Best replacement battery

[mimiandrews]

The expensive Sears AGM battery we bought a few years ago is no longer holding a charge. Just tested this by slow charging the battery for several days (2 amp charge rate) and then leaving the battery completely disconnected. In less than a week, it measures less than 10 volts.

Of course, Sears put it on their tester a while back and told me it was good. I'll continue the argument with them tomorrow.

Meanwhile, can anyone recommend a good replacement battery for a 1966 Safari?

I know there's a lot of opinions on the Forums, but there's also a world of experience, and I'd like to have the benefit of that.

Thanks everyone.

[handn]

I'll bet you are beer that your problem is not an inferior brand battery, but a defective charger. On an older trailer, your charger is probably a Univolt in newer trailers the brand is Paralax. At any rate it is a single stage charger which will fry any battery in a hurry, particularly an agm which hates to be overcharged. I learned the hard way with two sets of Optima Blue Tops lasting only a year.
Your battery is toast but before you replace it, upgrade your charger converter to a three stage one. Go online at bestconverter.com. They have a plug and play converter for your trailer.
As for the batteries, I am on my third year with drowned cell lead acid ones from Interstate. They are close to new performance. I boondock a lot and quickly notice weak batteries. They are a third the price of the AGM batteries. Batteries are pretty much the same. A maintenance free battery from Wallmart or Sears with the same capacity would work as well.

[TG Twinkie]

I buy mine at Wal-Mart. Going on the 5th year with it.

[mimiandrews]

Thanks for the advice. One vote for Interstate and one WalMart. Twinkie, could you tell me exactly which battery from WalMart?

Handn, the Univolt was gone before I bought this battery. 3-stage charger is the only way to go. Bestconverter.com sold it to me. Your advice is good.

Anyone else have a favorite battery you think I should consider?

[drboyd]

I buy batteries on the following basis:

• Is it the right size?
• Who has the best price in dollars per month of warranty?

I ended up with Costco deep cycle marine batteries. When I retire and will be using it more, I'll probably change over to AGMs.

[switz]

Not the low bidder - Lifeline batteries

Lifeline Batteries - Marine & RV Deep Cycle Batteries

We have four GPL-6CT batteries in our solar system.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by mimiandrews

The expensive Sears AGM battery we bought a few years ago is no longer holding a charge. Just tested this by slow charging the battery for several days (2 amp charge rate) and then leaving the battery completely disconnected. In less than a week, it measures less than 10 volts.

Of course, Sears put it on their tester a while back and told me it was good. I'll continue the argument with them tomorrow.

Meanwhile, can anyone recommend a good replacement battery for a 1966 Safari?

I know there's a lot of opinions on the Forums, but there's also a world of experience, and I'd like to have the benefit of that.

Thanks everyone.

Interstate is very good

[msmcv51]

I bought marine RV deep cycle dry cell batteries three years ago and they seem to be doing well. I keep our trailer plugged in year around and leave a LED night light plugged in to make sure that there is a small drain on them also.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by msmcv51

I bought marine RV deep cycle dry cell batteries three years ago and they seem to be doing well. I keep our trailer plugged in year around and leave a LED night light plugged in to make sure that there is a small drain on them also.

Why would you want a 'small drain' on your batteries? What purpose does it serve?

[prairieschooner]

Normally I would suggest TROJAN T-105 Golf Cart Batteries. They are 6 Volts and you add them in Series to produce 12 Volts DC.
More is needed here to suggest the "best Batteries". Where are they located on the trailer? Do you have SOLAR? Does it Freeze where you are? Do you want to spend time maintaining them?
All of this helps make a decision on Flooded Lead Acid, Vented or Sealed or even AGM.
PS AGM has Charging Requirements slightly different than Flooded Lead Acid (Sealed or Vented)

[TouringDan]

I have a 66 Tradewind, so maybe the space available is the same for you as it is for me. I removed the old rusty shelf next to the toilet and fabricated a 3/4" plywood shelf. There is room for two golf cart batteries. I bought my batteries at Sam's Club 3 years ago and they have worked out very well. I believe they were about $70 each. I boondock a lot. Typically I camp for about 4 days and the battery voltage starts at about 12.9v and drops to only 12.7v after 4 days of boondocking. My power needs are small with LED lights, the water pump, a little TV, a little fan as needed and charging the cell phone. My fridge does not use any battery power.

