Best RV/marine deep cycle battery

[egwilly]

X2 on Interstate. Small, heavy, and good amp hours for the price.

[Dave-R]

Go with the golf cart 6 volt batteries of your choice. They are very tall and have the ability to take a full discharge without damage. This is what kills most regular batteries. When a battery is fully discharged, the sulfate particles go to the bottom of the battery, and short out the plates. Golf cart batteries have tall plates and more clearance from the bottom to help prevent this. Make sure you have a smart charger and leave it plugged in. It will maintain the batteries in top condition. Check out Progressive Dynamics charge wizard. They have a informative website that explains how to make your batteries last 3 times longer. I won't buy regular or deep cycle batteries again as they will not hold up to the extreme discharges we sometimes have in the RVs. The golf cart batteries are heavy, and tall . Make sure you have room. Dave-R

[Duoglide1]

Dave R-by full discharge you do mean to 50% right?

[twinboat]

Acording to Trojan Battery, a full discharge is 11.66 volts, 80% discharged.

The 50% discharge is only to lengthen the life of deep cycle batteries.

At 50% DOD, ( Depth Of Discharge ) Trojan lists aprox. 1000 discharges ( cycles ).

At 80% DOD, they state aprox. 500 cycles.

At 25% DOD, they list aprox. 1500 cycles.

You can run them down to 80% DOD, and use fewer batteries. You just need to change them sooner.

[destryberst]

Originally Posted by Dave-R

Go with the golf cart 6 volt batteries of your choice. They are very tall and have the ability to take a full discharge without damage. This is what kills most regular batteries. When a battery is fully discharged, the sulfate particles go to the bottom of the battery, and short out the plates. Golf cart batteries have tall plates and more clearance from the bottom to help prevent this. Make sure you have a smart charger and leave it plugged in. It will maintain the batteries in top condition. Check out Progressive Dynamics charge wizard. They have a informative website that explains how to make your batteries last 3 times longer. I won't buy regular or deep cycle batteries again as they will not hold up to the extreme discharges we sometimes have in the RVs. The golf cart batteries are heavy, and tall . Make sure you have room. Dave-R

Thanks for the info

[FiverBob]

Yep, going with the "true" deep cycle battery like a Trojan costs more. You need to ask yourself some questions before deciding what to buy:
1) How much dry camping do you do?
2) How long a period of time (days) does a dry camp last?
3) How often do you like to buy batteries?

If you dry camp much at all, and more so if it is more than one day, you will appreciate the amp/hour ratings on the deep cycle batteries. As for question 3, I know your answer - - you DO NOT LIKE buying batteries. My typical life cycle for my Trojans is 5 - 7 years. I have a 2000w inverter so we are not afraid to run the TV, make coffee, run the hair dryer, etc when dry camped.
In the long run, you will be happier and spend less money in 6 years on batteries by using something like the Trojan or Interstate line of deep cycle batteries.

Bob

[W5CI]

I have a single Interstate RV/Marine battery in my Cedar Creek, why would I need two golf cart batteries at more than double the cost?? All I need is enough amperage to operate the slides while not on shore power if I get in a hurry and disconnect before moving the slides.

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by danny285

I have a single Interstate RV/Marine battery in my Cedar Creek, why would I need two golf cart batteries at more than double the cost?? All I need is enough amperage to operate the slides while not on shore power if I get in a hurry and disconnect before moving the slides.

You don't. For your stated usage, a single RV/ Marine battery will be fine.

For that matter a single " Start " battery will work.

[CMelder]

Originally Posted by Duoglide1

Dave R-by full discharge you do mean to 50% right?

I'm not sure what he meant either, but I am sure I have seen golf carts run until they stop, period. Whether they have some sort of protection on them to prevent full discharge I don't know, but I would think the golf cart batteries take a beating more frequently, 365/year.

[ElvistheKing]

Originally Posted by CMelder

I'm not sure what he meant either, but I am sure I have seen golf carts run until they stop, period. Whether they have some sort of protection on them to prevent full discharge I don't know, but I would think the golf cart batteries take a beating more frequently, 365/year.

But I bet they change them more often than every 5 years.......

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by ElvistheKing

But I bet they change them more often than every 5 years.......

I found this on a web site,

How Long do Batteries Last?

...and how to get the most life out of your battery pack![https://www]

At Isle Golf Cars, we get this question all the time. Unfortunately, it is one of the hardest to answer. The correct answer is: “It all depends on how you take care of them.” Why is this? Well, deep cycle battery packs require some basic maintenance which includes maintaining the correct electrolyte (water) levels while ensuring the battery pack is fully charged and never left in a discharged state (plugging it in after each use or round of golf).

Aside from maintenance practices affecting the life span of golf cart batteries, usage becomes the next biggest factor. Battery packs in golf course fleet applications get much higher usage on average than a golf cart owned by a private owner. Fleet carts get used for 2-3 rounds of golf per day during the peak seasons while private cart tend to be 3-5 rounds of golf per week (sometimes more depending on the number of golfers using the cart). That all being said, properly maintained battery packs in fleet carts tend to last about 4-6 years while private owners tend to get about 6-10 years out of their battery packs.

[ElvistheKing]

Yer I saw that page too, depends what they mean by "last" if it only holds 50% (or less) of it's original charge that might be fine for a golf cart that can still keep going for a full round between charges, less so if your wild camping.

[edit]
Wouldn't be surprised to find their chargers have more aggressive charging and renewing modes too, we don't really want 14-15+V being put through our 12V circuit to desulphurate them, etc.

[nothermark]

Which gets us back to the basic issue of just what do we need. It takes a lot of battery for somebody who wants to boondock in silence in the desert. Not nearly as much for those of us who routinely run the generator when we want to draw a lot of power. That is why I get by fine on two 12 V marine batteries. That is really all most of us need.

[Busskipper]

Just run down to Sam's of Costco get a couple of the Golf Cart batteries you will be Happy.

$85.00 + or - you can shop all you want will not beat that.

JMHO,