Ideas for larger battery box on 27 FB?

[sheriff1]

Originally Posted by seascape

I might add the batteries i gave you the name and model are the only ones i could find that are short enough to fit battery box without any modifications to height hope this clarifies my previous post.

Thanks!

[trepine]

if it starts to roll away don’t sit there helpless, pull the emergency brake out. Won’t that stop it? Obviously i’ve never tried it because i’ve never had it try and roll on me. But...should work

[mpsgolf]

Designed my own and had a sheet metal shop make it.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f449/battery-box-extension-153829.html

[pteck]

I really like the 6v in a group 27 case idea.

As mentioned, to expand the stock box to accommodate a standard golf cart battery require extending at the bottom to avoid interference to the front door.

Here's how I did mine for those looking for techniques to do so. I welded mine, but bolting through could work too as there's enough clearance inside.

Copied from a post elsewhere:

Upgrading my batts from 2x Group 27s to 2x 6V GC2. This is my preferred route as it's cheap, durable, and easily sourced. I don't intend to use more reserve, but a larger batt means usage each day is that much more shallow. Combine that with the deeper cycle architecture of a GC2, and it's no wonder so many RV's switch to these.

On most AS models, this involves an easy modification to the battery box, adding a spacer between the box and lid, to accommodate the added height of the GC2.



I have an 27FB, which has a front opening storage hatch that opens over the battery box. A spacer above won't work for me.

I chopped off the bottom of the batt box, 1" up from the bottom. Added large angle extrusions as legs to extend the structure down 2.5". I have a welder, but using bolts and nuts would certainly work too.





continued...

[pteck]

Welded up the support structure, then added a stainless steel beauty panel. While I was at it, gave the whole tongue a nice new coat of paint.

[GM Airstream]

Originally Posted by trepine

if it starts to roll away don’t sit there helpless, pull the emergency brake out. Won’t that stop it? Obviously i’ve never tried it because i’ve never had it try and roll on me. But...should work

Nope... the elect brakes on the trailer only work in the forward direction... if the trailer is going backwards... andyou pull the safety pin... it won't even slow down..

If the trailer is going forward.. it will stop it.. till the battery dies...

Dexter has a parking brake backing plate and drum assy... it works almost like your TV parking brake do if you have drum brakes on the rear. It causes the shoes to expand by a cam action... independent of the elect brake action... They put a lever on the outside of the backing plate...
Now all someone has to do is figure out a way to lock all 4 using the lever... be it electric or mechanical cable.

It is one way that the existing shoes and drums can be used without putting stress on the swing arm axles... and the trailer won't go anywhere forward or backward... either...

I don't understand why A/S engineers haven't come up with a way to put them on the trailers.

As to the new battery box it will take just about any set of bats you want to carry with you... but most of us have gone to the GC-2 golf cart bats... as they are the best for the bux... so until the lithum ones come along... sticking with the two trojan 105's...

I did see one that they carry 4 of the 105's.. as they changed the refrig to a compressor type that runs on 12 volt...

The gent that had it.. said that he could spend 4 days out without recharging the bats... then he put solar on and extended that out to a week... and the refrig cooled quicker and better and didn't have to be level... sweet...

Only thing is the compressor type of refrig.. makes a lot of noise when things are quiet in the night... then again... some people can sleep with trains going by.. grin...

I am sure we will be seeing more refrigs go to the compressor types in the future and the bats will need to be bigger and better in the old box...

[blkmagikca]

On the subject of X-chocks, the ones I have are made of cast aluminum, and are tightened down with a lever which is then locked with a padlock. They will not bend or slip if properly adjusted.

On the subject of parling brakes, mu first trailer was a 13-foot Brittish-made Thompson that had a surge brake mechanism that featured a parking brake lever on the A-frame similar to those on their cars. I did need to use a spacer to slip over the mechanism for backing up to stop the brakes from locking up. We towed it with a 1976 Volvo 265. With a hitch weight of only 50 lbs, no weight distributing or sway control was needed.

[GM Airstream]

On the subject of X-chocks, the ones I have are made of cast aluminum, and are tightened down with a lever which is then locked with a padlock. They will not bend or slip if properly adjusted.

Yes those were produced some years back.. and are hard as hen's teeth to find... the young lady who we emailed said that they had no plans on producing anymore of them after her dad took ill... seems they cast them out of alu... and while one could reverse engineer a set using 1/4 alu plate and tig welding them up... its pretty expensive to go that way... as well as it puts side loading on the axles through the wheels. Some say that it is less than the weight down on the axles but when you have two loads it becomes a larger vector pressure kinda thing... so what is a owner supposed to do... if the manufacture doesn't provide ???

As to the battery box being lowered as the gent above showed .... it leaves a opening for all the rocks and small children to get into the box or impact the batteries. Cheaper to just go buy the new deeper box and remove the old one.. and put in the new... add your existing cover and good to go...

The other that the gent had made.. is the same as what vinni and the others are selling to accomidate the newer batteries... it adds 2 plus inches higher... some door blockage of newer trailer cant take that... either bolted or welded... you have that lip which restricts the 27 series batteries... without taking it out first...

As to bats.. seems that in our club.. most of the trailer people have gone to the GC bats... as they seem to be the best for the bux... leaving the so called deep cycle marine ones out in the cold... The only issue is the height.... too bad trojan doesn't make a GOOD bat that would fit back in where the factory ones did... or the factory which now makes the deeper box... figured out that they (GC-2 and bigger) will fit into the new battery box.... but, be careful.. the new box does hang down lower than the frame... however, the jack post would be bent first or drag... before you start scraping the battery box... as to weight.. not much more... so no issue their.

Good luck on the revision
G.M>

[GM Airstream]

by the way the older trailers with the two battery boxes in the front... WILL TAKE THE TYPE 27'S AND 65'S... least our battery boxes on the '85 AS will..

... and to answer a second question... the reason we need more battery is because of the heater and inverter demands... not the lights... etc... if the trailer was more effecent I am sure you would not need as big a battery then... then again today we have bigger trailers to go camping in lux with... grin..