I originally planned to add two more batteries because I have the room and also thought about adding solar, but I just don't need either right now.

If my batteries died tomorrow, I would buy two more GC batteries from Sam's again.

Dan

[DryFly]

We, and our neighbors, buy our marine deep cycles from Costco. They are "warrantied" for 60 months. At 61 months, they die, so we buy another.

[mimiandrews]

Don't think I have room for two 6v batteries. The shelf in the Safari was designed for one battery--group 31 is about as big as will fit. I have reinforced the battery shelf and added a plastic battery box, but space is at a premium back there. Available space is approx. 14 inches long and 7 inches wide.

I'd really love to find two smaller batteries that would fit in that space so I could lift them by myself--one at a time. (Present battery is 75 lbs.) Two sixes wired in series or two twelves wired in parallel--doesn't matter.

No solar installed on the trailer.

It does freeze here, but doesn't stay that way for more than a day or so at a time.

I'm willing to maintain batteries, and I do know how. Just got bit with a very expensive battery in trying to avoid that chore, so I may be willing to go back to regular maintenance.

Y'all are being really helpful. Keep the ideas coming.

[batman]

I will just say that if you want a really good battery, get a Lifeline. Arguably the best AGM made. There are tons of threads on the subject. I put 4 6V Lifelines in our 64 Safari. We booney camp a lot.

[handn]

There is no reason your Sears AGM should fail any sooner than any other battery assuming it is a premium battery with a long guarantee. The agms in my boat are going on six years.
If it lasted only a few years and you have upgraded your Univolt to a three stage charger, you should consider if there is a problem in your electrical system which caused your batteries premature failure. A short or current drain would keep your battery discharged and shorten its life. Long deep cycle battery life is dependent on not completely discharging your battery.
Your battery isolator switch should cut off most 12v circuits so you can troubleshoot the few remaining. Other posters have reported battery draining problems in the isolator switch itself, the trailer jack or the propane detector.
You can test circuits one by one by hooking a multimeter to your battery and seeing if there is a voltage drop as you turn on individual circuits. Good luck in finding the root of your problem.

[Kamiak]

In my opinion, which battery to buy depends largely on how you use your rig, i.e., frequent boondocking, or primarily with electrical hookups.

There are many battery brands, or labels in the US, but very few battery manufacturers. Most batteries are essentially private labels manufactured by one of the very small number of manufacturers. This is not something that I constantly revisit, but when I initially looked at replacing the OEM batteries a few years ago for my 2000 AS, my usage was, and remains, primarily with electrical hookups; consequently I looked at the less-expensive lead acid RV batteries, rather than the more expensive AGM, etc. At that time, I looked at several brands, including Wal-Mart, Sears Diehard, Interstate, Costco, and others. At that time, ALL were manufactured by Johnson Controls for the various retail labels. I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect that the manufacturing and private labeling process makes it more efficient/economical to label one of Johnson Controls "shelf products", rather than uniquely build a certain battery for a particular brand.

In the specific size category of interest to me, Group 27, according to the specs provided by Johnson Controls on their website, I compared their physical size, AH, Reserve Capacity, etc., and their weight. I interpreted the "weight" as a proxy for comparing the lead plates inside the batteries. I don't remember how many were identical in every respect, most were, but I do remember that Interstate and Costco RV batteries were identical, including weight. Consequently, I decided then, and continue to buy based on price and warranty.

I'll leave it to others to comment on the best battery for boondocking, and on the condition of your converter.

