Jayco 197 Batteries / LP

[3firetrucks]

I have a 2008 Jayco 197. I'm wondering if its possible to outfit it with two GC2 batteries and two LP tanks. Is there enough room. I can't get out to my trailer storage for a few weeks to check the mounts so thats why I'm asking. All the pictures I have seen show 1 or 2 LP but only one battery. I did see one online for sale that said it had 2 golf cart batteries and 2 propane tanks but I coudn't see them in the pictures. Thanks.

[3firetrucks]

Q

Originally Posted by 3firetrucks

I have a 2008 Jayco 197. I'm wondering if its possible to outfit it with two GC2 batteries and two LP tanks. Is there enough room. I can't get out to my trailer storage for a few weeks to check the mounts so thats why I'm asking. All the pictures I have seen show 1 or 2 LP but only one battery. I did see one online for sale that said it had 2 golf cart batteries and 2 propane tanks but I coudn't see them in the pictures. Thanks.

[OnTheGo]

Good Morning 3firetrucks, I started doing those same modifications last year and now I’m re-thinking the whole process. Some thoughts: The GC2’s will add about 134 lbs pounds. (+ box(s) and associated hardware)
A 30 lb tank will add about 55 lbs, a 20 lb tank about 38
See if your TT will take the additional weight at the location you want to put them.

I assume for the amount of amp hours you are looking for you plan to do some off-the-grid camping. RoyBraddy has some excellent posts regarding 12 volt applications. Those would be an easy search.

Recharging your batteries on site is another issue to consider. If you use a lot of amp hours it takes considerable time to recharge your batteries. We are going to "budget" the use or our amp hours because we don't want to add much more capacity. You might not be willing to make that compromise.

[3firetrucks]

I'm really not happy about the weight addition. I did consider it, and since I will be doing some boon docking, I wanted to get as much as possible from the batteries. I was already going to have one 12 volt and I propane tank anyway...I decided to eat the weight and tighten the belt elsewhere to take the weight of two slightly heavier gc2s. I'm going to be a miser with power, led lights and the such. I just want to keep the minister of war and finance happy by having running water for her. On the other hand... I have a solar panel now as we'll, so maybe if I really control the power and use the solar...I could try staying with 1 12 volt. I won't completely decide until I visit my tt on Friday and actually see if I can take the xtra battery.

[RoyBraddy]

This is what you want to consider when you get to make some measurements..


You will want to mount your GC2 6VDC batteries in one of these 48-inch long metal truck side mount tool boxes. This will accomodate four GC2 6VDC batteries which will give you 12VDC at around 450AHs which should provide 12VDC at 25AMPS for a good 7 hours depending which model GC2 batteries you get. Two 6VDC GC2 batteries connected in seriers will give you 12VDC at around 225AHs which will provide 12VDC at 25AMPS for around 4 hours. 25AMPs relates to around 300WATTS of power at 12.3VDC...


For Camping off the power grid the game should be beef-up the battery system to handle what you want to run for your 120VAC appliances from an Inverter or 12VDC items direct connected to the battery bank. Then you will want to be able to re-charge the battery bank in a short three hour time using a 2KW Honda type generator with the 30AMP trailer shore power cable connected directly to the generator 120VAC receptacle using an RV30a-15A "dogbone" 18-inch long type adapter (WALMART). This is what we do with our off-road popup and are very successful camping off the power grid. All of our previous methods of doing it CHEAP all failed and we ended up in the dark around 10PM at night.

Getting the generator being able to recharge your battery bank in a quick generator run time requires a smart-mode technology converter/charger on-board. You will also need to convert your interior lighting over to LEDs.

We watch full blown free HDTV using the OTA BATWING antenna picking up the local town National Broadcast Digitl TV network (free to the public), play the DVDs, run all kinds of 120VAC items from a 600W PSW Inverter (smaller down to around 300W PSW Inverter will work but you will alway want to run more 120VAC items)...

With my 255AH battery setup (Three 12VDC Interstate 85AH GP 24 batteries) we usually draw around 20AMPS of 12VDC from the battery bank from 8PM to 11PM each night and then settle down to around 1-2AMPS until 8AM the next morning when we are allowed to run our 2KW Honda Generator for about three hours to recharge the battery bank back up to their 90% charge state. Then we are good to do this all over again for the next day/night battery run. We can cycle this 50% to 90% charge routine for about ten days but then need to fully charge the battery bank to its 100% charge state which takes around 12 hours of generator run time.



Again we are very successful camping off the power grid with our setup and running just aout everything we normally run at the electric camp sites except no Air Conditioning or high wattage microwave use.... We bring along a cheap low wattage manual white faced microwave from WALMART that works great. When you need to run the propane gas furnace then all nigh then that adds alot of current being drawn by the furnace 12VDC fan which requires close watching of the battery bank and not let it get discharged below 50% charge each night before you get to re-charge them back up. I monitor my battery bank DC VOLTAGE and when it gets down to around 12.0VDC then I know I am pretty close to my 50% charge state.

