1 or 2 batteries?

[Ranger Rick]

Hi Everyone!
I picked up my NEW TT Yesterday! It came with one group 27 battery and my tech suggested save the money and go with just the one battery unless I plan to travel to areas with no hook up's! Most if not all my travels will be locations with electrical power! Your thoughts on this? Anyone running with just one? Would move forward and get the second battery?

thanks
Rick

[CAG]

Most people run with one battery. If you have hookups you don't need more. If you boon-dock you need more either 12 volt or 2 six volt golf cart batteries. Then it gets into solar or a generator to keep them charged up. For once the tech was right

[Chalkboard]

Originally Posted by Ranger Rick

Hi Everyone!
I picked up my NEW TT Yesterday! It came with one group 27 battery and my tech suggested save the money and go with just the one battery unless I plan to travel to areas with no hook up's! Most if not all my travels will be locations with electrical power! Your thoughts on this? Anyone running with just one? Would move forward and get the second battery?

thanks
Rick

Well, I just stayed in a park last week that lost power for the better part of a day. Sometimes you think there are hookups and there just aren't...

[Jay2504]

Really, unless you want to go to places with no hookups, that battery will be fine. They did you a favor and gave you a upgrade from the usual group 24 that comes with most campers. If you stop in cooler weather at a Walmart or Cracker Barrel, that battery will get you through the night even running the furnace. I would try it out to see if it works ok for the type of camping that you want to do. If it does, then when that battery dies you can upgrade to a group 31 with a little more power for a few more bucks than just replacing the group 27. It will fit (barely) in the battery box you have now. Jay

[RetiredOne]

I say add the second battery, if the cost won't break you, and you have the space in the battery box. You can never have enough power.

A Group 27 deep cycle at Walmart is like $90. Add in two cables, and for a little over $100, you have double the power.

[67L48]

Originally Posted by Ranger Rick

[...] Most if not all my travels will be locations with electrical power! Your thoughts on this? [...]

You don’t need two batteries if you have shore power. Pretty simple.

Two batteries is nice when camping 3+ days without shore power. Most folks can get by on around 20A per day with light usage of furnace and appliances. 20*3=60. Since batteries shouldn’t be used below 50%, that means a ~120AH battery ... which is about the limit of a single 12V group 29 battery.

But, if you’re not camping without power, none of this matters.

[CAG]

If you are going to go with two batteries and have the room for that many go AGM. No maintenance, position them on their side if you like.

[Trapper2020]

Never had a park loose power for more than a few minutes. If always on power you only need one. Can’t run your AC off batteries and frig. Will run on propane. That being said I have two since we like to go to national parks and many have no power. Then second battery allows us to run furnace all night without killing batteries. Safe travels


Enjoy the journey

[GScott]

Under “normal” circumstances 1 good battery is fine. BUT if you are like many of us and use a CPAP device at night you will kill a battery in one night. Or if you need to run the furnace fan for extended periods you will want more battery. Invest $300 in two true golf cart Batteries and a box and you will have 3 times the capacity. Beware they are heavy!

[Jagiven]

Hello Ranger Rick; It really comes down to how do you camp! As others have said if your plan is to be in nice RV parks with shore power. The battery is backup if the park looses power, and to energy the emergency brakes in a breakaway situation.

I would say live with it for right now, until you understand your camping style. I happen to have a group 24 battery on board, and a spare group 27 battery in the garage. If I know I am going to be out for an extended period, I toss the spare battery in the TV, and swap out when needed. I did make a set of jumper cables so the spare battery can sit on the ground. This works for me! You do not want to mix batteries together. So if you want to add another battery, make sure to buy two batteries at the same time from the same lot.

[Ranger Rick]

This is great information!
thank you all!