[lsbrodsky]

My experience with batteries is that when they fail, you wish they had not at that instant. Consequently I have always bought top of the line replacement batteries.
In my boat I used Lifeline AGM with good experience and with a good battery monitor you can tell when they are beginning to deteriorate. Applicable to our trailers although we do not need cranking amps.
In my cars, I have replaced the OEM with Odyssey, a pretty bulletproof, albeit expensive replacement.
I am tempted, when my Airstream Lifelines die to try to replace with Odyssey but there may be some fit issues as Group 24 is not really a vehicle spec, it seems.
Of course if you never expect to rely on your batteries then the cheap solution is Wal-Mart. Flooded cells are fine if you take care of them, watch the water level and beware of over charging or excessive discharging.
Larry

[TouringDan]

Mimi

Your shelf may be 14x7, but I suspect you have the same space back there that I have. I would remove the metal shelf and just install a plywood shelf. Mine is 3/4", but 1/2" would be fine too. Take a look at my "Dan's Tradewind Improvements" thread, post #8. The golf cart batteries are 10.5x7" and there is plenty of room for two of them. The photo below also shows a 400 watt inverter connected to the batteries. This gives me outside 120v power for my fan and a small table lamp.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f116...nts-94152.html

Dan

[Aironius]

Yes to all of the above, mimiandrews. If you are familiar with keeping an eye on the electrolyte level, you can keep a battery healthy longer. Sealed tops just surprise you one day. And I'll go one step beyond handn and advise you to get a four stage converter. What all that means is: a standard two stage charger willl deliver a low charge rate of maybe 10 or 20 amps, and when the voltage drops below a certain point they switch to the max rate (usually marked on the label). They are for camping and using the trailer, not for long term battery storage. If left on for extended time they will cook your battery and then probably go on and burn their own self up trying to charge the dead carcass (to use technical terms). If you have one of those you should simply turn it off at the breaker when you store the trailer and use a small float charger or solar panel for long term maintenance. A three stage charger has a very low "maintain" rate of about .5A or less that it automatically switches to when the battery is fully charged so it won't boil off the acid. A four stage charger adds yet another function. If it is left on for a programmed period of time (typically a week) it briefly applies a higher voltage to dislodge gas bubbles on the plates and stir up the acid, intended to prevent a sulphate coating from forming. If you do need a new converter you might as well go for the whole deal, but if the old one is still working it must be a tough one. Why not keep it? Just get one of those little cube maintainers from any auto supply. As to battery selection, location must be considered. My Bambi has the tray on the tongue so I really don't want to add a second battery and add all that weight. I am currently using the second battery from my boat for in-shop power with my new Boondocker 60A converter. When the trailer is ready for the road I will buy the group31 marine deep cycle battery that weighs the most, regardless of the numbers on the outside. It's the amount of lead inside that matters.

[mimiandrews]

Originally Posted by handn

There is no reason your Sears AGM should fail any sooner than any other battery assuming it is a premium battery with a long guarantee. The agms in my boat are going on six years.
If it lasted only a few years and you have upgraded your Univolt to a three stage charger, you should consider if there is a problem in your electrical system which caused your batteries premature failure. A short or current drain would keep your battery discharged and shorten its life. Long deep cycle battery life is dependent on not completely discharging your battery.
Your battery isolator switch should cut off most 12v circuits so you can troubleshoot the few remaining. Other posters have reported battery draining problems in the isolator switch itself, the trailer jack or the propane detector.
You can test circuits one by one by hooking a multimeter to your battery and seeing if there is a voltage drop as you turn on individual circuits. Good luck in finding the root of your problem.

I think all that you're recommending has been done already. I went through that trailer with an ohmmeter, and there's nothing there that should kill a battery. The only continuous load of any kind is the propane detector, and there's a switch that will isolate that. Resistance between the positive and negative battery terminal wires (with the battery removed, of course) is infinite.

As I said previously, the converter has been changed, and there is no battery isolater in this trailer, other than the previously mentioned manual switch.

I think I just lucked into a battery with a fault in it somewhere. The last test, with the battery completely removed from the trailer, shows that it took less than four days for what should have been a fully-charged battery to drop from 12 volts to less than 10 volts. Trust me, that battery was connected to nothing but air.