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Agility57 · 02-07-2025, 09:33 AM

All,

My two 6 volt Trojan house batteries finally bit the dust in my 2004 Fleetwood Southwind MH after more than 10 years of service!

So, I am asking for opinions on if the Trojan brand is still as good as they used to be or are they a manufacturer that is like many others not producing the quality products of yesteryear. I know this is true for automobile batteries as I have experienced this myself and heard of many other stories stating the same.

So, this brings me to the question, should I just shop around for price for 6 volt deep cycle batteries or stick with Trojan which is still the better brand?

My motorhome usage is about 30% boondock with 70% plugged in or generator, 5 - 8 times a year.

Thoughts?

Tony Ramirez · 02-07-2025, 09:48 AM

I've been a BIG fan of the Trojan T105s since my first motorhome in '96. Never had any issues with them, would usually get 7+ yrs out of them. Plus, I had a place that was always reasonably priced. BUT, the last time I got some in summer '23, they had gone up to $175/pc. They are still great quality in my opinion.

Here's the issue though now. The price of Lithiums keep going down, while the Lead keep going up. You might look into Lithiums, see if they would work for you. If not, I would stay w Trojan.

Parafango · 02-07-2025, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Ramirez

I've been a BIG fan of the Trojan T105s since my first motorhome in '96. Never had any issues with them, would usually get 7+ yrs out of them. Plus, I had a place that was always reasonably priced. BUT, the last time I got some in summer '23, they had gone up to $175/pc. They are still great quality in my opinion.

Here's the issue though now. The price of Lithiums keep going down, while the Lead keep going up. You might look into Lithiums, see if they would work for you. If not, I would stay w Trojan.

I wasn't aware that lithium's were available in 6V.
I'll have to dig into the research.

Tony Ramirez · 02-07-2025, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parafango

I wasn't aware that lithium's were available in 6V.
I'll have to dig into the research.

I don't know if they are, but I just went w 12V Lithiums. Your 6Vs probably have a Neg to Pos cable, making them 12V. Your system is mostly 12V.

SandiaMan · 02-07-2025, 10:37 AM

Trojan still makes quality batteries, if you are happy with their performance getting another set is a no-brainer. Although Trojans are considered a premium brand they can easily experience a short lifespan like any other brand if not properly charged and maintained, as you got many years of service from them that is not a concern.

Although we have never had Trojans across 3+ decades of RVing, we have always attained good results with the Interstate GC2 6 volt batteries we have purchased. Our current set of 4 have provided 8+ years of dependable service and fully expect another couple of years out of them, maybe we'll try lithiums next as prices are coming down.

vito.a · 02-07-2025, 10:59 AM

I've had very good luck with Trojan T-105 batteries. Some have lasted up to 10 years.
But, some of the 100AH lithium 12 volt batteries are now priced less than the Trojan 6 volt.
When my current Trojan batteries die, I'm replacing them with 12 volt lithium batteries.

Parafango · 02-07-2025, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vito.a

I've had very good luck with Trojan T-105 batteries. Some have lasted up to 10 years.
But, some of the 100AH lithium 12 volt batteries are now priced less than the Trojan 6 volt.
When my current Trojan batteries die, I'm replacing them with 12 volt lithium batteries.

Have you already replaced the converter in your rig to accommodate charging the lithium batts? Which one did you choose? I'm also considering the change over.

vito.a · 02-08-2025, 01:06 PM

No, I haven't switched to Lithium yet. I'll review the batteries Will Prowse recommends.
https://www.youtube.com/@WillProwse
I have a Magnum inverter. I'll talk to them about settings. I really don't think charging lithium batteries is that difficult. If they last 9.5 years instead of 10, it's no big deal.
I like the F-111 in your avatar. Brings back old memories.

MtCamper · 02-08-2025, 02:45 PM

Parafango, Look into a "Pendant" for your converter. Amazon for $20. Yours may not even need the pendant if you have a Li setting. My non-Li setting converter charged the Li batteries to about 90%. The pendant takes me up to 100%. I also have a single 150 solar ones with a Li setting and if we are in sun for 5-6 hours a day we hit 100% when dry camping.

SafariBen · 02-08-2025, 04:14 PM

From what I gather, 90% to 0% cycling is not a problem at all for Li with an older charger, as long as you top up to balance "every few months or so", and solar, or a smaller Li compatible charger will do that when in storage for most of us.

FusionKing · 02-09-2025, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SafariBen

From what I gather, 90% to 0% cycling is not a problem at all for Li with an older charger, as long as you top up to balance "every few months or so", and solar, or a smaller Li compatible charger will do that when in storage for most of us.

Exactly.
I have been doing exactly that for a couple of years now.
But I just set my old Xantrex on "GEL 2" and it charges right up to 100% all the time.
I would never buy lead acid for house batteries anymore. LiFePo4 just works too good and there are so many affordable options now esp. when you factor in the weight and using the entire charge cycle.

Parafango · 02-09-2025, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtCamper

Parafango, Look into a "Pendant" for your converter. Amazon for $20. Yours may not even need the pendant if you have a Li setting. My non-Li setting converter charged the Li batteries to about 90%. The pendant takes me up to 100%. I also have a single 150 solar ones with a Li setting and if we are in sun for 5-6 hours a day we hit 100% when dry camping.

Thanks for the tip, I have the PI PD9260C converter in the rig at the moment and I've not looked at it close enough to know if it has the pendant port. I added an AiLi Battery Monitor Voltmeter last year to keep track of SOC.
For now, I've concluded to replace (when needed) the 6V batts I have as they have 210Ah each. The least expensive Lithium's that seem to be reliable (watt cycle evaluated by Will Prowse) are 100Ah each. As you know, there is limited height and width in the 27-5 battery compartment so 6V Trojans won't fit, and I'm not ready to give up space inside to accommodate more batteries. We don't boondock enough to justify the added expense of the lithium batts + accessories. I'll probably add a solar panel in the coming year to keep the batteries up.

Tony Ramirez · 02-09-2025, 09:27 AM

[QUOTE=Parafango;6948730]
For now, I've concluded to replace (when needed) the 6V batts I have as they have 210Ah each.

Just asking, you aren't thinking EACH 6v gives you 210AHs each when hooked up in series to make a 12v bank, right? Hooking 2 6vs together DOUBLES the VOLTAGE, but the AHs stay the same. 2 6Vs in series with 210AH capacity will give you 12v with 210AH capacity. 4 6Vs, in series & parallel, will give you 12V with 420AH capacity.

Parafango · 02-09-2025, 12:23 PM

[QUOTE=Tony Ramirez;6948737]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parafango

For now, I've concluded to replace (when needed) the 6V batts I have as they have 210Ah each.

Just asking, you aren't thinking EACH 6v gives you 210AHs each when hooked up in series to make a 12v bank, right? Hooking 2 6vs together DOUBLES the VOLTAGE, but the AHs stay the same. 2 6Vs in series with 210AH capacity will give you 12v with 210AH capacity. 4 6Vs, in series & parallel, will give you 12V with 420AH capacity.

You are correct, in series give 12V and 210Ah, my error to state 210Ah each. I should have caught that on first post.