Which brand lead batteries?

[Danattherock]

Thanks guys I greatly appreciate the information

[Winemaker2]

Good info above and I agree with all of the suggestions.
I will guess that the GCs will outlive your current battys and likely be a break even re $/year of service ( provided they get the proper TLC and not killed prematurely with poor care)
GC are designed for rough use and deep cycling.
I have used a lot of Sam's Duracells made by East Penn and consider them a best buy at approx $100. A Trojan at a 50% Premium is not bad and could end up close re $/year if properly cared for.
East Penn supplies NAPA battys so you might check their $ as a comparison. I like NAPA as they are all over if you have a warranty issue when traveling... although I can't remember ever having a batty fail w/in a warranty period. And with cars, boats, motorhomes I've had a lot of battys.

[Danattherock]

Thanks wine maker I appreciate your thoughts, the parts guy at the golf cart shop is supposed to call me today about selling two Trojan batteries, and possibly installing them for me. The fitment's going to be tight against the front of my travel trailer which is the main concern. However if I can make it work I'm going to it sounds like this would be the way to go, even if we are just occasionally boondocking.

I will keep the Sam's club batteries in mind also. The first golf car repair shop I called and Pinehurst The guy did not have any batteries to sell, and only had them bundled in six packs for golf courses, but he even told me to go to Sam's club and buy golf cart batteries.

Reading some of the information earlier I'm concerned that I mistakenly thought my batteries were being fully topped off on our factory installed solar system. The basic monitor on the wall suggested this was the case but after them dying two months short of our 3-year anniversary with the travel trailer I'm starting to wonder. Then again I never added fluid or all that either, newbie mistakes.

And we camp year-round here in South Central North Carolina so the batteries were never stored during the winter months, and we got down into the middle teens numerous times in the last couple weeks. So I'm not exactly taking care of the batteries.

Sounds like I need to get some power hookups at the house to top off the batteries frequently so I know they're resting in a charge state. Rather than relying on the factory solar system to do that for me.

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

…..Then again I never added fluid…..

This is most likely the reason for early battery failure. Probably need to check that electrolyte covers the plates every few months.

[Mark_K5LXP]

You didn't say if you had a generator or not. As you're discovering, a solar controller isn't a substitute for a battery monitor. Whether your panel can keep up with usage is a question mark, maybe it can, maybe it can't. Usage and solar replenishment can be estimated, but you want a backup plan in case that falls short. So a generator, or even a means to give a boost via the tow vehicle will ensure the furnace runs all night. It takes a few trips to get a feel for cause/effect but once you get a feel for it you will have no qualms about heading for the hinterlands.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Danattherock]

Thanks guys I appreciate it

The golf cart shop I found has t605 Trojan batteries in stock but could order the t105 if I wanted to wait a week. From the guys description on the phone they sound similarly performance-wise but I wanted to touch bases with you guys here before having them installed Tuesday, the t605 that is. I'm putting two on the front of a 24-ft travel trailer, with some occasional boondocking the goal. Picture attached, you can see that my two previous 12 volt RV / boat batteries barely fit, due to the curvature of the front of the camper and the small area where the batteries are mounted in the tongue of the trailer. Thanks

[Atlee]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Thanks Mark, I greatly appreciate the thoughts. I got in contact with a golf cart shop nearby and they have Trojan batteries for $150 each in stock. The parts guy is off today and will call me back tomorrow, I'm exploring letting them install the batteries, versus just buying the batteries from them if they won't do the install. I do need to give more thought to fitment, with regards to the golf cart batteries being taller, as you can see in the pictures above I don't have much room getting the batteries in and out of the battery boxes now due to the curvature at the front of my travel trailer. I need to get out in the yard and look at my battery tray to see if it can be moved any to make more room for the taller golf cart batteries. That may be my biggest hurdle it seems. Really appreciate your thoughts on the subject.

Are those Trojans $50 each better than batteries from Sam's club? My lowly Sam's Club batteries have been working perfectly since I put them in March 2021.

[Mark_K5LXP]

I think you're done before you started just looking at your battery boxes. It doesn't look like a GC2 is going to fit in those. You need an additional 3/4" on the length, about 1/2" on the width and they're a good 2" higher. I can't see how those boxes taper towards the bottom so you'd have to critically measure them. You might buy some space up top by facing the terminals forward but then the question mark is how tall the lids are and if they can even accommodate the GC2. Good bet these are group 24 boxes and you won't shoehorn a GC2 in there. That's not to say you can't use GC2's, but you won't until you refit the battery tray/boxes on your trailer. Not a huge technical hurdle by any stretch but probably not plug and play. A new box/boxes, and some structure added/modified to support them.

