Optima Yellow Tops/Power Inverter

[Sasquatch]

I'm replacing my 3 month old OEM batteries before the snow starts flying, and I'm going with Optima Yellow Top, "deep cycle" batteries. The OEM batteries are basically (like the OEM tires) intended to move your truck from the dealership to your home driveway, and, after that, don't expect much.

Temperatures in this valley (Roaring Fork, Colorado) routinely drop to 20 below, and I'm often on the road, spending the night in places where it's impractical to plug in a block-heater. Batteries lose about 60% of their "cold-cranking power," when temperatures drop below zero. Couple this fact with the gelling properties of diesel fuel, the compression of the Cummins, and the long distances between "civilization" in this part of the world, and you don't want to rely on sub-par batteries.

The last set of Optimas I purchased (also Yellow Tops) for my '97 2500 CTD where fantastic, but they didn't fit the battery trays, and had to be "bungie-corded" into submission. I put about 75,000 miles on the truck with the batteries improperly secured, and it always made me a little nervous. I've learned, too, (the hard way) that Optima Yellow Tops are the ONLY battery that's really suited for use in combination with extended, cold-weather WARN winch operation. Winch-use will toast an OEM battery very quickly.

There is no information regarding correct replacement battery size in my owner's manual (it's a "POS," as you all know by now), so I'd appreciate any information that TDR members might have regarding the correct battery "Group Size," (case dimension and battery terminal location) for selecting an Optima battery. It'd be easy enough, I suppose, to remove one of the OEM batteries and trudge into a store with it but A) There are no stores that sell Opitmas nearby, and B) I'm way too lazy for that drill...

All of the sites I've visited on-line (the few that sell batteries w/truck model and year reference charts) don't yet have a table that includes the '07.5, 6.7 Dodge Ram.

Have any of you purchased Optima replacement batteries for your Rams, and, if so, do you have an Optima Part#?

12v POWER INVERTER...

Next question: Have any of you installed power inverters in your trucks? When I had my Leer 120cc commercial top installed, I had the installer provide separate 12v outlets (intended to accept male, cigarette-lighter-style plugs) in the rear of the truck (in the tool bins) on both driver and passenger side. I use these, occasionally, to power a small, tire-inflating compressor, but I'd love to be able to plug into these outlets, in an emergency, and supply "juice" to job-site power tools.

I'd like to purchase a 12v power-inverter that converts DC power to AC power, and is adequate, at a minimum, to run small power tools or charge, say, a DeWalt 18v cordless drill battery.

Dunno much about this topic, so any advice (or a link to an appropriate internet site) would be appreciated.