AndyFromCB Posted September 1, 2015 Report Posted September 1, 2015 Gill Batteries continue to perform extremely well These new Gills (7243-14) are far better than previous Gill Batteries Do you work for them or something? I've been thru 4 Gills before going concorde... Quote
tls pilot Posted September 5, 2015 Author Report Posted September 5, 2015 Do you work for them or something? I've been thru 4 Gills before going concorde... No, do not work for Gill. Just trying to be polite and inform and update folks exactly as we experience the data thus far. sorry some have preconceived notions....... Quote
carusoam Posted September 6, 2015 Report Posted September 6, 2015 I must have the post conceived notions... i see see you only have a few posts. There is a long history of Mooney pilots that get a couple years of life out of their Gil batteries. each thread continues on with owners stating how long their Concordes last. nobody has a remotely good opinion of their experience with Gil. i have owned about a dozen Gil batteries over my Mooney ownership. It's an insane repetition... if if you are having a good experience. By all means, share it. Share it with detail and gusto! best regards, -a- 1 Quote
carqwik Posted September 6, 2015 Report Posted September 6, 2015 Never got more than 20 months out of a Gill 243S...that's a fact. It will take years of others having positive experiences with the new Gills to consider switching. More amazing is my own stupidity for buying multiple Gills in the past...and expecting a different and better experience with each new Gill battery. Duh!! Quote
Awful_Charlie Posted September 6, 2015 Report Posted September 6, 2015 I must have the post conceived notions... <snip> nobody has a remotely good opinion of their experience with Gil. i have owned about a dozen Gil batteries over my Mooney ownership. It's an insane repetition... if if you are having a good experience. By all means, share it. Share it with detail and gusto! best regards, -a- I got about 10 years out of both my Gills - it's on the board here somewhere. Replaced about a year ago with one Gill and 8 months ago with one Concorde - time will tell if the extra cost of the Concorde is worth it Quote
mike_elliott Posted September 6, 2015 Report Posted September 6, 2015 I should have taken a photo...Deer Horn Aviation in Midland tx was using a new Gill for a door stop on Friday. 1 Quote
carusoam Posted September 7, 2015 Report Posted September 7, 2015 AwfulC, How did you do that?!?!?! a decade of service out of any battery is spectacular... Flying every day might help. best regards, -a- Quote
Awful_Charlie Posted September 7, 2015 Report Posted September 7, 2015 AwfulC, How did you do that?!?!?! a decade of service out of any battery is spectacular... Flying every day might help. best regards, -a- Not sure how they lasted that long - the previous owners must have had something to do with it, as I only had the last five years of them. I don't have external power in my hanger, but use a battery minder on a generator when I'm pottering about, and alternated with a third battery for the last couple of year (one at home on a battery minder and two in service) frequently abused as in left for a month without usage, frozen in the winter, baked in the summer, only things I avoided were long cap checks to less than 50%capacity, and did a check of the fluid levels twice a year 1 Quote
ArtVandelay Posted September 7, 2015 Report Posted September 7, 2015 AwfulC,How did you do that?!?!?! a decade of service out of any battery is spectacular... Flying every day might help. best regards, -a- So does checking the battery, adding water if required, not necessary with modern AGMs, probably one of the reasons they last longer. Quote
WorldWiseTrade Posted November 9, 2015 Report Posted November 9, 2015 For my Gill experience (Gill G243) all junk within 2 years (Mooney and Bonanza both). I replaced the Gill flooded type with sealed Concord's, big difference in cranking power, immediately noticeable. Concord Rep at Air-Venture had long dissertation on the advantage of the sealed type and indicated that the lead used in them is far superior. They hold a charge much better/longer, also noticeable. If anybody wants 2 Gill G243's, 1 is 2 year old tests @ 60%, the other 1 year old, tests @ 95% (seems good). Come get em, KAPF, best offer of free to a good home. On a battery minder in my hangar. 1 Quote
