Dual 6-volt battery box for TC wheel well

My Ford trucks over the years always charge at 14.5V and batteries last up to 5 years.
Mercedes on other hand is charging at 13.9V and that is where was our family record for battery at 13 years. We used to live in No CA, where we were meeting 100F couple times each summer, but for years we visited Vegas for a week where 110 in summer is cold. Now we live in Vegas permanently and our garage stays at 80F most of the year.
Parking lots in summer at 140F is not that a big deal.
We only had some pens left on dashboard melting.

Kayteg1 wrote:
... When generation ago good battery would last 12 or even 17 years in cars, now getting 5 years is good luck.
Not even talking about so-called "smart charging" system who recouping braking energy - kill the batteries in 2-3 years.

I live in the desert Southwest, and I never recall getting 5 years out of auto batteries. Used to usually get right at or just under 3 years. Now we only get 2 years, consistently, in our car, and same in our diesel truck. I understand that the extreme desert heat is very hard on battery life, but I agree that it appears that battery quality has deteriorated.

There is lot to investigate when coming to batteries.
I quit buying deep charge 12V batteries, becouse the models sold by Costco had 24 months warranty and they promptly died after 25. At the same time Costco automotive batteries had 100 months warranty. Go figure.
Quality of batteries seem to go into nose dive lataly.
A year ago I bought Bosch automotive battery with 96 months warranty. Now another member wants to buy 1 and we recheck that the seller changed it to 36 months.
When generation ago good battery would last 12 or even 17 years in cars, now getting 5 years is good luck.
Not even talking about so-called "smart charging" system who recouping braking energy - kill the batteries in 2-3 years.

A simple reasons for using 12 volt deep cycle batteries is I can have odd numbers of batteries but you can't using 6 volt batteries. Amps are amps no matter if you have 1 battery or 10 batteries. I tried the two 6 volt GC battery back in the 1980's and it never lasted before needing recharging any longer than having two 12 volt batteries of the same amp size in our RV's. 54 years of RV'ing for us. It's BS to me that two 6's are better than two 12's as again, amps available are amps available no matter whether two 6s or two 12's having the same amp capacity, period!

Next, if a 6 volt battery bites the dust, you will have no usable DC to use at all as 12 volts are required. 12 volt deep cycle batteries are off the shelf and available about anywhere but 6 volt GC batteries are much harder to find especially in low population areas as there is much less call for them. If one of the 12 volt battery fails, just simply unhook it's cable and you're stil good to go having 12 volts. Having either 6 volt or 12 volt flooded etc batteries you still follow the same rule of recharging when at 50% charge left. Who's kidding who???

I have repeadedly been getting 7 years + out of my 12 volt bvatteries. Why did I say +? Because my present 5th wheel 5 batteries were put in in 2010 and in just 3-1/2 months they will then have been in for 10 full years. Well, 4 of them will have been in for 10 years as one failed this summer so I took it out. Kind of became a game as I want to see if the other 4 will make it to 10 years.

Then I will replace all 5 at the same time. Not stuck with no DC anyway as I have the 2 that are in the wheel well and I have two 6' long #2ga fine strand welder wire cables (1 for + and 1 for-) that attach to the truck bed under the top rai junction block brass bolts with stainless wingnuts that go back to the 500 amp Marine barrel switch mounted under the 5th wheel overhang which then is connected to the 5th wheel battery input system in the cargo storage area where the inverter, converter, 12 volt fuse box, and the 5th wheel DC system connects to. The 5th wheel shore power cord is on the drivers side rear with the 110 volt fuse panel in an compartment accessed from inside the 5th wheel.

I have not used 6 vt batteries so have never tried that. But I have carried 2 - 12 vt in Boat boxes ahead of wheel well in truck bed for years. Access through the floor level door. There is plenty of room for standard boat box in mine. Made platform to get above curve of bed and spacer blocks to keep them from sliding around. Generally load them before the TC.

I started using 12 vt batteries so I could just rotate them out of the boat every couple of years so I always have fresh starting batteries in the boat. Kind of hard to jump start the boat out on the water! :)

Those boxes look good, although they lack mounting.
Still nylon strap with 2 sheet metal screws to the bed will hold it in place.
GC batteries are the best developed batteries for high capacity there is.
We might not know, but golf clubs use them in tons, so they definitely have their market share.
Years ago I bought 4 of them for my bus conversion. Still remember $46 price at Sam's. They hold good performance for 10 years and last retired at 12 years of age, when in dry storage they have been sitting without charging up to 10 months at the time. Had sophisticated inverter/charger with smart charging and in those years remember adding water twice only.

I used the same company box (different size) for my sons 6V batteries. Sealed the top including the cable holes and added vents high and low. That was years ago and the box is holding up great.

The one below, I have had in service for 7 years now. No issues, has held up pefectly well, no warping of the plastic -- and we live in the SW desert heat! Century Plastics is the mfg. They have different sizes and configurations of battery box. This one is for two 6 volt batteries end to end.

