Battery

I have an 84 Coachmen class c Ford both the deep cycle and the staring battery need replacing what is the best bang for the buck . I am a disabled vet on a tight budget and don't want to spend money foolishly

Welcome to The RV Forum!

Walmart has the "best bang for the buck" in batteries.  Their Value Start batteries cost $49 and come with a 1 year warranty.  Or $69 for a battery with a 3 year warranty, $89 for a battery with a 5 year warranty.  All of their prices are the same regardless of the battery's physical size so get the largest one that will fit in your battery tray.

The CCA difference between the Value Start and their top of the line batttery in any given size is about 10-15%.  The Value Start battery I bought for my car has exceeded it's warranty and continues to do just fine.

If you only have room for one house battery Walmart's marine/deep cycle does OK at a good price.  If you have room for two house batteries a pair of 6 volt GC2 golf cart batteries for $89 each at Sams Club or Costco are also good choices.

There's "value" and there's "cost", so knowing what you expect of these batteries could save you from replacing a set that can't deliver what you need.  If your requirements fit within the capabilities of the wally world units, then check the box.  Otherwise seek out and choose from the suppliers that can fulfill your requirements.  Buy once, cry once.

Mark B.
Albuquerque NM

If you have room for 2 deep cycle batteries on the house  bank your best bang for the buck is a pair of 6V golf cart batteries wired in series to get 12V.  They are typically priced at around $100 each at Costco, Sams Club, etc.  For starting battery Wal-Mart or Costco, they both have great exchange policies when the starting battery dies while still under warranty, just make sure to keep your receipt for when your 5 year battery dies after 18 months.

Lou Schneider said:

Welcome to The RV Forum!

Walmart has the "best bang for the buck" in batteries.  Their Value Start batteries cost $49 and come with a 1 year warranty.  Or $69 for a battery with a 3 year warranty, $89 for a battery with a 5 year warranty.  All of their prices are the same regardless of the battery's physical size so get the largest one that will fit in your battery tray.

The CCA difference between the Value Start and their top of the line batttery in any given size is about 10-15%.  The Value Start battery I bought for my car has exceeded it's warranty and continues to do just fine.

If you only have room for one house battery Walmart's marine/deep cycle does OK at a good price.  If you have room for two house batteries a pair of 6 volt GC2 golf cart batteries for $89 each at Sams Club or Costco are also good choices.

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I just put a $49 Walmart battery in my granddaughters 2003 1/2 ton Chevy pickup last month while I was troubleshooting an intermittent electrical problem.  The problem turned out to be three separate problems but that's another story.

I'm leaving the cheap battery in for a few more months to make sure we've cured the electrical problem before I put the $100 Walmart battery back in. So far the $49 one has worked very good.

 

If you lift the cheap Walmart battery and then a 5 year one, you'll notice the more expensive one is much heavier. The 5 year battery will last much longer and is still less expensive than similar ones sold in auto parts stores. But, if your budget is very tight, the cheap one may do for you. However, the last time I check the consumer reviews, a number of consumers had bad experiences with the cheap battery.

You do get what you pay for......

I have had Walmart and Sam's Club batteries and most last a year or less. Deep cycle batteries are a different breed of animal and you really want to get a good one, meaning you're going to have to spend some money. I had Interstate deep cycle batteries last four years and I am now using the same thing and am going into the third year with them giving me no problems so far. They will cost you around $125 each, but they are well worth it, considering I paid $96 each for Sam's Club batteries that lasted just outside the one year warranty.

As the other have said, there is up-front cost vs longer term value.  When the budget is limited, we often have to choose the lower cost item even though the more expensive one may last longer (and thus cost less over time) or perform better.

Most older C's have room for one start battery and one house battery, so a 6v pair is probably off the table.

For the starting battery, CCA or MCA is the key parameter. You need enough cranking amps to reliably start the engine, so replacing with a battery of about the same CCA/MCA as the original is wise.  If you will be avoiding cold weather (32 F or less), you can ignore CCA and use MCA - the only difference is performance at lower temperatures. The Value Start models that Lou mentioned are cheap but with a limited warranty. For more money you get essentially the identical battery but a longer warranty.


For the house battery, you want one with a higher amp-hour (AH) rating and "deep cycle" capability. However, if you rarely camp without shore power, a high AH is not important.  In that case, a size 24 or 27 marine/rv deep cycle (aka "trolling motor battery") is probably adequate and relatively inexpensive. I'd be looking for about an 80 AH rating.  Walmart has size 24 marine/rv deep cycles for around $70-$80 and may have "trolling motor batteries" on sale for around $60 or so.

Check out places like Tractor Supply Corp and Rural King for less expensive batteries. Avoid RV dealers and shops - they are merely high-priced re-sellers of common batteries.  Most of them sell the Interstate brand and tell you it's the best, but Interstate is no better or worse than numerous other private label batteries.


I've written a not-too-technical article on Choosing an RV Battery - it's in the RVForum Library at Choosing an RV battery