Help-Group 31S vs Group 27 Battery Question

[trevisgardne]

Help. I am in a bit of a unique situation. I need a new battery immediately for my 73 Sovereign. I know that it has a Group 27 battery in it. I do not have immediate access to my Airstream to measure the battery box. My vendor has a Group 31S in stock that is discounted.

Can anyone tell me if it ( the Group 31S) will fit?

Thanks,
T

[DPeakMD]

Can't tell you about the Group 31S, but a Group 29 fit in my '72 Sovereign--which should have the same sized battery box as your '73. The specs on the Group 29 vs. the 27 were minimally better but probably not enough to make an appreciable difference. Going with a larger battery can make it more difficult to find room for the battery cables. If you've still got the original cables, they are pretty stiff and get hard to stuff in there and close the compartment. Just food for thought....Good luck!

[overlander63]

I couldn't get a 31 to fit the battery compartment of our Sovereign. It is longer and taller than a 27.It MIGHT fit if you got a 31 with screw-on posts, rather than the big lead posts.

[Mexray]

We have the fwd battery boxes in our 78 Ambassador, and the Group 31's won't fit in those compartments...

I'm in the Battery biz, and the 13 inch length (vs the 12 in of the Gr-27's) is just to long...the trays inside the box fit the Gr-27's just perfectly...

BTW: most good, flooded cell deep cycle, G-27's are rated at about 105 Amp Hr, while the deep cycle G-31's can be rated up to 140 Amp Hrs...

The group 29 is also a 13 inch long battery, usually rated less than the G-31 sizes...

I wanted more total Amp Hrs, so I mounted a third group 27 battery in a box on the tongue, behind the propane tanks...I used the same size battery as my other two, so when they are all hooked in 'parallel', the cell sizes will be the same for equal charging/discharging...

[Mexray]

Some pic's