Century Battery Box - two 2 volt batteries

travelnutz wrote:
I use 2 group 31 batteries 12 volt batteries as the Lance battery space has another of the same batteries. This gives 3 large batteries having 125 amps woth 225 minites of reserve power from full charge capability. Total of 375 amps and 675 minutes for the 3 batteries. Using 12 volt batteries I can have 3 but if 6 volt batteries were used I could only have 2 batteries as I need to have 12 volts output.

The 2 external batteries are coupled to the 1 Lance internal with #2ga fine strand welder wire (one for positive and one for negative) stainless wingnut screwed onto the two 3/8 brass bolt studs going thru the lower TC wall about an inch below the TC overhang and extending out about 1-1/2", For clarification: The 3/8 brass bolt has a brass washer on either side and a brass nut outside to squeeze caulk sealing and secure so no leaks. The roughly 1" of the threads sticking out is where the + & - heavy wire leads from the 3 batteries connect to with the wingnuts.

Before lowering the TC down the final maybe 4", I connect all 3 batteries together with the wing nuts on the brass studs. Reverse the process when taking the TC off.

Awesome..Thanks..

So far with this TC I have just put the extra batteries I had laying around into the wheel wells..I exchanged the g-24 that came in the TC when I got it with a new group 27 and put the group 24 in the front left wheel well that has my pluggin for the TC...Not much room in that WW with the pluggin..

I took another group 27 I had in the garage and put in the larger right side WW..To date I have not connected the three in any way just using the smaller G-24 for the C-Pap and the larger Group 27 for the TV and anything else used by the dinette..I check them all with a portable plugin that gives amps used/left and temp..Kinda redneck but it works..

I also have a great auto charger I use with the little Honda to top off when necessary when were running it in the evenings...

For this year I was thinking about trying the 6-volt batteries everyone raves about putting two in the largest wheel well..I have never used 6-volts before but everyone says the the cats meow...Have not made up my mind 100% yet but I need to finish up something before I put the TC back on..

Hence the reason for this thread for idea's like travelnutz gave..Thanks again..

travelnutz wrote:
I have had 2 Group 31 deep cycle 12 volt batteries ahead of the rear wheel well on 2 different Chevy 2500 long box truck since 1993 with 2 different Lance TC's on the truck. Do not have them in a box but do have a 5 sided (no bottom) cover I made myself to shield the battery top and sides from the weather. Works perfect!

Why 3 Batteries for the TC? We have a 1500 watt inverter in the TC and for the 5th wheel, it has 5 same batteries inside the RV and the 2 bed batteries give us 7 group 31 batteries as the 5th wheel has a 2500 watt inverter. That's 875 amps of battery capability and 1575 minutes reserve. The bed batteries are connected to the diesel engine's dual alternators for fast recharging of all batteries with #2ga both + & - same welder cables in plastic sheathing running under the truck attached to the truck frame to the high capacity control engine inexpensive starter solenoid then to the alternators so it can't run the truck starting batteries down. Dead batteries are no fun! The + cable is fused at each end with a simple 80 amp replaceable blade marine HD fuse. Just a big sized blade fuse like all the other fuses in a vehicle!

The cover has a chain over the top that goes between 2 glued and screwed on rails across the top of the Thompson's treated plywood battery cover for security when our 5th wheel is being used. Also is protection when the 5th wheel is in a CG and driving the truck to the stores etc.

The battery cover is left off when the Lance TC is on the truck as the batteries are under the over the bed rails so no need to protect them from the weather and no one could possibly get to them as there's only about an inch between the top of the bed rail sides and the bottom of the TC and the 2 batteries are secure between the wheel well and the fron of the bed box.

I use 2 group 31 batteries 12 volt batteries as the Lance battery space has another of the same batteries. This gives 3 large batteries having 125 amps woth 225 minites of reserve power from full charge capability. Total of 375 amps and 675 minutes for the 3 batteries. Using 12 volt batteries I can have 3 but if 6 volt batteries were used I could only have 2 batteries as I need to have 12 volts output.

The 2 external batteries are coupled to the 1 Lance internal with #2ga fine strand welder wire (one for positive and one for negative) stainless wingnut screwed onto the two 3/8 brass bolt studs going thru the lower TC wall about an inch below the TC overhang and extending out about 1-1/2", For clarification: The 3/8 brass bolt has a brass washer on either side and a brass nut outside to squeeze caulk sealing and secure so no leaks. The roughly 1" of the threads sticking out is where the + & - heavy wire leads from the 3 batteries connect to with the wingnuts.

Before lowering the TC down the final maybe 4", I connect all 3 batteries together with the wing nuts on the brass studs. Reverse the process when taking the TC off.

Going on 27 years now without one single hitch and having gobs of 12 volt and 110 AC power anywhere/anytime...

Also have a Honda EU 2000 on the rear of the 5th wheel with a 6 gal aux gasoline tank plus the one gallon internal the Honda has. The Lance has a 3400 watt propane built in generator. Yes, we are always very well prepared! The Lance and the 5th wheel both have 2 - 30lb PP tanks - 60lbs of propane total each.

That's awesome. Thank you.