battery hook up

[mikedahammer]

hello,  we would like to do more boondocking, and i realize the need for a larger battery bank. we tried to use the 80 ahr batt. that is oem in our 2001 jayco (26' fth) but it is woefuly inadequate. i plan to buy a portable gen to keep the batts. charged. what is better 2- 6 volt t105 in series or 3 or 4 12 volt parallel? also would the batts be damaged if i made a box for them and mounted on my rear bumper?

 

[Ned]

Two T-105 batteries will give you 220AH of capacity.  Whether that's better than multiple 12V batteries depends on the batteries.  Generally, you get more capacity for the size in the 6V golf cart batteries than in the 12V batteries.  They should be fine in a box on the bumper, just keep them charged if you get into freezing temps.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Two Group 27 12V batteries would very nearly equal two T105 6V's and two Group 31's (slightly larger than 27's) would equal them. But the T105's (and similar golf cart battery brands) are a rugged battery that holds up well in RV use and would be my first choice.

 

[mikedahammer]

thank you gentlemen. I have also heard about the durability of the t105's. between this camper and my trolling motor i seem to be buying a new deep cycle batt. every season.

 

[Karl]

Even deep cycle batteries will suffer an early death if you constantly discharge them below 50%, or overcharge them with a two-stage charger that boils them. Generally speaking, 6V golf cart batteries will take more abuse than 12V batteries simply because the plates are thicker for a given case size. Mounting on the rear bumper is o.k., but probably not the best place because they will get a lot more bouncing around back there than if they were mounted more amidships which, unless you're using AGM's, could lead to loss of electrolyte through the vent caps, and flaking off of the lead paste from the plates. Another consideration is the length of cable required to hook them up. The longer the cable, the more resistance and power transmission loss. Using 4/0 cable will help minimize those losses.

 

[quiethunter]

I run 10 6v batteries on my auto-tracking solar system, with a 3000 sine wave inverter. I still pack a 3000 watt generator, but don't use it much unless it is a cloudy day, and we have been using a lot of power inside. Happy camping.

 

[mikedahammer]

thats good size batt bank.....damn