tls pilot Posted June 12, 2016 Author Report Posted June 12, 2016 As promised the Gill 7243 sealed batteries continue to perform extremely well a year and a half since install Seems Gill may have gotten it correct with these new sealed batteries. Quote
donkaye Posted June 13, 2016 Report Posted June 13, 2016 On June 8, 2015 at 8:34 PM, LANCECASPER said: I bought my first Bravo in '96 and changed Gills every two years, not by choice. On the next Bravo, after the first Gills went bad I went with Concordes and no problems for years. Not on topic, but curious. Why buy several Bravos and an Ovation? I've had my Bravo going on 24 years and wouldn't trade it for anything. Quote
Godfather Posted June 13, 2016 Report Posted June 13, 2016 I use a battery minder every time the aircraft is parked (alternating between batteries) and normally get 5-6 years of good performance. At that time I replace both batteries (gills). So are people getting twice the life out of the gel batteries? Wished odyssey made batteries for the newer Mooney aircraft...those things last forever! Quote
Bravoman Posted June 14, 2016 Report Posted June 14, 2016 10 hours ago, donkaye said: Not on topic, but curious. Why buy several Bravos and an Ovation? I've had my Bravo going on 24 years and wouldn't trade it for anything. The old saying "the grass is always greener", but he is back to a Bravo! Quote
Marauder Posted June 14, 2016 Report Posted June 14, 2016 10 hours ago, donkaye said: Not on topic, but curious. Why buy several Bravos and an Ovation? I've had my Bravo going on 24 years and wouldn't trade it for anything. The old saying "the grass is always greener", but he is back to a Bravo! I also think he loves bringing a bird back to its former glory. The Bravo he has now is a prime example. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
LANCECASPER Posted June 14, 2016 Report Posted June 14, 2016 10 hours ago, Marauder said: I also think he loves bringing a bird back to its former glory. The Bravo he has now is a prime example. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk That's part of it. Not going to go into all the reasons on a public forum. After owning a '96 Bravo I ended up selling it to get into a partnership on a new Piper Mirage in 2000 (me and one great partner). After a couple of Service Bulletins that grounded the airplane for many months, I ended up in a partnership on a Meridian (me and one great partner and one horrible partner). After that experience I got back into a Bravo and then a job shift caused me not t have much time at all to fly so I sold it. I own a great Ovation but had the opportunity to buy the TLS that Dr. Fontaine owned. I wanted less into an airplane and want to eventually own a hangar home. Quote
xcrmckenna Posted April 13, 2017 Report Posted April 13, 2017 The battery in my plane has been going for just about five years now. I don't notice real hard starts so far but it is a Gill 35. I'm thinking of replacing it. From what I gather my options are the Concord RG-35a at $303, Gill 7243-14 at $600 or another Gill 35 at $226. Prices from pilotshop.com. I can replace the G35 myself but since the other two batteries weigh more than a pound more than the G35 I will need an A&P to do it with a weight and balance? The previous owner had a battery minder but I'm not sure how often he used it. Quote
LANCECASPER Posted April 13, 2017 Report Posted April 13, 2017 Put in a Concorde RG-35 and never look back. The Gill Battery is 27 lbs dry (http://www.gillbatteries.com/productdetails.aspx?pid=G-35) - with the electrolyte it should be within ounces of the Concorde's 29.5 lbs. Quote
Bob - S50 Posted April 13, 2017 Report Posted April 13, 2017 1 hour ago, xcrmckenna said: The battery in my plane has been going for just about five years now. I don't notice real hard starts so far but it is a Gill 35. I'm thinking of replacing it. From what I gather my options are the Concord RG-35a at $303, Gill 7243-14 at $600 or another Gill 35 at $226. Prices from pilotshop.com. I can replace the G35 myself but since the other two batteries weigh more than a pound more than the G35 I will need an A&P to do it with a weight and balance? The previous owner had a battery minder but I'm not sure how often he used it. You might check Chief Aircraft in Grants Pass, Oregon. The RG-35A is $289.50, includes ground shipping to the lower 48, and no sales tax. 1 Quote
