Need Quick Answer to Battery Question! HELP!
Hi. I noticed that one of the two 12V batteries in my fiver was getting hot. Obviously defective. I removed the wires going to the negative terminal and secured them together with a screw and nut. So,...
Forum Discussion
The short term answer is that you will be fine with one 12 volt battery going home or travelling from site to site if they have 120 volt hookups.
Now to the long term solution. If you are not camping off the grid, it probably doesn't matter what battery or batteries you are running. You will get a few years out of them and you will have to replace them. I recommend that you replace in pairs although if you are always on the grid, one battery will do.
We have been through several setups. The first setup was to replace the dead battery that came with our first trailer with a 12 volt deep charge battery such as one that might be used on a trolling motor. It was insufficient for camping off the grid in the high country of Colorado. Then I purchased a second one and put it in series. The results were not appreciably better. I then called Trojan Battery Company and talked to an engineer. He said to go to two 6 volt t105 golf cart batteries wired in series. We were able to extend our time off the grid to five days with little performance degradation. We were happy.
I bought a 2006 Cougar 5th wheel in early 2006 from a dealer in Michigan and he upgraded the single 12 volt battery to two 6 volt Interstate batteries. We used them for three years but with little extended time off the grid. They appeared to degrade after about 18 months so we went back to the T105's from Trojan at the three year mark.We have four years on them and they are still going strong. I do
use Interstate batteries in our vehicles.
As several folks have mentioned, there are some newer type batteries out there now. They are more expensive and some like them and some folks don't like them for trailer use.
If you go to the 6 volt in series batteries, you will need two new battery boxes. And I would suggest you get a hydrometer at the auto parts store and check the specific gravity before you head out.
Just one man's opinion - good luck.
Now to the long term solution. If you are not camping off the grid, it probably doesn't matter what battery or batteries you are running. You will get a few years out of them and you will have to replace them. I recommend that you replace in pairs although if you are always on the grid, one battery will do.
We have been through several setups. The first setup was to replace the dead battery that came with our first trailer with a 12 volt deep charge battery such as one that might be used on a trolling motor. It was insufficient for camping off the grid in the high country of Colorado. Then I purchased a second one and put it in series. The results were not appreciably better. I then called Trojan Battery Company and talked to an engineer. He said to go to two 6 volt t105 golf cart batteries wired in series. We were able to extend our time off the grid to five days with little performance degradation. We were happy.
I bought a 2006 Cougar 5th wheel in early 2006 from a dealer in Michigan and he upgraded the single 12 volt battery to two 6 volt Interstate batteries. We used them for three years but with little extended time off the grid. They appeared to degrade after about 18 months so we went back to the T105's from Trojan at the three year mark.We have four years on them and they are still going strong. I do
use Interstate batteries in our vehicles.
As several folks have mentioned, there are some newer type batteries out there now. They are more expensive and some like them and some folks don't like them for trailer use.
If you go to the 6 volt in series batteries, you will need two new battery boxes. And I would suggest you get a hydrometer at the auto parts store and check the specific gravity before you head out.
Just one man's opinion - good luck.
