NEW BATTERY BANK

I’ve thought about a Torklift box but seems they are expensive and would raise the height of my two T125s...but you could probably mount a light bicycle on it.

East Penn builds the Duracell batteries. For the price, I think the Duracells are the better value. Especially if you are getting an additional 15% off.

You shouldn't have a problem with your 12 volt batteries as cores. When I got my Duracells from SAMS, the guy let me keep my cores and just pencil whipped the receipt for the core charge. They still have life in them, just not fresh after 5 years. Now I got all 4 in service!

RoyB wrote:

I am hoping I will get great performance out of the DURACELLS. This is the same battery COSTCO has here for sale I think.

Actually, Costco sells Interstate brand batteries. Interstate buys batteries from various suppliers (there was an Internet rumor that the Interstate GC2 bateries were actually Trojan t105, but no one could ever confirm that).

Sams sells Duracell brand batteries and they have 2 different kinds of 6V golf cart batteries, GC2 and EGC2, 215 and 230 AH, $85 and $118.

theoldwizard1 wrote:

RoyB wrote:

I am hoping I will get great performance out of the DURACELLS. This is the same battery COSTCO has here for sale I think.

Actually, Costco sells Interstate brand batteries. Interstate buys batteries from various suppliers (there was an Internet rumor that the Interstate GC2 bateries were actually Trojan t105, but no one could ever confirm that).

Sams sells Duracell brand batteries and they have 2 different kinds of 6V golf cart batteries, GC2 and EGC2, 215 and 230 AH, $85 and $118.

Thanks for the clarifications on COSTCO and SAMs CLub... We have the SAMs Club here so it looks like BATTERIES PLUS is failing right in line with SAMs Club cost for the Duracell 230AH at $114.99 each. I just looked again about their on-going 15% sale price which ends 4-30-2018 so I better get something on paper pretty quick hehe... I haven't confirmed yet these are in stock here locally but I can wait on that with no problem. At least I can pickup locally some 25 miles away from the house here in King George... Someone on here or maybe POPUP PORTAL forum said that BATTERY PLUS would be a good place to get batteries if you wasn't a member of Sam's CLub which I am not. My Neighbor is tho hehe...

I am starting to get excited now...

I decided to just order my internal 4AWG equal lengths short cables from AMAZON. They are the ANCOR brand cable I like. I am going to use RED and BLACK color adhesive heat shrink tubes to show which cable goes to which terminals on the batteries. I have some of this left over from my working days I can slip over the crimped on ring terminals. Have done that in the past for battery connections and it helps this old man from wiring up wrong when removing batteries... I also have cellphone photos of what it suppose to look like all connected up... Never had this much battery capacity before - Hope I don't blow up something...

This battery box sitting on my 14 R/T trailer tongue is also going to run my emergency power for my Radio/Computer Room here at the house when we lose power. Will have an extension running from the Trailer 1500WATT Power inverter to a couple of extension cord zones inside the house. Our small local power company doesn't get into any hurry sometimes after the storms go through here... Got to keep the house fridge going for sure... My Ham Radio/Computer room runs off of a small POWERWARE 5125 UPS Unit so I all I need to do is keep it running to keep its batteries charged. It will run off of its internal batteries for 4-5 hours as it is...

Trying to always have a good PLAN B...
Roy Ken

skipro3 wrote:
East Penn builds the Duracell batteries. For the price, I think the Duracells are the better value. Especially if you are getting an additional 15% off.

You shouldn't have a problem with your 12 volt batteries as cores. When I got my Duracells from SAMS, the guy let me keep my cores and just pencil whipped the receipt for the core charge. They still have life in them, just not fresh after 5 years. Now I got all 4 in service!

Thanks for the report... I definitely have a pile growing here with 12V Dead batteries. There is four 12V 85AH interstates in the pile that came off my 14 R/T trailer plus a few other that came from the truck and car...