thinwing Posted May 9, 2017 Report Posted May 9, 2017 On 6/11/2015 at 0:51 PM, tls pilot said: The 7000 series battery is a 24 month warranty Perhaps you read the incorrect info posted on Spruce website The one you quoted is for the old batteries Hi there ''tis pilot...thanks for report...the problem is when there are years of reports of gill failures..it takes time to rebuild trust...maybe suggust to this new gill battery...look every pilot in the us thinks your batteries suck...(which they did personal experience)..I was first going to suggust they give this battery away for free...except..my butt is on the line...so I would decline that offer!I thought about it ..and maybe Gill bankruptcy with name change is best route...regards.. Quote
tls pilot Posted May 9, 2017 Author Report Posted May 9, 2017 Wow!!! The report was written just about two years ago. The batteries have been installed for over 26 months. Trouble free. Just as strong today as day one. Great cranking power in cold weather and warm. The report was written two years ago to inform folks about these new batteries. IF you or others prefer another brand and are happy with their cost, weight, and performance, Stay with it. This is why some folks like vanilla and others strawberry. We have a choice between two brands here. (Frankly at this point both brands appear to be of superb quality). If your brand serves you well, stay with it, if you choose not to want to hear about other products because your mind is made up, do not read it. It is as simple as that! Some companies are known for great quality, over the decades, business qualities can change from good to bad and vice versa, bad to good. Apple was near dead over a decade ago.... The whole point of a forum like this is to share experciences, not beat up folks for doing the sharing or questioning their reason for making such posts (unless they have some vested interest) which we do NOT. Just a consumer reporting on what was then (2 yrs ago) a new product. As promised two years ago, we will give a report yearly. Happy starting.... Quote
LANCECASPER Posted May 9, 2017 Report Posted May 9, 2017 Apple was nearly dead two decades ago, not one. On Concorde or Gill the only way to know if it's as strong today as day one is to do a capacity test. Just because it starts doesn't mean it's as strong as day one. Quote
toto Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 I'm looking at replacing my 11yo G-243 with a 7243 (or something else). If I can swap out a Gill for another Gill, I'll be happy to do it myself - but it sounds like the weight difference might be a problem. Does anyone know for sure whether moving from a 243 to a 7243 will require a new W&B? I'm dubious about the accuracy of weight specs from online retailers. Quote
carusoam Posted June 11, 2017 Report Posted June 11, 2017 (edited) Gill has their data on line... go direct to their site... see if this helps... http://www.gillbatteries.com/products.aspx?grp=acm&crit=Mooney Aircraft you need to be a bit more specific to the part number. The two with the closest part numbers as listed are more than a pound different from each other. having your WnB numbers updated by your mechanic isn't going to be all that much if you are doing all the work. If you get 11 years out of a single battery, why change anything but the old battery for a new one? Best regards, -a- Edited June 11, 2017 by carusoam Quote
toto Posted June 12, 2017 Report Posted June 12, 2017 Gill has their data on line... go direct to their site... see if this helps...http://www.gillbatteries.com/products.aspx?grp=acm&crit=Mooney Aircraft you need to be a bit more specific to the part number. The two with the closest part numbers as listed are more than a pound different from each other. having your WnB numbers updated by your mechanic isn't going to be all that much if you are doing all the work. If you get 11 years out of a single battery, why change anything but the old battery for a new one? Best regards, -a- Cool, thanks for the link. Honestly my concern was that the G-243 line has been discontinued, and the 7243 series is (aiui) the Gill recommended replacement.Given the vast amount of support on this board for the Concorde batteries, my thinking was that I'd swap Gill-for-Gill if I could do it myself, but I would just ask the mechanic to put in a Concorde. 1 Quote
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