Batteries???

[j4nash]

So on our last camping trip we realized that our batteries were not working properly. So i took them out and put them both on chargers. After being on the charger for two days i took them off and put them on the meter and realized that one of the two batteries had a bad cell. So now i have to replace both of them even though only one went bad but I'm not sure which way to go.

I have been looking at carquests NGT Extreme Batteries. They are an AGM Deep cycle style battery part number NG31 & NG34M both are made by Deka.
the NG31 has a reserve capacity of 190 and the NG34M has a reserve capacity of 120. the stock batteries only have a reserve capacity of 100



So both batteries would be better then the stock interstate batteries. My only problem is that the battery tray is to narrow for the NG31 so if i wanted to keep the battery tray i would need to stay with the NG34M but if i took out the tray and only used the battery box i could use the NG31 but then would need to find a way to secure them so they didn't push to door open on the side of the camper while traveling.

the NG31 cost's $230ea and the NG34M $157ea
we do a little bit of dry camping each year but we also have a Honda generator that we take with us when dry camping so I'm nor sure it is worth the extra expense of $145 for the NG31's over the NG34M's

And I'm not sure its worth going with two 6V batteries ether because i don't think i would have a reserve capacity higher then just buying two NG31 for a total reserve capacity of 380

So is it worth spending the extra money to have two NG31 for a reserve capacity of 380 or should i just save the cash and buy two NG34M's and have a reserve capacity of 240 which is still better then the stock interstate batteries that had a total reserve capacity of 200 together.

here is some pictures of the battery box

[avantidave]

Not sure if you have adequate space, but if you can fit 2 6-volt golf-cart batteries in, you can expect longer life than with 12-volt batteries. In short, the 6-volt GC batteries can provide more total discharge/charge cycles over their lifetime.

West Marine had an excellent article comparing life expectancy of various battery technologies and sizes in their catalog some years back, with golf-cart batteries being longest-life and lowest-cost. The closest West Marine information I can find now is here (look in the electrical section):
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...visor-Articles

GC batteries have the same footprint size as a group 24 12-volt battery, but the GC batteries are taller (about 2 inches, not sure without checking).

My personal experience proves this out, especially when dealing with high-capacity inverters connected to a bank of 6-volt batteries.

[3'senough]

You have the exact model my buddy has and he has two 6v GC batteries in that slot. I too have the twin 6V setup and bought a set of Energizer GC-2's, 225AH at 20, 110 M @ 75 A which have two seasons and 6 weeks of boondocking on them. I power my inverter for 3 TV's, lights and heat fan without issues. Bought them for $75.00 each 2 years ago. If you can't get them from Sam's then the Interstate 6V models is what my buddy got from his dealer for $175.00 each. Or you can go with the cream and get Trojan T-105's. The 6V are much heavier and higher in height than the 12V you would replace but will fit. I think it is clasified as a 27DC size.

You can't make up for the lead plates in 12V IMHO. If your always at a full service site with power and maybe one or two nights a season just on 12V then this is not going to give you any benifit. However if your constantly draining and cycling the batteries you have, then you have to go with a true deep cycle 6V setup. 12V deep cycle marine batteries are hybrids since they have cranking amp capacities for starting engines.

That's my experience with them. Hope it helps.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by 3'senough

snip..........If your always at a full service site with power and maybe one or two nights a season just on 12V then this is not going to give you any benifit. However if your constantly draining and cycling the batteries you have, then you have to go with a true deep cycle 6V setup. 12V deep cycle marine batteries are hybrids since they have cranking amp capacities for starting engines.......snip

X2

The keyword is: TRUE deep cycle.

Bob

[j4nash]

Just was talking to Deka about what batteries they would recommend and they suggested going with a 8A27M. So i ordered a pair locally they have a reserve capacity of 175 so that will give me a total capacity of 350. that will be a big improvement over what came in our camper.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by j4nash

Just was talking to Deka about what batteries they would recommend and they suggested going with a 8A27M.....snip

Will the added 4" of combined length of the two Group 27's (in lieu of Group 24's) be an issue with your battery tray?

Bob

[j4nash]

they will fit but not by alot
LxWxH 12.75x6.75x9.875

Battery tray is 12.75x13.75x11