Deep cycle battery suggestion.

Long story short, I wanted to switch from 12v to 6v golf cart batteries but due to space limitations I can't. Soooo the next best thing is to get the best (greatest AH) reasonally priced deep cycle 12v batteries. We only boondock and have a 2000w generator. I know GC batteries are the way to go but it just isn't happening, that's life so moving on. I am looking for battery suggestions, want to keep the price around $150.00 each. 

          Thanks

The are several versions of Trojan T1200 series 12V golf cart batteries ( a true deep cycle battery) available but be aware they are taller than a standard 12V battery. Google is your friend....

6v GC batteries aren't inherently superior to other deep cycles but they do deliver the best bang for the buck (due mostly to the higher production volumes for the golf car industry).  12v deep cycles (not the marine/RV hybrids) are simply a lot more expensive.

As for amp hours, there is no getting around the chemistry of the lead acid battery. To get more amp-hours, you need more lead, so the battery has to get bigger in dimensions. It also has to get heavier. There is no miracle technology that can alter that - it's inherent in the physical laws that apply.  If your want more amp-hours, the battery will be longer or wider or taller or some combination of those.  Measure up your battery compartment and then use that BCI size chart I referenced to determine what batteries you can fit in. Then shop for price. Be ready for sticker shock, though.


AGM batteries are pricey in most areas but they can be shipped (they are sealed) so online discounters can sometimes deliver at better prices than many local stores.


Batteries are commodities, so you can shop based on specs and price. Just be cautious of the marketing use of the term "deep cycle", cause there are no real standards for it.  It should be a measure of the number of discharge/recharge cycles the battery can endure, but that's not a simple thing to calibrate and there is no widely accepted test standards for it.

GC 6v batterys were to tall to clear the hatch opening frame on my Camper. The batteries sit on a sliding tray and I needed about 3/4" more to clear the opening. Once pass the frame of the hatch they would fit, but I like the slide tray for ease of access. If I had the budget for AGM 6v, I could of laid them on their side and made things work. Some boat builders stand AGM's on end to fit them inside the console of certain boats. This go around I just went back with the standard deep cycle 12v,,,gregg

Yeah, what the others said...


Do you have another area in your unit that could accept batteries instead of the designated battery area?  Could you add a heavy duty slide tray somewhere in or under the unit that would do the job?


Thinking outside the box (ie, the battery box) may give you some alternatives.  I haven't had batteries in the battery box of the last three trailers that I have owned. I haveI found other safe places for them.

There seems to be a wide variance in 12v battery quality. I was having trouble keeping my two Group 24 batteries above 50% so I took them to O'Reilly's Auto Parts and they tested them for me. It was a new camper and the batteries the dealer suppled were both near the end of their useful life. I actually watched him run the test so I'm sure the guy wasn't blowing smoke. I purchased two new ones from O'Reilly's and have no trouble boondocking for two or three nights without even needing to run the generator. The guy at O'Reilly's was explaining the difference in quality. Wall thickness, cell size, etc. Maybe he just wanted to sell two batteries but the proof is there. They work and the other ones didn't. End of story.

There is actually very little difference in battery quality across brands whether 12v or 6v. Most all of them come from the same big 4 battery manufacturers and are built to the same specs.  What IS different is the battery type, and to a lesser extent, the battery capacity specs (Amp hours, CCA, etc.).

12v batteries may be the starting (aka cranking) type, the Marine/RV Hybrid type, or Deep Cycle.  For a given type,  capacity varies by the physical size (BCI case size) and the amount of lead plates inside.  You don't need to worry about that too much becasue those net out into a capacity rating. For a starting/cranking battery, the key capacity is spec is CCA (Cold Cranking Amps), while for the hybrids and deep cycles it is AH (Amp-Hours) or RC (Reserve Capacity).  To learn more, please review my article in the RVForum Library titled Choosing an RV battery

I agree with Gary however there is at least one brand I'v enot had the best of luck with.

The batteries supplied by the dealer.. Did you read the DATE CODE on them. may have been five or more years old already.  The batteries from O'Riley likely less than five months old.

