Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsydad
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I am pondering this one for sure: 6V golf cart deep cycles are quite a bit heavier, though they will fit in the AS battery case, and offer about 4X capability of the stock wet cells. These are $160 each less the trade in ($113/ea). But the Interstate rep said if a cell goes out in the 6V, they are dead. Said this does happen to these also. AGM's also is a choice, but lower output than standard batteries, so not sure that is the way to go. 
Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.  I may just get the replacements and move forward to next time there is an issue within the warranty period...  |
Hi
If you are looking at T-105 batteries (as I'd bet you are), they are rated at about 220AH each. You put two 6V units in series to get the
12V your trailer needs. The net result is a 220AH
12V battery stack. They are a bit bigger than the group 27 batteries that are the "large size" AS stock batteries. They may / may not fit properly in a stock battery enclosure.
A pair of group 27 AGM's will get you to about 200 AH total. You would hook them in parallel. Each one will give you about 100 AH. AGM's are not going to be the low cost option. They are likely to outlast either the standard wet cells or the golf cart batteries. Nothing is ever certain in this respect, you are just playing the odds.
The stock wet cell group 27's are around 160AH when new. They are cheap and they don't last forever. No battery does. None of the options above will give you a massive increase in capacity over the cheap ones. The better ones will give you a bit longer life. All batteries slowly loose capacity as they age. You are always comparing new vs new on the spec sheets. When you replace a battery set, your comparison will always be new vs worn out .... that will always look good
Replacing the charger is fine. It did not cause your problem, but it may make you feel safer. If possible, get a unit with a temperature probe on it and wire it to sense the battery temperature directly. A good charger with a probe might give you about 20% more battery capacity. It also could add a year to your battery life.
If you are rumbling around rewiring things, consider a shunt based battery monitor. Knowing what's going on with your batteries is a really good thing. More than any other add on, knowledge of charge state is likely to improve your "battery experience".
Yes, this gets a bit complex. It's actually not that crazy. Doing it all at one time is a bit less of a hassle than doing it one piece now and another piece later.
Bob
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