehicle before ordering — positive terminal left or right, viewed from the front of the battery.
JIS and SAE cross-reference
Each type is listed against both its JIS and SAE designation and an older type number — MF70 is 65D31R, MF100 is 95E41R, MF200 is 190H52R. If you have the battery that came out of the vehicle, the designation on its label is the most reliable way to order the replacement.
Container quantity and freight
Batteries are heavy and freight is a real part of the landed cost. The table gives quantity per 20-foot container for each type: 2260 pieces of MF40, 1486 of MF70, 1040 of MF100, 577 of MF200. That lets you calculate landed cost per unit before ordering rather than after.
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Read the guide →Questions About This Topic
Which battery has the highest cold cranking amps?
MF200, at 1050 A, with 200 Ah capacity and 441 minutes reserve capacity.
What does 65D31R mean?
It is the JIS designation. 65 relates to performance, D is the case size class, 31 is the length in centimetres, and R indicates the terminal position.
How many MF70 batteries fit in a container?
1486 pieces in a 20-foot container, per the published table.
Still Not Sure Which Specification You Need
Send the application, the machine or the part number and a recommendation comes back in writing before any order is placed.