6v Battery's from Deep cycle 12v

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Broke Boater

Broke Boater

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Nov 16, 2017
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Brentwood, Northern Kookafonia
Sorry guys,,,I used the search and most of the discussions go off topic and deep into the weeds around this topic. Time to replace our two 12v Deep Cycle marine batteries  and I'm thinking about going to the two 6v GC. 10' AF T/C with a factory Genset, the fridg is propane or 120v, 3-4 day boondocking trips where a furnace might need to run at night, plus the normal use of 12v power that a truck camper see's on short trips. I will dig into the threads and get my self up to speed on the AH and what not later, but for now what size 6v  battery should I shop for? And I figure they will be more expensive, is there a point when they start to justify the upfront cost over a D/C Marine system? I've had a few TT, but always D/C set ups and for weekend trips, so I don't have history to go on around a GC battery. My wife stills works so we are limited to short trips for another year and we have a 4 day fishing trip coming up, so I want to shop around for battery's this week,,,gregg
 
If you click on Resources, then the menu has a section on Batteries with the answer to many questions.

First, the battery must fit the space.  Golf Cart 6V batteries are most frequently suggested.  They are readily available and popular enough that the price is not too high.  It is a TRUE deep cycle battery.

Hopefully other smarter people will be along soon.
 
been doing some reading, it looks like a Trojan t105 would do what our power needs are and sounds like they will charge back up from being drawn down. The marine D/C are not that much cheaper, and can't be drawn down as many times as the GC batteries,,,gregg
 
Knowing Arctic Fox, I'm sure they made the battery compartment suitable for a pair of 6 volt batteries, but it wouldn't hurt to verify the vertical clearance.  6 volt golf cart batteries are an inch or so taller than the similar sized 12 volt batteries.
 
6v golf car batteries come in two physical sizes, GC2 and GC2H. (GC2h is about an inch taller). See http://www.submarineboat.com/bci_battery_group_size_chart.htm  for standard case sizes.  The GC batteries are at the very bottom of the table.

Equally important are the Amp-Hour capacities, which are tied to the amount of lead plates inside. GC2's are generally made with two different lead plate quantites, resulting in different weight an AH ratings. The lesser (and cheaper) ones will be about 210 AH and weigh about 58 lbs, while the full version is 225-230 AH and 62 lbs.  The taller GC2H has more space for lead, so should have a greater AH rating (about 260) and typically weighs around 72 lbs.

The Trojan battery spec table is typical: http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/TRJN0111_ProdSpecGuide.pdf

You can safely buy GC2 golf car batteries based on AH specs and price. Brand name makes little, if any difference. Trojan is the gold standard for this type of battery, but the technology is mature and all the major battery manufacturers make essentially identical products for a given AH rating,. Just make sure that the quoted AH uses the "20 hour rate", which is the standard of comparison. Some privat elable batteries try to hoodwink buyers with higher AH numbers based on a different measurement scheme, so always verify that you are using the 20-hour rate for comparison.

I've written an article on RV battery choices, published in a couple magazines and websites. We have a copy in the Library here - see Choosing a battery
 
First there is no battery called a "Deep cycle marine"  Trolling batteries yes. MARINE/deep cycle yes but those are NOT DEEP CYCLE

IF you have a TRUE deep cycle battery (Trolling should be, or Golf Car like the GC-2) you can safely run the battery down to about half full before rapid aging sets in

But with a MARINE/deep cycle that point is much higher 75-80 percent is the minimum state of charge before rapid aging sets in, and the ability to recover from an "Explative Deleted" level discharge (IE: run it down to 10%) basically does not exist  (Do not recommend it with DEEP CYCLE but have done it and they recovered).

For this reason I recommend the venerable GC-2 (And one other I'll come to in a bit)

Technically if you have True DEEP CYCLE (Trolling/Golf car) 200 amp hours of battery at the C/20 rate is 200 amp hours of battery at the C/20 rate (or about 1200 watts usable power) Don't matter if they are six volt pairs or 12 volt batteries, no difference no advantage to one over the other TECHNICALLY

Cost: The GC-2 is likely your best bang for the buck due to the number of them made every year. Every golf course orders 'em by the pallet load.
 
Trojans seem to be popular, but for probably 2/3 their price you can get the same or nearly same AH rating from true golf cart batteries.  Prudent shopping and buying from a golf cart store will get you what you need.  Places like that buy in hige volumes and often get better prices than your local trojan dealer.
 
Sams Club and Costco are good sources as well (if you are a member). Some Walmarts carry them as well.  Batteries Plus stores have them at moderate prices too, e.g. a 235 AH Duracel for $130.
 
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