Relocating battery

Hi everyone,

I planning on relocating my popup battery currently sitting at it's standard location on the front. The target location is under the rear dinette seat.

My main reason is to reduce tongue weight on my tow vehicle. The rear dinette seat is just behind the axle (which is just under the dinette table.)

I know lead-acid batteries emit hydrogen while charging so I'm planing to buy an AGM. Probably upgrade from BCI 24 to BCI 31 for more capacity.

I was wondering if anyone see any cons in doing so.

For the record, my popup is a Starcraft Starflyer 8 2014. Here's the floor plan:



Cheers,
Martin

I have one suggestion:  Back when I used to get their catalogs all the time J.C. Witney carried a vented battery box.

Far as I know they still do.. Also some sticks and bricks places will have them

Put your battery in such a box and run the vent line to the outside, that way you need not worry abut fumes

Also... When I put a battery box INSIDE the RV.. I like to do a bit of drilling, Straight down.. Put a flange and a short PVC pipe extending through the floor so you can look down and see the ground. This goes under the battery box (A low spot in the box) and the box is drilled to match, Seal the flange to the box with adheasive (goop works well) this way if the battery should leak.. it leaks onto the ground. It also provides an air path for heavy gases to exit or fresh air to enter (if the lighter gasses are going out the provided vent) I like two points of vent with one of them being a drain.

One caveat: Reducing tongue is not necessarily a good thing. You need at least 10% of the actual gross trailer weight on the tongue for good towing manners. 12% is even better. Less will result in a tendency to sway at highway speeds or in cross winds.

Since Martin stated he was getting an AGM battery, all that nattering about venting is irrelevant.  I would use a battery box but only to anchor it to the floor and protect the terminals.  But do heed Gary's concern about tongue weight before you do anything.

Gary RV Roamer said:

One caveat: Reducing tongue is not necessarily a good thing. You need at least 10% of the actual gross trailer weight on the tongue for good towing manners. 12% is even better. Less will result in a tendency to sway at highway speeds or in cross winds.

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Thanks Gary! I should have mentioned that the dry hitch weight of this trailer is 200 lbs (I assume this does not include battery and propane tank.)

My WD system weights around 60 lbs including the hitch and bars. My custom receiver can take it but the rear suspension gets down two inches even with the WD. I've looked everywhere for a solution and the only thing is a pair of Coil SumoSprings but I have yet to order them since they require that I take various measurements that, somehow, never find the time as it requires to lift the vehicle.

In the meantime, I'm trying to find ways to reduce the tongue weight. I'll certainly never get it under 10-15%.

Ned, indeed John is right, I'm getting an AGM exactly because I don't like the risks of a lead-acid battery inside.. especially since this dinette converts into a bed for the youngest one.

Thanks!
Martin

Ned, indeed John is right, I'm getting an AGM exactly because I don't like the risks of a lead-acid battery inside.. especially since this dinette converts into a bed for the youngest one

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No, because you're getting an AGM you don't need a complicated venting system.  Battery box, yes, for the reason I stated, but you don't need to modify your RV for venting because it's an AGM battery.

I should have mentioned that the dry hitch weight of this trailer is 200 lbs (I assume this does not include battery and propane tank.)

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You would be wrong in that assumption. Dry weight includes all the equipment but no fluids, so the battery weight is included, as well as the empty propane tank. Only the weight of the propane itself is additional.  Moving 60+ lbs of battery off the tongue is going to make a big difference,maybe more than is desirable.

My WD system weights around 60 lbs including the hitch and bars. My custom receiver can take it but the rear suspension gets down two inches even with the WD.

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Your WD system is not adjusted properly. It should be easily capable of bringing the tow vehicle back to level. You don't need helper springs. Get the manual for your WD system and follow the set-up instructions. This article in the forum Library will also help.
http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:correct-adjustment-of-a-weight-distributing-hitch&catid=26&Itemid=132

In the meantime, I'm trying to find ways to reduce the tongue weight. I'll certainly never get it under 10-15%

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.

Without knowing the loaded weight of the trailer, it is impossible to tell whether you have too much or too little tongue weight. What is the trailer weight? The Starflyer 8 has a GVWR of 1800 lbs, so 200 lbs is about right (11%) for a fully loaded trailer.

Gary RV Roamer said:

You would be wrong in that assumption. Dry weight includes all the equipment but no fluids, so the battery weight is included, as well as the empty propane tank. Only the weight of the propane itself is additional.  Moving 60+ lbs of battery off the tongue is going to make a big difference,maybe more than is desirable.

Click to expand...

That's very informative. I stand corrected. Thanks!

Gary RV Roamer said:

Your WD system is not adjusted properly. It should be easily capable of bringing the tow vehicle back to level. You don't need helper springs. Get the manual for your WD system and follow the set-up instructions. This article in the forum Library will also help.
http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:correct-adjustment-of-a-weight-distributing-hitch&catid=26&Itemid=132

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My driveway is so old and uneven that I never took the time to validate the settings properly as I need to pull the the trailer out of the driveway. And I hate backing it up again in front of the neighbours. 

I always used the link that the dealer who installed the custom hitch and WD system suggested.  :-[ Now that we're talking about this and with what you are telling me, I better understand the dealer expression when he saw that the car was not quite levelled. 

Gary RV Roamer said:

Without knowing the loaded weight of the trailer, it is impossible to tell whether you have too much or too little tongue weight. What is the trailer weight? The Starflyer 8 has a GVWR of 1800 lbs, so 200 lbs is about right (11%) for a fully loaded trailer.

Click to expand...

Well, I got the trailer on the highway scale when it was closed a few times. My first trip was without the WD system and probably with a bit less gear in the popup and the readings of each axles were (front, rear, trailer

1852, 1852 & 1367

After I  got the WD installed I was getting this:

1786, 1962 & 1499

I think this proves your point that the WD is not using the right links.

I never got the nerves to unhook the popup on the highway scale to check the tongue and axle weights. It's not clear if we are allowed to use it.. I'm just guessing that they would not mind, otherwise they would not leave the display turned on.  ???

Picture of the car/popup on the first trip after I got the WD installed:



Picture of the WD on my way back home. You can tell it's new.. the chains are so shiny! The battery and propane tank are removed because some soldering was necessary.



I appreciate all this information, thanks!
Martin

Listen to the NATTERING! You know you are getting an AGM and why, but the next owner may not understand the risk and install a conventional battery. Installing a vent that probably comes with the box anyway isn't that much work. Better yet reconsider the whole plan and adjust the hitch correcly!

Ernie