Lance 650 - Anyone try upgrading battery capacity?

jetlagpictures wrote:

3 tons wrote:
I don’t have a Lance, so not sure about your situation, but I removed my under the dinette seat vented battery box (and weather sealed the door) and mounted a single 200a/h LiFePo4 where the box was…I’m beyond happy :)

3 tons

Thank you! Would you say your new 200ah battery mostly fits within the space the plastic battery box previously took up? That'd be easy. I was looking at Battleborns and saw that they're all standard group sizing which made me think i'd need to 2 x 100ah, but a single 200ah in thatt space would be a breeze. Where did you get yours from?

Yep, just removed the plastic battery box and dropped it straight in, easy peasy…

3 tons

jetlagpictures wrote:

notsobigjoe wrote:
From someone who does not have a Lance 650 I can pretty much say that any mod is possible. I have been in a 650 and they are beautiful but the prime reason for the 650 is weight related. Realizing that your putting in lighter weight batts and acc. it will still add weight. I looked at you profile and didn't see a truck. I'm just pointing out the obvious situation for the 650's existence as well as it's resale situation. Just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
Welcome to the forum!

Definitely, I'm getting the truck based on the camper (most likely 1 ton) and am torn on a Lance 650, Northstar Liberty or Palomino HS-690. I want something small and light for the truck as all of my camping will be off grid accessed by moderate trails. So it's coming down to how easy to modify these are for sustained off-grid use. Adding solar, upgrading batteries, swapping inefficient appliances, etc...

The HS-690 finish quality (despite being aluminum frame) is scary and i've almost ruled it out for how quickly i'd expect it to fall apart. The "windshield" also felt dumb and impractical for winter camping. The Lance's quality felt superb and had the great size dinette, but the mechanical compartments already seemed maximized and taken up.

We moved to central Florida 7 years ago and the trips have been getting shorter and shorter with the truck and camper getting lighter and lighter. 3 hours tops and pop a beer. We used to drive from Binghamton NY all the way to the keys. It's a long drive..... As I become more comfortable with the Florida lifestyle and Florida truck camping I too am looking to downsize big! We often go out to New Smyrna Beach and watch the Toyotas "smaller trucks" with their pop ups park on the sand. They stay all day with all that they need. I'm always looking at very small truck camper rigs with enormous boats in tow. Will I finally part with my 1181????

bighatnohorse wrote:
You should check the Lance Owners of America forum. They have tons of Lance modifications.

Brilliant! Thanks so much. My local dealer was talking about a popular forum where people discuss this stuff and I wasn't finding it on Google. That's got to be it!

notsobigjoe wrote:
From someone who does not have a Lance 650 I can pretty much say that any mod is possible. I have been in a 650 and they are beautiful but the prime reason for the 650 is weight related. Realizing that your putting in lighter weight batts and acc. it will still add weight. I looked at you profile and didn't see a truck. I'm just pointing out the obvious situation for the 650's existence as well as it's resale situation. Just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
Welcome to the forum!

Definitely, I'm getting the truck based on the camper (most likely 1 ton) and am torn on a Lance 650, Northstar Liberty or Palomino HS-690. I want something small and light for the truck as all of my camping will be off grid accessed by moderate trails. So it's coming down to how easy to modify these are for sustained off-grid use. Adding solar, upgrading batteries, swapping inefficient appliances, etc...

The HS-690 finish quality (despite being aluminum frame) is scary and i've almost ruled it out for how quickly i'd expect it to fall apart. The "windshield" also felt dumb and impractical for winter camping. The Lance's quality felt superb and had the great size dinette, but the mechanical compartments already seemed maximized and taken up.

3 tons wrote:
I don’t have a Lance, so not sure about your situation, but I removed my under the dinette seat vented battery box (and weather sealed the door) and mounted a single 200a/h LiFePo4 where the box was…I’m beyond happy :)

3 tons

Thank you! Would you say your new 200ah battery mostly fits within the space the plastic battery box previously took up? That'd be easy. I was looking at Battleborns and saw that they're all standard group sizing which made me think i'd need to 2 x 100ah, but a single 200ah in thatt space would be a breeze. Where did you get yours from?

StirCrazy wrote:

notsobigjoe wrote:
From someone who does not have a Lance 650 I can pretty much say that any mod is possible. I have been in a 650 and they are beautiful but the prime reason for the 650 is weight related. Realizing that your putting in lighter weight batts and acc. it will still add weight. I looked at you profile and didn't see a truck. I'm just pointing out the obvious situation for the 650's existence as well as it's resale situation. Just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
Welcome to the forum!

but he is replacing a heavy battery with a lighter battery...

I thought he was adding a battery to up his amps? He also wants to remove the vented battery box I believe to use greater space for more stuff. I simply never know what I'm talking about and that should be widely known by now.

we are looking at a 2014 lance 1050 as a upgrade from my 1991 slumber queen and I was more than estatic to see the battery was mounted in side under the stepup to the bunk with the rest of the electronics. if we get this I am pulling the battery box out, sealing up the vent and dropping a 320Ah LiFePO4 battery in there. I may actulay install a vent so the area is exposed to the interior heat if there isn't one there already.

notsobigjoe wrote:
From someone who does not have a Lance 650 I can pretty much say that any mod is possible. I have been in a 650 and they are beautiful but the prime reason for the 650 is weight related. Realizing that your putting in lighter weight batts and acc. it will still add weight. I looked at you profile and didn't see a truck. I'm just pointing out the obvious situation for the 650's existence as well as it's resale situation. Just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
Welcome to the forum!

but he is replacing a heavy battery with a lighter battery...

You should check the Lance Owners of America forum. They have tons of Lance modifications.

From someone who does not have a Lance 650 I can pretty much say that any mod is possible. I have been in a 650 and they are beautiful but the prime reason for the 650 is weight related. Realizing that your putting in lighter weight batts and acc. it will still add weight. I looked at you profile and didn't see a truck. I'm just pointing out the obvious situation for the 650's existence as well as it's resale situation. Just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
Welcome to the forum!