I have Winnebago Travato Class B 2019.Lately I noted not enough power starting the Generator.I think coach batteries need replacement.What you people think.Second it is 5 years since I bought this Class B and how long coach batteries last. Third should I upgrade coach batteries to lithoum ion and can I do it myself.I am little handy person.My class B also has solar panels on the roof.
Coach Battery
- Thread starter bill715
- Start date
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DonTom
Well-known member
I have a 300AH Lifep04 in my Y2K RV that is used to start my 4K Onan genny. It works well, cranks fast. These batteries are not designed for engine starting, but they still work well for genny cranking.
Five years is all you should expect out of lead acids. Double that for Lifep04. With the way the Lifep04's have been dropping in price lately, I would say they are now a better deal than the lead-acids.
Most likely, if you do a direct swap it will work fine, even if the Lifep04 doesn't charge to 100%, but with your solar, it can charge to 100%.
There are other advantages of the Lifep04. They are lighter, can be mounted anywhere in any position and they do cannot corrode battery cables. They are about a volt higher. I cannot think of any disadvantages of Lifep04 these days. The big disadvantage years ago was the price difference, but now they are fairly cheap.
But when discharged, they will not give as much warning it is going dead. The voltage stays higher than a lead acid until it drops down very fast near the end of the charge.
So go for it! Just don't go by how well it is working to tell when it needs to be charged back up after a lot of use when not being charged. Better yet, wire in a SmartShunt so you can see the SOC at all times.
-Don- Auburn, CA
rvlifer
Well-known member
The disadvantage is in severely cold weather but other than that lithiums have a lot of advantages.
No reason swapping batteries to lithiums cant be a diy job as long as you are comfortable going into the setup on your inverter, bms, and solar charge controller. You may have to adjust some of the settings, at least the battery bank size if that changes
No reason swapping batteries to lithiums cant be a diy job as long as you are comfortable going into the setup on your inverter, bms, and solar charge controller. You may have to adjust some of the settings, at least the battery bank size if that changes
rvlifer
Well-known member
Battery life depends on how well they were maintained and how many times they were discharged. I know people who have gotten more than 10 yrs but most people seem to get in the 5yr range.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Let's be sure of what you mean by "coach batteries". The one that cranks the engine or the one that powers interior lighting and other auxiliary needs? And which one is it that starts your generator? On my last coach it was the engine-cranker battery, but the one before than started from the house (aux power) batteries.
5 years is "getting old" for an LA battery, but so much depends on usage, storage conditions, and care that it's almost meaningless to give typical or average ages. A load test is required to get a meaningful condition reading.
5 years is "getting old" for an LA battery, but so much depends on usage, storage conditions, and care that it's almost meaningless to give typical or average ages. A load test is required to get a meaningful condition reading.
I am talking about house battery which power interior lights and other auxiliary needs.I could not able to figure out where it is located in Winnebago Travato 59GL.Manual mentioned chassis battery under the driver seat but no mention of house battery.
DonTom
Well-known member
Try this from what I got in a web search for the Winnebago Travato 59GL:
"House Battery: The house battery is accessible from outside of the vehicle behind rear driver side tires. Remove bolts from battery retainer to remove the house battery. NOTE: Your house battery is “Absorbed GlassMat” type, or AGM. "
-Don- Auburn, CA
CharlesinGA
Well-known member
The coach battery is a rather large lithium battery pack located on the right side just behind the down step in the floor from the cab, same area the inverter is located in. If I recall, these are some extraordinally expensive Li batteries produced by Lithionics in Clearwater FL. (this may be a single 48v battery) The Youtubers The Fit RV did several videos on this company and their batteries, including this one. They had a bright yellow Travato and James is an engineer so all kinds of modifications were done to it. They have moved on to a Winnebago EKKO. Their videos on the Travato, named "Lance" are worth watching, however.
Manuals you need, download the ones you can, onto a thumb drive for future reference.
Travato (200) Wiring Diagrams and Electrical installation drawings.
59GL (Serial Number begins with 15272Y2)
Plumbing diagrams and installation drawings.
Travato (200)
Coach Parts Catalog and drawings
Travato (200)
Charles
Manuals you need, download the ones you can, onto a thumb drive for future reference.
Travato (200) Wiring Diagrams and Electrical installation drawings.
59GL (Serial Number begins with 15272Y2)
Plumbing diagrams and installation drawings.
Travato (200)
Coach Parts Catalog and drawings
Travato (200)
Charles
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CharlesinGA
Well-known member
Correction, the Li battery is in the rear, underneath from looking at the drawings. It was late and I didn't scroll to the bottom of the drawings, View DA of the battery installation drawings appears to be underneath, just behind the rear axle.
Charles
Charles
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