I know where Placerville is.... Used to live in Shingle Springs down the road from you. Was working for good friend in Sacremento back then at TAYCO Industries doing rehab of Electronic things for the Air Force Depot.

I ran all those roads with my JEEP and utility trailer back in those days. Did alot of camping back there in the GOLD FIELDs country hehe... Even PARKER on CBS GOLD RUSH would have liked some of my camping sites hehe... This was the first time I was introduced to the gold fields history... Left that part of Calif and headed back here to King George in 72 I think it was. Had a caravan heading back East with moving van, family car, off-road truck and Jeep... Had to leave my camping utility trailer I pulled behind the Jeep all the time...

Had Momabear driving the moving van truck with two kids and two cats pulling the family car and I was pulling my Jeep with one Kid and one dog hehe... We made it just fine running down I40 across the country.

Roy ken

RoyB wrote:

I decided to just order my internal 4AWG equal lengths short cables from AMAZON. They are the ANCOR brand cable I like.

Being ANCOR, I assume that the copper is pre-tinned. That greatlt reduces any chance of corrosion.

RoyB wrote:
Never had this much battery capacity before - Hope I don't blow up something...

I doubt you will "blow things up" but remember with that much capacity it will take a lot longer to recharge with your current charger.

RoyB wrote:
My Ham Radio/Computer room runs off of a small POWERWARE 5125 UPS Unit so I all I need to do is keep it running to keep its batteries charged.

Time to go QRP ? You can run a laptop off of a DC-DC boost-buck supply.

theoldwizard1 wrote:

RoyB wrote:


Never had this much battery capacity before - Hope I don't blow up something...

I doubt you will "blow things up" but remember with that much capacity it will take a lot longer to recharge with your current charger.

I will have 60A available using multiple smart mode charging voltages using my PD9260C converter/charger...

To be safe I probably should order the 80A version which also has 14.8VDC charging mode...

Had not thought about not having enough charger. Right now i am running my 2KW Generator for three hours to use my on-board PD9260C to charge my three 85AH Interstates. How much longer do you think I will need to run my generator for two paralleled groups of two 6V batteries wired in series. Guess I can charge a single group of two 6V batteries in series if I have to... Where I camp at in the Natl Forest has generator run time restrictions... Running the generator three hours in the early mornings worked out great for me...

Roy Ken

Just got off phone with Batteries Plus. They did not have any of the DURACELL 230AH in stock and said none of their somewhat local stores did either.

They had plenty of the Duracell SLIGC110 215AH models in stock and the price is now $99.99 each... Could not talk them into taking my four 12VDC Interstates batteries as cores so that adds $80 to the order now..

I will get the 15% discount so that pretty much pays for me not having turn-in cores I guess...

That comes to around one dollar per AH so not too bad I guess...

The SLIGC110 215AH 6V battery weighs 60.5 LBS
These batteries have the 12 month warranty

Still thinking about the deal...

Roy Ken

Had a great buying experience with the BATTERY PLUS guys in Fredericksburg VA... Did pick up the 4EA DURACELL SLIGC110 6VDC 215AH Batteries for my Battery Box...

Now I need to get busy and order some items from AMAZON and get this Battery Bank mounted on the Trailer tongue area. Looks like the straping down and all is going to be ok.

My new battery box has the slide on lids and inside is three compartments. The two outside compartments will hold two each 6V DURACELL Batteries wired in SERIES and the middle compartment will house the BUS BARS and BLUE SEA Selector 4-way rotary switch (OFF-BAT1-BOTH-BAT2).

These batteries weighed 60.5 lbs each and are rated at 215AHs...

Was able to get the 15% discount as well as was able to give them 4EA DEAD 85AH 12V Interstates for the core fee. This made the batteries cost $84.99 each...

I should be rolling again here soonest... OFF to Westmoreland State Park for a couple to three day shakedown running off the batteries and running my systems.

Again a great buying experience at BATTERY PLUS.

Roy Ken