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My trailor batteries are almost 5 years old now and seem to drain down much faster on recent trips. I'm looking at replacing them with two Interstate 6-volt golf cart batteries wired in parallel in increase my amp hour capacities. Anyone have experience with these or any other brans recommendations? Thanks a lot. Kenny |
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A camper in our club has two of those batteries, he can dry camp for a long time before he has to recharge the batteries, I have two group 29 batteries and don't have quite as long on batteries as him. |
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I have a fair amount of experience with this. IMO the only one to consider is Trojan T105. By far the longest life and charge holding capacity of wet batts. These are what you will see in most golf carts that are on golf courses. If you have 12 volt batts now in plastic battery boxes, odds are you will need new taller boxes for 6 volt. Here's a source for the taller boxes web page Good Luck. Edited by Burger (06/29/03 09:18 PM) |
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Yep, IMO the two 6V's are the way to go. 
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My buddy put them in his toy hauler. He ran a 27" TV, Satellite and a Nintendo Gamecube for 11 hours straight and never lost a single bar on his battery monitor. This was from a 350Watt inverter. This setup is what I will be going to next. Not sure on the brand, I will ask him. |
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Golf Cart batteries are the way to go, been running a pair of Dunlops from Sam's Club for 5+ years now, I'll never go back to regular 12v deep cycle batteries. However you have to wire them in SERIES to get 12v. I did have to buy a big $$ box to fit them in on the trailer toungue. |
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Hi Kenny Yes i would say its about time to get new ones. Im not an elect. or very tech. person...so can only pass on limited knowledge. As others here have mentioned... Im into second yr. using 2 - 6V Trojan (T105) golf cart batteries in my TT. with total 235 AH. Prior..i was using 2-12V DC w/total 240 AH. My DC seemed to only do good first 3yrs...then down hill. Supposedly these GC batts. will not only last longer..but also hold a charge longer. As your probably already know...how long the charge lasts..just depends on how long your drawing (continuous) amps. I dry camp alot. I do not own a generator/or use one. So..i do limit what i use. Before w/DC..after 5 days..they were very low. With the GC batts (5 days)charge still in good range..approx: 70% charge left. Using 15 AH per day..maybe 12 days before recharge..just example of what one might expect. Of course we're all different...uses/needs/how long etc. You know about that. I think you'll be happy w/GC batts. Worth the extra $$$. As mentioned..same for me..i had to get bigger box for the GC batt's. I put that on the trailer tongue. Orig. batt. (85AH) was mounted in side of TT..but no room for 2 batts. I just wired new batts. to wire in that box. Works fine. Very pleased. I use the old 85AH for my e.boat motor. Good luck...OT 
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T-105 (and similar) GC battery combinations are great for RV'ing. However, there is a 12V alternative.  Trojan's 31XHS 12V deep cycle battery is rated at 225 RC and 130 AH. A pair of 'em are good for 450 RC and 260 AH -- more than enough to take on a pair of T-105's. Although the model number suggests they're group 31 size batteries, they're actually just 1/4" longer than a standard group 27 battery, and they'll fit into standard group 27 battery boxes. Careful, though -- they weight 67 lbs each.  HTH, crewzer |
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I bought two new Trojan T105s last weekend for $75 a piece. I'm told they're great batteries. We'll see. We go out this weekend for the first time with them. I'll report back. Yes, you must wire them in series to obtain the needed 12volts, very simple to do. |
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Yep, you better wire them in series! I think the 6V batteries are a good choice. The only problem I can see is that you can't remove one to charge it without taking the whole system down. With 12V batts in parallel, you can take one off and charge it separately. But I do think the GC batteries are better constructed than the 12V deep cycle batteries, last longer and come closer to meeting their specs. Doubt their life is much better though? |
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Definitely wire them in series! I just upgraded my TT with two Trojan T105's. A nice setup. You can see a pic here: http://web.tampabay.rr.com/geddes/batteries.htm Quote: |
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Sorry but I am going to go off subject a bit, but what do you guys use to charge your batteries? I have an automatic charger with a position to charge deep cycle batteries, but it will never show charge. That battery starts gassing and bubbling and the charger keeps giving it 10 amps. I use a hygrometer to check charge and pull the charger when it shows good. Thanks for any input. |
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In general, a good 3-stage charger {bulk-, absorption- (or acceptance-) and float stages} is the place to start. I'm a big fan of Xantrex 120 VAC battery chargers (formerly Statpower). I use the marine-quality model TrueCharge 20, a 20 Amp 3-stage charger with manual equalization and temperature compensation (auto temp compensation is an option), and battery type selector. The only way to make this charger better would be to add battery sense inputs to compensate for the voltage drop in the charger output cables. More informattion about this family of chargers is available here: http://www.xantrex.com/products/product.asp?did=563 More information about battery charging and maintenance is available here: http://www.trojanbattery.com/customercare_batterymaint.html I also have a solar battery charger (also 3-stage, etc., etc.), but that's another story... HTH, crewzer |
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Battery Tender |
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Interstate 6-volt Golf cart batteries
