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jhofeditz

Batteries

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jhofeditz, Welcome to the forum !

  Tend to agree with DD69, but how do you use the coach? 

AGM,s are very good for the price, but the Wet cells properly matched to your needs, do a good job. 

How do you plan to use the covered wagon, boon docking or campgrounds.

Rich. 

Also, well your charger / inverter adjust to AGM charge level  and charging current ?

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In so far as Wet or flooded Crown 260s are my choice and Trojan 105s second choice. Some are trending to AGM s but for me price and cold charging an issue. Batteries, you definitely get what you pay for...

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Really depends on how you define 'best'.

If 'best' means low-maintenance, the AGM are the way to go. I've not found them to have the same storage capacity as flooded batteries for the same physical size.

If 'best' means the most storage capacity in the allotted space, then something like the Trojan T-145 would be my choice. They are only slightly taller than the T-105 but have considerably more storage capacity. We've got Trojan L16g in our coach. The height was not a problem and it allowed us to cram 780 Ah into the available footprint. I installed the Trojan watering system so I can keep the water filled without having to open the battery compartment.

When shopping for your batteries, see if there is an industrial battery dealer in your area. I went through https://www.sbsbattery.com/ since they had a location in town. They gave me a good price and I was able to pick up locally and avoid shipping. If they don't have a location near you, do a quick search online for similar dealers in your area. Sometimes searching for forklift or golf cart battery dealers will help.

 

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Not quite two years ago I had to replace my two, five year old Interstate 6-volt batteries on short notice (i.e. the night before leaving on an LSU football weekend outing).  One of the cases had cracked for unknown reasons and was leaking.   The Interstate batteries were came with the motorhome when I purchased it.   My local Batteries + Lights Store had same size Duracell brand batteries that were relatively cheap at $99 each (not including taxes).   After two years, I've had no problems with the Duracell batteries.

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I have had one Interstate 8D with tabs to put stainless steel bolts through to connect the cables. I believe these are normally used on boats, but in three years I have not had corrosion, and I have a residental refrigerator. If I remember correctly it weighed 380 or so pounds and more capacity than four 6 volt deep cycle batteries. 

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For sake of reference the Crown 260s weigh in at 65 pounds a piece and I am sure the Trojan 105s are close. The Crowns are 260 AMP HOUR batteries and should if the charging system is working properly last 10 years or so...that is what I am expecting. They are currently heading into year 4

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Four Trojan T-105 will provide 450 Ah capacity. In the same footprint one could also use four Trojan T-145 and have 520 Ah capacity. We considered using the 8D batteries but the capacity to size/weight just didn't make sense.

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Brett. Thanks for the exact specs for the 8D. The one shown has the post connectors. I really like the tab that bolts to the cables. 

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Then there is the ion lithium, same ah at 1/3 the weight + 10 years!  Unfortunately $$$$ and no place for disposal  that I know off.  Suppose to be EPA mandatory in 2020! :blink::wacko:

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8D AGM's are pricey, but the no maintenance aspect of it has me sold... at least until LiFeP04 or some more power dense battery chemistry becomes more affordable. Our Foretravel U270 coach came with two MK Gel 8D's for the house, and two Optima red tops for the chassis. I still have the 8D Gels in a storage container with solar and they are still going strong at 10 years old. I replaced the two Gels with four O'Reilly AGM8D's and the two Optima chassis batteries with a single O'Reilly AGM8D. Adding two more 8D sized batteries did require some fabrication and new cables, but doubling the amp hour capacity was worth the effort. We have a marine fridge that runs off of 12VDC or 120VAC. With the solar, the batteries are usually topped off by late morning. The house batteries are seldom cycled below 75%. The single 8D AGM chassis battery spins the 8.3 ISC like a top. Doing the battery mods was an "opportunity" to redo all the battery cabling using bus bars and shunts for battery monitors. The O'Reilly 8D's can be had for a relative bargain price, and are made by Deka/East Pen and labeled under numerous brands. I doubt that they are in the same class as their Lifeline equivalents, but they are very good for the price. I have two golf carts, one with Trojan T105's and the other with Big Box store bargains. I plan on converting the carts to Lithium battery chemistry and will NEVER again have another set of flooded LA batteries (knock on wood!). I would not even entertain flooded batteries in our coach... for many reasons

The last picture is the chassis battery cabling redone with Blue Sea bus bars, a Victron BM shunt and 4-0 marine cabling (same cable as I used for the house batteries).

Don

#28 Both Battery Slides Extended 2.jpg

#23 Upper Tier Cable installation.jpg

Redone Chassis Battery Cabling.jpg

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On 7/25/2018 at 11:19 PM, manholt said:

Then there is the ion lithium, same ah at 1/3 the weight + 10 years!  Unfortunately $$$$ and no place for disposal  that I know off.  Suppose to be EPA mandatory in 2020! :blink::wacko:

I agree, the best was asked for, and Lithium is the best.

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Thing to remember is - There are a number of chargers already install in RV's that are not setup or compatible to charge Lithium Batteries.

Replacing the Charger / Inverters  can be pricey !

So look before you leap.

Rich. 

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