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Optima Red Top problem

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Old 09-28-2006
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Optima Red Top problem

I just purchased an Optima Red Top battery for my truck. The problem is that the battery is too small for the tray. I have tightned the rubber block all the way and I can just lift the battery up and out. Is there something I am missing? How do all you other Ranger guys have your Optimas installed where they're in there nice and snug? I'm thinking I may need a bigger rubber block deal? I've never heard of anybody else having problems mounting their batteries so I don't know what is wrong or what I've missed. I've played around with the block and it's in correctly. Thanks
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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Tie-downs fix everything.
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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haah ive got the same problem BUT my optima battery is to BIG lol..
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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Optima makes an adaptor to allow the battery to be mounted using the standard wedge/clamp for the Ranger. Contact your dealer or order online. It upsizes the battery base, so-to-speak. I fabbed my own, but they are available.
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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Thanks for the help. I'm going to head over to NAPA auto parts this afternoon and see what they have. I looked on their website and they have a bunch of battery hold down type of stuff. I bought the battery at costco so they really don't have any type of accessories.
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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so what if the battery is too big for the tray....in my situation....can you just bend the sides of the tray out? mine came with 2 adapters and the height extender but i cant get it to fit inside the walls of the tray.
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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I just put the things on the sides of the batterys and bent the tray wider with a pair of plyers
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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the battery should have come with a thin plastic piece that snaps on the bottom to make it fit properly. mine came with it, and it still took my awhile to figure out how the heck to fit it right. hehe.
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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do you have a pic of the piece you fabbed up cuz i can do it at work i just kinda need to get an idea of whats goin on
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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It's just a piece of metal with a hole in it. It's wide enough to overlap the "tab" on the battery base. It's pretty ugly, I'm not sure I want to show off this "mod", lol!

It survived jumping the truck though -- so I guess it works.
 
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Old 09-29-2006
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I inserted the plastic piece at the base to help it fill in. It helped but the battery can still move around too much. I replaced the rubber block thing with a metal piece that is adjustable. Now the only problem is that the bolt and washer it came with are too big. So I have to to buy a new screw. The current setup until I can find time to buy a smaller screw is the origional rubber block, using the plastice base extened thing plus a rag squeezed in on the back side of that battery in between the battery and the tray so now it doesn't move. Yeah it's ghetto but it won't be moving while driving around town. BTW the metal adjustable block thing for the battery I purchased at NAPA Auto Parts and it only cost $4 and some change.
 
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Old 09-30-2006
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Originally Posted by HighRollerII
do you have a pic of the piece you fabbed up cuz i can do it at work i just kinda need to get an idea of whats goin on

i had the same problem with my redtop, and what i did is wedge a small piece of wood in there, and problem fixed
 
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Old 09-30-2006
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I just want to do it right and not have to worry aobut it. I don't want to be off roading and have the battery hit the underside of the hood and it short out or something.
 
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