New battery buy advice

Many variables you did not list. Do you plan to always camp with shore power or do you plan on boondocking (And if with shore power.... How reliable is the power company)

If you plan to run on battery power: Then you want the biggest and baddest (the most amp hours) that will fit in the space allocated.. MEASURE the box, Length, width and height.. Best (if it fits) is a pair of GC-2 size Golf car batteries, six volts each you wire them like this -{Bat}t{ery}+ (each {6v} and it becomes one {BIG 12 V} when done.

You can get Flooded wet cells, like my Deka's, (Or you can get cheaper ones at Sam's if you belong, or Costco in some stores). Or you can go with Lifeline AGM's http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rvflyer.php?id=14

IF getting to it for maintenance is an issue and these will not fit, go one page UP from the URL I just linked to and check out the biggest 12 volt that fit.

Many here seem to love AGM.. I do not.. I would rather go with Maintenance free or Flooded wet (lowest cost and I do know how to flood them).

If, on the other hand, you never plan to run off batteries.. Get a Group 24 or Group 27 Marine/Deep cycle, Maintenance free type, shim the box so it does not rattle around, and enjoy.

Also, let us know what converter you have.. If you can not easily find the converter, Find the 12 volt fuses and 120 volt circuit breakers.. IF the last door or panel you open to get at them is the same for both.. What is the model of that door.

Looks like it was new 5/10. 4 years in the AZ heat is good? Cars usually half that. Put it on the trickle charger for a week. 10.4 V was tops.

If you're looking to pay more, get a Trojan. They have more lead, Interstates have more advertising.

If I were you I'd go with a maintenance free battery. They seem to last longer to me and you don't have to worry about adding water to them. Not that it's difficult to do that. Just one less thing to worry about.

I would find an Interstate dealer. They stand behind the warranty on their batteries. Have it tested. I have had good luck with Interstate. Are they the best battery? I don't know but their warranty and customer service has kept me with them for years.

I would not go to Wal-Mart, they already get my taxdollars as it is to support their underpaid employees.

I go to a local store and buy deep cycle Interstate flooded lead acid. There is no benefit for a trailer or most RV's to using an AGM or Gel type battery and a big downside. The AGM and Gel do not do as well with partial recharging and discharging which commonly occurs with RV and boat use.

Measure the space that is available and see if a group 31, 27, or 24 will fit and put in the biggest one that will fit and be sure that it is secured so it can not move around.

There are hybrid batteries for charging and starting and their are light duty deep cycle and heavy duty deep cycle. You will get the best use from a heavy duty deep cycle battery.

A Trimetric or other accurate digital charge meter is a great investment at $175 as it will let you know exactly how much charge is in the battery and any point in time. The charge indicators from the RV manufacturers are usually terrible and can be off by 20% or more. It may show 100% when the battery is actually at 80% DOD or it could show only 40% charge level (and below 50% is not good for the life of the battery), when it is actually at 60% and it is OK.

I'll start with the second question. For MOST people the added expense of an AGM battery isn't worthwhile.

What size and how many batteries is dependent on how you camp so I can't answer. Most TT come with a single group 24 battery and for most people the cheapest group 24 available will do fine.

In one trailer I have two 6v golf car batteries.

In the other trailer I have two group 24 gel batteries.

If your getting 12v I'd stick with Interstate and the most AH you can find.

Won't hold a charge off the built-in charger/convertor? If it's an older TT, the built-in non-regulated transformer charger/convertors never charged your battery fully anyway!

Take it to a battery shop and have them test it so you know for sure if it's dead or not.

Your battery needs are completely dependent on your usage. Planning to boondock a lot? A lot of your battery draw will be the furnace fan overnight. Add to that interior lights, radio, some fridge usage...

The biggest benefit of a sealed/Optima type AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) is that you can mount them in strange positions, on their sides, etc. without concern of spilling.

"Flooded" batteries hold more energy for less dollars. If you don't "need" an Optima type battery, skip it.

A lot of people convert to a pair of 6V golf cart batteries in series = 12V. This may or may not be more than you need. Check the local golf cart shop to see if they've got a pair of used batteries (golf carts run on six 6v batteries in series to get 36V, and often only one or two batteries will go bad, leaving the other 4-5 without a "match" to go out the door with a customer). I've bought them for $40-50/ea and they usually have a 5-7 year life span if they're taken care of.

Change out your old convertor/charger for a newer smart charger or buy an automotive smart charger.

I would go to WalMart/Sams whatever and buy the biggest cheapest battery that fits in your space. Get the RV/Marine one.

Actually I'd get the more expensive cheap battery. The more the AH for the group size.

Like the "Max".......http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?povid=P1171-C1110.2784+1137.2772-L0&search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&Find.x=0&Find.y=0&Find=Find&_ta=1&search_query=marine%20battery%20for%20trolling%20motor&_tt=marine battery