Dry camping batteries

When you are using four batteries it is pretty much a wash I would think using two groups or 6V batteries in series or four of 12V batteries in parallel..

Use the TROJAN BATTERY Specification Guide and compare the different battery AHs, weight, and Reserve power...
TROJAN ProdSpecGuide

The Trojan T105s having two groups of 6V batteries in series will most definitely give you around 450AHs and you can draw down 25AMPS for over 7 hours... These will weigh around 240 lbs of batteries. Use the TROJAN battery chart for four 12V batteries with same GP Size of the brand you may wanting to purchase... See what you come up with on how long they will produce 25AMPS. the chart numbers is listed in minutes...

You can most likely get somewhere near the same results using four 12V batteries in parallel. The cost may be higher not using the low cost for the T105s that all of the golf carts use... $400 for four 6v batteries as compared to around $600 for four 12V batteries...

Both groups of batteries will weigh around 240lbs total

I would imagine the 6V battery bank will have more grunt power than the 12V battery bank...

I will be installing two groups of Trojan T105s 6V batteries in series in my upcoming 12VDC new Battery bank...

Roy Ken

With the 4 12 volts @ 75 AH each you have 300 AH minus 50% discharge = 150AH

With 4 6 volts at 220ah each youll have 440 ah minus 50% discharge = 220 AH

Its a no brainer.. Go 6 volt

As you said, use them until they need replacement. Then, if room allows, switch to two pair of 6v GC2 golf cart batteries or whatever will fit in your available space. I have had much better service life from the 6V true deep-cycles than I have had from "deep cycle" 12-volt batteries.

Larosa,

My 12 volt jars are 141.5 amp-hours each, yielding 283 usable amp-hours. Go 12 volt! (But do wire in a balanced manner).

Sometimes I wonder where you guys get your information. Costco has 115 Amp batteries for $90 each. This is the best deal by far and the way to go. 6 volts are nice but require lots of discharge cycles to actually maximize the usage. Typically this is 20-30 cycles which is way more that what most people use their RV, so now you are talking about multiple years unless you use a battery charger at home. Also, if you lose a 6 volt battery, you are done. You can't run anything.

pianotuna wrote:
Larosa,

My 12 volt jars are 141.5 amp-hours each, yielding 283 usable amp-hours. Go 12 volt! (But do wire in a balanced manner).

Im just quoting what the average 12 volt RV batterys are. I have no idea what the OP has.

I personally have 2 12 volts @ 75 AH each. Plus I have the camper package on my truck and have an additional battery under the hood thats 70 AH..

Thats 220 ah minus 50% = 110 ah.. Same I would do with 2 6 volts..

elivi8 wrote:
Sometimes I wonder where you guys get your information. Costco has 115 Amp batteries for $90 each. This is the best deal by far and the way to go. 6 volts are nice but require lots of discharge cycles to actually maximize the usage. Typically this is 20-30 cycles which is way more that what most people use their RV, so now you are talking about multiple years unless you use a battery charger at home. Also, if you lose a 6 volt battery, you are done. You can't run anything.

What group? Most cant fit 27's or 31's.. I personally can only fit 2 24's or 2 6 volts.

And I believe per trojon site all deep cycle batterys, even 12 volt grp 24's need 20-30 discharge cycles to meet max performance..

elivi8 wrote:
Sometimes I wonder where you guys get your information. Costco has 115 Amp batteries for $90 each. This is the best deal by far and the way to go. 6 volts are nice but require lots of discharge cycles to actually maximize the usage. Typically this is 20-30 cycles which is way more that what most people use their RV, so now you are talking about multiple years unless you use a battery charger at home. Also, if you lose a 6 volt battery, you are done. You can't run anything.

How so i would still have 3 batteries left put two of them in series and you have 12v. As for discharge cycles dry camping without a generator and inverter running tv 3-4 hrs a day should take care of that. I have solar panels to recharge batteries.

Rather than have the extra cables for linking in series or parallel why not use a single larger battery like a 4D, even 8D if space permits, battery.

The fewer connections the better.

elivi8 wrote:
Sometimes I wonder where you guys get your information. Costco has 115 Amp batteries for $90 each. This is the best deal by far and the way to go. 6 volts are nice but require lots of discharge cycles to actually maximize the usage. Typically this is 20-30 cycles which is way more that what most people use their RV, so now you are talking about multiple years unless you use a battery charger at home. Also, if you lose a 6 volt battery, you are done. You can't run anything.

I can't speak for the other folks here, but my "information" comes from 20+ years of dry camping and trying out several different combinations of 12v and 6v batteries, monitoring the batteries and power usage with a Xantrex battery monitor wired across a shunt. I do take multiple trips a year, as it seems the OP does when he states, "We spend most of our time dry camping in National Forest Land in Colorado. Will i get more discharge life out of the 6v or should i stick with current 12v batteries."

I have indeed found that, comparing the same general size batteries, two 6V true deep cycle batteries WILL give more discharge capacity, and a much longer useful life, than two 12v batteries that usually aren't built for true deep cycle service even when labeled as such. And I do use a Xantrex three-stage charger at home to top off my batteries and keep them charged. While out in the field, even a couple small solar panels will really boost the time you can stay out without a generator, if you are frugal with your power use. If you have two pairs of 6v (remember the OP said he had four 12s), you can "lose one" to a very rare catastrophic failure and still have another working pair. Besides my two 6s, I have one Group 24 12v that will last a couple days as a backup plan.

That's where I get my information; how about you?

Safe travels,
Regan