Again this camping off the power grid will require some planning and some going "GREEN" mods but your size trailer trailer is perfect for doing this... We do this all the time in our 17-foot long off-road POPUP trailer and have all the comforts of home doing it...


Roy Ken

[RoyBraddy]

It looks like you may have to move the PROPANE TANKS to the front just behind the trailer jack and then install your batteries across the top of the two trailer frames next to the front of the trailer. These are not hard mods to do but will require moving the mounting plates around...

If you only want to mount two 6VDC golf cart batteries then you can probably remove the front battery mounting single battery case and add a couple of one-inch angle strips extending out across the trailer frame and mount a two 6V GC2 battery case there. Mount on top of the frame is the easiest way to do to and it doesn't harm anything extending alittle bit out over the sides of the frame.

If you want to use four GC2 type golf cart batteries then you will will have to do like in my previous post.




Sample photos from GOOGLE IMAGES - not mine...

I like keeping my battery box more out-of-sight out-of mind when it comes to battery thieves which means mounting behind the propane tanks up against the front trailer wall.

Roy Ken

[3firetrucks]

Roy! Thanks for the great info. I'm in luck, 2 batteries fit no problem on the rack against the trailer...and though at this point I can only comfortably fit one lp tank...it can be a 30lb and not get in the way of my tounge jack handle operation. I appreciate all the info...it really helped! Thanks,

Rob

[Seann45]

Since you are making changes get the second tank... AND an electric tongue jack... you wont regret that option ever...

[pt1655]

Hello,
I changed over to dual propane tanks on our Jay Feather 197 shortly after we bought it and I kept the weight issue down by buying two Lite fiberglass tanks, www.litecylinder.com; although I actually bought them off Amazon.com and saved about half. These tanks are 30% lighter than steel tanks and are see through; been very happy with them so far.
While I did move the batter from the tongue into the baggage compartment, I am still giving thought to getting 2 6 volt batteries. We don't do a lot of dry camping so having 2 6 volt batteries isn't as much as an issue for us as others who do lots of dry camping but I want to research a pull out tray/box setup (I'll be darned if i have to muscle 6 volt batteries in/out of the compartment at my age!)
I will post pictures of both mods as soon as I can.
Enjoy!

[3firetrucks]

Pt how did you mount those fiberglass cylinders? I was checking them out online and the base of the tanks looks larger than the steel tanks. Or am I out to lunch, and they are actually the same? I'm very interested in getting a couple.

[3firetrucks]

After thinking my batteries fit, it turned out that I couldn't get the cover on one of the battery boxes. This was because the regulator was in the way. Then I thought I could take my trailer in and have the battery mounts moved to the bottom of the frame to get the box clearance needed for my 6 volt batteries. A local trailer repair place quoted me $150 sight unseen to cut the racks and re weld them in the lower location. On the morning I was taking the trailer in, I discovered that dropping the rack would still not give me clearance for the boxes. ( apparently I'm not very smart ). I took the trailer in any way to get some hands on advice on how to get my trailer operational with the two 6 volt batteries.

The tech was awesome! He said I could avoid all costs from his shop and just move the lp regulator over more centred. This would allow the batteries to fit nicely on either side of the regulator. It was only 10 min from home, but since I was there I asked how much the shop charge was if I got them to do it. $50 was the answer. Since I was there and was already saving $100 from the original quote I decided to let them do the work for me. Now I have the two batteries, room for two tanks, and have already gone camping with it. I have other smaller problems, but I will save those foe other threads. Thanks to all who gave great advice!

[kjohn73]

I had a 197 like yours. I put a second battery, along with the first, in a nice PLANO tool box and mounted it where the old battery box sat. I even vented it with a couple of plastic plumbing elbows. Worked like a charm.

I traded the 2008 for a 2012 with a pull out, let the batteries go with the 2008. In my amazing brilliance, I bought two nice BIG deep cycle batteries that were on sale. Crap! They wouldn't fit in the PLANO box. I needed the trailer to be operational so I built a wooden box to hold the batteries, at least until I can find a factory box. The 2012 197 has two 20 lb. tanks.

I also have two good batteries in my old Suburban, one with a cutout. I am not sure what people are doing to wear down batteries, but I know I can last for a while.

[3firetrucks]

So far so good. I spent 3 nights boondocking with 2 propane tanks one for the fridge and hot water. The other one for my propane fire pit. Came back with enough propane left to go again. 2 golf cart batteries with one 40w solar panel and each day I went to bed with as much power as when I arrived. Used the water pump sparingly as well as using the lights only when necessary, they are all LED. We will have to use the campground bathrooms more often, because my small black tank was full by the time we left. Water was running low as well. I had to bring water in to refill the fresh tank. I'm very please with my set up now.