I never did get the purpose of T605's, except maybe to shave a few bucks for large fleet buyers. They're about 92% of a T105 but the same in every other respect. If that's what's offered it would absolutely work, so for this application I would have no qualms about a T605.

Are they worth $50 more a battery? In some applications, absolutely. I've empirically proven that trojan deep cycle batteries take a lickin' and keep on tickin' in severe duty service where interstates and USBattery failed. Where I was using them they were the only brand that survived, as I was operating them well off the datasheet spec's. For something like an RV, your basic interstate/duracell GC2 will perform just fine and the trojan may be overkill, but it may pay off in the end if you get a year or two of additional calendar life out of it.

But for the OP I think this discussion is overwith unless it's shown the boxes will hold GC2's.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Danattherock]

Originally Posted by Atlee

Are those Trojans $50 each better than batteries from Sam's club? My lowly Sam's Club batteries have been working perfectly since I put them in March 2021.

I don't access to a Sam's club or Costco, so did not bother looking into those. Thanks

[Danattherock]

Originally Posted by Mark_K5LXP

I think you're done before you started just looking at your battery boxes. It doesn't look like a GC2 is going to fit in those. You need an additional 3/4" on the length, about 1/2" on the width and they're a good 2" higher. I can't see how those boxes taper towards the bottom so you'd have to critically measure them. You might buy some space up top by facing the terminals forward but then the question mark is how tall the lids are and if they can even accommodate the GC2. Good bet these are group 24 boxes and you won't shoehorn a GC2 in there. That's not to say you can't use GC2's, but you won't until you refit the battery tray/boxes on your trailer. Not a huge technical hurdle by any stretch but probably not plug and play. A new box/boxes, and some structure added/modified to support them.

I never did get the purpose of T605's, except maybe to shave a few bucks for large fleet buyers. They're about 92% of a T105 but the same in every other respect. If that's what's offered it would absolutely work, so for this application I would have no qualms about a T605.

Are they worth $50 more a battery? In some applications, absolutely. I've empirically proven that trojan deep cycle batteries take a lickin' and keep on tickin' in severe duty service where interstates and USBattery failed. Where I was using them they were the only brand that survived, as I was operating them well off the datasheet spec's. For something like an RV, your basic interstate/duracell GC2 will perform just fine and the trojan may be overkill, but it may pay off in the end if you get a year or two of additional calendar life out of it.

But for the OP I think this discussion is overwith unless it's shown the boxes will hold GC2's.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

Thanks man, you're concerns mirror mine, that's why I'm taking the camper 30 minutes away to let them install the batteries. If there's any fitment issues maybe they can provide some different battery boxes, maybe put a shim of some sorts along the back rail of my welded in battery tray that'll angle the battery tray away from the travel trailer enough for it to fit, etc... Sounds like a very simple change putting these batteries in series, as opposed to the way my two interstate factory batteries were wired, but physical fitment is a concern and I didn't want to get home and not have a way to put the batteries on the trailer tongue.

I also appreciate your thoughts about the batteries in comparison, I've been trying to read a little bit myself and can't get a lot of good information except for the t605 is just a slightly less powerful version of the t105, although it appears they have the same physical dimensions. So I may very well call them Monday and just have them order to t105s which seem to be a more known entity. I'm not in a big rush And he said he could have them by Thursday. Unless he has a hard time getting a hold of the batteries in which case I may just opt for the t605 and be done with it for now.

[Alpine36]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Thanks guys I appreciate it

The golf cart shop I found has t605 Trojan batteries in stock but could order the t105 if I wanted to wait a week. From the guys description on the phone they sound similarly performance-wise but I wanted to touch bases with you guys here before having them installed Tuesday, the t605 that is. I'm putting two on the front of a 24-ft travel trailer, with some occasional boondocking the goal. Picture attached, you can see that my two previous 12 volt RV / boat batteries barely fit, due to the curvature of the front of the camper and the small area where the batteries are mounted in the tongue of the trailer. Thanks

You know the old saying “measure twice, cut once”. Don’t be surprised if you need to buy taller battery boxes for the t605’s, and/or make a modification to the tongue mount to make them fit, but it will be well worth the effort.