Now.. If you have the head room What I am about to suggest is TALLER than a group 24 though it may fit the same tray) consider a pair of GC-2 Golf Car batteries in series (6+6 = 12)


WHY: Group 24's are most likely MARINE/deep cycle (note case) these are basically starting batteries that need to be kept 75-80% full or better. GC-2 (Golf Car takes 2 to make 12 volts) are DEEP CYCLE and do not mind going down to half full

Group 24 is about 75 (or less) amp hours at the C/20 rate so you have about 150 amp hours 30 usable amp hours

GC-2 are abou 220 so when you put 2 in series you get 220 Total amp hours 110 usable. that's 3 times the power and change for ... Often... Less money

mark98012 said:

Long story short, I wanted to switch from 12v to 6v golf cart batteries but due to space limitations I can't. Soooo the next best thing is to get the best (greatest AH) reasonally priced deep cycle 12v batteries. We only boondock and have a 2000w generator. I know GC batteries are the way to go but it just isn't happening, that's life so moving on. I am looking for battery suggestions, want to keep the price around $150.00 each. 

          Thanks

Click to expand...

Question here is how much room do you actually have ?
what battery type do you have at the moment ?

Here are some suggested true 12 Volt  deep cycle batteries

for group 24 use a Trojan 24TMX
for group 27 use a Trojan 27TMH
for group 31 use a  Trojan 31XHS

mark98012 said:

Long story short, I wanted to switch from 12v to 6v golf cart batteries but due to space limitations I can't. Soooo the next best thing is to get the best (greatest AH) reasonally priced deep cycle 12v batteries. We only boondock and have a 2000w generator. I know GC batteries are the way to go but it just isn't happening, that's life so moving on. I am looking for battery suggestions, want to keep the price around $150.00 each. 

          Thanks

Click to expand...

I would suggest two group 31 deep cycle batteries. I use a pair of Duracell group 31 deep cycles for my trolling motor on my boat and will add them to the camper when the current battery dies. Batteries Plus has them for about $122 each, and if you order on-line they advertise a 10% discount. 105AH per battery. During Crappie fishing tournaments I run the trolling motor all day long, sometimes several days in a row. Most times I camp in a site with electricity and recharge at night, on-board chargers. However there have been times when that wasn't possible and had to use them two days in a row without charging. Never let me down. I have a group 24 Marine starting battery that powers my pumps (3), LED lights, sonar units, stereo, and will run them all day and it still has enough power to start my main motor to make the run back to the ramp for weigh-in. The point, great batteries and the group 31 should meet all your needs. I recommend group 31's as my experience with a group 24's left me needing more power. Take my camper for example. My camper has a group 24 and was half dead after a 5 hour trip with just the 12v fridge running. My truck wasn't providing power at the time.
The key to any deep cycle battery is to recharge as soon as possible. Failure to recharge immediately will reduce the longevity of the battery. Most in the fishing community get 6-7 years out of deep cycle batteries. Please note, these batteries are subjected to a huge amount of vibration while the boat is on-plane cruising across the water. My two trolling motor batteries (group 31's) are located in the bow of my boat. the bow takes a beating every time it hits a wave and we constantly hit waves. Point being, they will withstand traveling well, even over back country roads, and two lane dirt tracks.
While I realize I am referencing the batteries in a boat setting. This is my first camper, been tent camping for 50 years and fishing in a boat for the last couple of decades.
The Deka's and Duracell's are about the same. Locally I looked for the Deka's, however the only place I could find them was Sam's club and I'm not a member. 
https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/rv/deep-cycle/12/sli31mdc

2000 Watt inverter really needs 4 GC-2 Six volt  in a series parallel. or 4 Group 31 in parallel (Or more) to be happy.  I run about 500 amp hours with my 2KW inverter.

GC2's are taller than Group 31's but about the "Footprint" of a Group 24.  You said you can't fit GC-2. is it a height issue??? if it is a width issue you are basically screwed and will need to go with AGMs that can be mounted in areas with less ventelation.. I can tell you how to improve ventelation.