Hybrid Trailer Battery upgrade

[Decade]

My 05' 23B came with one regular 12V battery and 2 propane tanks.

I am going to upgrade to 6V Golf Cart batteries, and not sure if it is crazy enough to get six pieces of 6V batteries

It would definitely increase the tongue weight. Is there any disadvantage?

How many of who have a Hybrid Trailer has done the 6V batteries upgrade? How many batteries do you have?

[SICARIO]

I have the 6V upgrade, just two of them. Works pretty well. Having 4 would be great but man that's a lot of batteries at 67lbs ea.

[Seann45]

I have 6-6's on the tongue. Talked to Jayco about it before I did it and they said it would handle it.. and it has for the last 7 years

[RoyBraddy]

If I was doing this for four 6V batteries i would want them next to the trailer front. This would give more frame support for extending the battery box out on both ends of the trailer trailer frame.. The down side of this of course your sloping front may not allow for opening the battery box. TORKLIFT has the slide off battery box lids verses the ones that are hinged to go up...

Have no idea what would be involved with moving the propane tanks on your trailer...

Just a thought on my part...

My three batteries have just started to go bad on me last season so I will be using the same battery guide angles to mount a battery box for 4 each of the 6VDC GC2 batteries across the trailer tongue of my trailer setup...

You can see the rails here in this photo...

Roy's image

This is what my TORKLIFT battery box with the slide off lid is going to look like... This box is some 58 " long and will come out even with the second vertical post on the front deck on each side... I am pretty much finished with my box buildup waiting now on finding GC2 batteries... Always a money thing here hehe...

Google Image

Roy Ken

[Decade]

Originally Posted by Seann45

I have 6-6's on the tongue. Talked to Jayco about it before I did it and they said it would handle it.. and it has for the last 7 years

What did Jayco say? Did they tell you the max tongue weight?

Anyway, this convince me to put 6-6's on my HT

[Decade]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

Does the ventilation important to the deep cycle batteries? I guess the solar panel for this will connect to a fan. I am planning to build my battery box with wood, and will probably leave the bottom somehow with open, so get more ventilation. Putting a solar fan will probably an opinion.

Any opinion on the battery's ventilation? Thanks.

[Decade]

Originally Posted by SICARIO

I have the 6V upgrade, just two of them. Works pretty well. Having 4 would be great but man that's a lot of batteries at 67lbs ea.

I moved the propane tanks forward after removing the original battery box. So I will have more room at the back my 6-6's setup. Would this be a good idea?

[Decade]

Getting into the wiring stage soon. I am going to use six pieces 6V battery to setup a 12V batteries bank. Two 6V will be serial collected as a group (becoming a 12V battery). Then, three group of 12V will be parallel connected together.



My question is when connecting to the load/charge. Is there any different between the following case A, B, and C? Someone said, in case B will have a better balance charging. Is that necessary to be true? Or what does the major different between A, B, C? Thanks.

[Mustang65]

Almost got it. The best performance will come by connecting an equal length of cable from each 12Volt output to a common connector. Make sure ALL the wire used is the same AWG size. Each battery will receive equal charging/discharging, well almost. I would fuse the output of each 12 volt bank.

Don

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RVing with SOLAR

[Seann45]

A would be the best choice it uses all of the battery bank equally..

[Mustang65]

Believe it or not, "A" is the best set up for using a couple batteries batteries in parallel. The problem when adding more 6 or 12volt combinations to the bank using "A" is that there is a larger discharge/charge on the first battery in the group. More than likely because of the added internal resistance of each battery combination. (see below Page 2 numbers)

With the equal lengths of cable connected to each set of batteries the discharge/charge will be equal as each set needs. I did not recommend method 4, because I do not know of anyone that will go though all that cabling, and constantly check all the connections since there is constant vibration/motion with a TT.

If I remember correctly, one of the battery mfr sites also recommended that annually the batteries should be switched as the first battery tends to have more of the loads on it initially then balances out. No, I have not switched my batteries around and it has been 5+ years, maybe the next set.


Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[John7349]

Mustang65

X2

[Decade]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Almost got it. The best performance will come by connecting an equal length of cable from each 12Volt output to a common connector. Make sure ALL the wire used is the same AWG size. Each battery will receive equal charging/discharging, well almost. I would fuse the output of each 12 volt bank.

Don

Thanks for the info.

[Decade]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Believe it or not, "A" is the best set up for using a couple batteries batteries in parallel. The problem when adding more 6 or 12volt combinations to the bank using "A" is that there is a larger discharge/charge on the first battery in the group. More than likely because of the added internal resistance of each battery combination. (see below Page 2 numbers)

With the equal lengths of cable connected to each set of batteries the discharge/charge will be equal as each set needs. I did not recommend method 4, because I do not know of anyone that will go though all that cabling, and constantly check all the connections since there is constant vibration/motion with a TT.

If I remember correctly, one of the battery mfr sites also recommended that annually the batteries should be switched as the first battery tends to have more of the loads on it initially then balances out. No, I have not switched my batteries around and it has been 5+ years, maybe the next set.


Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

Thanks a lot!

[Decade]

Just want to make sure, when the TT plug in with 110V. Is it charging the battery at the same time? What is charging current?

Also, does it charge when I hook up with the towing power plug?

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Decade

Just want to make sure, when the TT plug in with 110V. Is it charging the battery at the same time? What is charging current?

Also, does it charge when I hook up with the towing power plug?

Yes, when the TT is plugged into shore-power it charges the batteries. The TV will supply a small amount of current back to the TT batteries, it is limited in the Amps it can give the batteries due to the small gauge wire in the truck to the rear plug.

Not sure as to what you are asking about "What is charging current?", do you mean what will the amount of current be as in 2 amps 20 amps or an easy definition of what Charging Current is?

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[Decade]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Not sure as to what you are asking about "What is charging current?", do you mean what will the amount of current be as in 2 amps 20 amps or an easy definition of what Charging Current is?

Don
[/URL]

Yes, simply the question is in 2 amps or 20 amps. Coz on my 12v charger, I can choose 2A and 15A....

[jholler]

I'm still waiting for a pic of how you fit 6x6v AND 2x propane tanks on the tongue.

[ciret]

Some good battery and solar info here: http://popupbackpacker.com/solar/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Decade]

Originally Posted by jholler

I'm still waiting for a pic of how you fit 6x6v AND 2x propane tanks on the tongue.

Sorry it took so long because the progress is slow.... :P :P :P