Many of us have become fans of Duracell (Sam’s, E.Penn) and Interstate (Costco) GC2’s simply because Trojan’s dealer network really sucks in many parts of the country. Availability is extremely limited in our neck of the woods. (a 200 mile round trip for them) Consider yourself lucky to have a Trojan battery dealer nearby. I know they’re readily available on line, but you eat the core charge and must dispose of the old ones…

Anyhow, good luck with the battery upgrade.
I think you’ll be glad you did.

[astrnmrtom]

Think of batteries like a bucket with a faucet on the bottom (your loads) and in your case, a small tube at the top for refilling (your solar). Getting a bigger bucket does equal more capacity, but also takes longer to fill with the small hose. FYI - furnaces are the power hogs of the RV world, so the faucet at the bottom will be open wide when running.

There are commons mistake people planning on boondocking frequently make in these situations.

One is using ideal numbers. Say expecting X number of amps a day from your solar because that's what it says on the label. A cloudy day or two can tank that number as can your campsite location. We've stayed in campgrounds where either trees or hills reduced the time solar was available significantly, same with how your rig is oriented - add some clouds and you have the double whammy.

Second ideal number mistake is using gross production numbers vs net. Yes, your solar may be making X amps in full sun, but there will be things in the coach during the day stripping some of the amps off the top, leaving less actually going into the batteries. I have a fairly large system with a residential refrigerator and I've seen over 15amps of my solar being used to run the refrigerator - add a couple more such as my wife watching TV using her laptop or charging phones and tablets, and my net is even less. With just the refrigerator going, I can still be losing charge in the early morning or late afternoon when the system is putting out fewer amps. This results fewer net charge hours.

Of course the loads are less with a absorption fridge, but with a 10 amp charger max, even a couple amps makes a difference. (Note: if indeed you have a 100 watt panel that's apox 5.5 amps max.) Charging a cell phone can draw and amp. Even the single old style 12v 1156 light bulbs used in RVs can draw 1.5amps. If it's hot and you run a fan, that's amps stripped off the top too. Keep in mind the absorption refer control circuit, and propane leak detector are running 24 hours a day and they use a little power too.

A third ideal number mistake is; solar panels rarely produce their rated power in real world situations, so you total real world amps will be less. What's on the label is usually not what's coming out of the wires. I have a small 60watt folding panel for charging my portable lithium battery pack. Most common number I've seen going into the pack as displayed on it's data panel is about 45 watts.

One easy way to enlarge the refilling tube is to pick up some folding panels or a
"suitcase" panel of a couple hundred watts. I see a lot of these being used by boondockers. Kits can come with their own charger and a set of alligator clips you can attach to your batteries, or you can add a quick connector. A second charger will play just fine with your factory charger, and they can be moved and tilted for maximum output. These kits aren't cheap though.

Another way is to carry a small portable (quiet) generator, which is the only way - other than jumping from your vehicle/alternator - to charge your batteries on cloudy days. Even with 900 watts of solar, there are times I need charge with a generator.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

[Danattherock]

Thank you, I greatly appreciate the detailed response above. The first paragraph is childishly simple and even I can understand that, lol. I really do appreciate the analogy, in all seriousness.

I think upgrading to these Trojan batteries will get me where I want to be, here in North Carolina we don't have any boondocking opportunities I'm aware of but we do take a 21-day trip every summer with the kids and we try to boondock a portion of that trip. And being in unfamiliar areas, often mountainous, and out west, I like the option of running the furnace at night. Honestly we don't really use anything else in the camper and are never there during the daytime anyway. We bought a travel trailer to replace a tent, not our home. We just sleep in it.

Our carbon monoxide and propane detector will be drawing some slight power, and I guess there's a minimal amount for the controls of our propane refrigerator, but that should be the only draw during the day while the factory solar system of the no boundaries tries to charge the batteries. But looking at the battery life I got with these two interstates, 2 months shy of 3 years since we got the no boundaries trailer, I'm suspecting my solar system has not been fully charging our batteries based on what I've read here. So I'm thinking about going over to tractor supply and picking up the $700 predator generator to take with us on big trips so we have the control of the situation and can fully charge our batteries.

This would also give me an opportunity to charge our batteries after returning home from weekend state park trips here in North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Because I'm probably coming home thinking they're full when they may or may not be. I can at least monthly just put the generator on them here at the house and top the batteries off which would be two birds with one stone, because that would also give my generator some frequent usage and keep it running smoothly hopefully.

[mokurt]

Check you cables for excessive corrosion.Replace if needed.