Battery upgrade |
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Oliver
Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2018 Status: Offline Points: 321 |
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Posted: 07 Jun 2019 at 4:50pm |
I want to change out my 12V battery for 2 6V.To get longer off grid power. But I wonder if I need to go with the larger golf cart batteries or just regular 6V. A friend with a larger rig than my 2016 171 used just regular size and he said he's happy with them. Any suggestions?
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furpod
Senior Member Joined: 24 Jul 2011 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 966 |
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If you are going to go to the trouble, go with GC2s. That is the MOST aH's you can put on the tongue without modifications to the frame work etc.
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Oliver
Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2018 Status: Offline Points: 321 |
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Is the tongue space equal on all R-pods? I measured, and it looks like the golf cart batteries will fit, even though they're bigger.
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furpod
Senior Member Joined: 24 Jul 2011 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 966 |
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Oliver
Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2018 Status: Offline Points: 321 |
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Thanks Furpod...I assume I'm looking at two 6V golf cart batteries? Are you happy with them? Lithium still lingers in my mind. What do you know about them? A friend told me they are more expensive, but hold a charge longer, and are lighter, but a better choice.?And maybe I would only need one? I want to be able to camp off grid as long as possible. Also use solar.
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LewisLey
Newbie Joined: 08 May 2019 Status: Offline Points: 1 |
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furpod
Senior Member Joined: 24 Jul 2011 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 966 |
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Lithium batteries come with several.. "issues"... some good, some.. not so much.. They can't be fully charged by the stock charger/converter, so you need to change that out, $200 or so if you do it yourself. They cannot be charged if the battery is below 32F. They are expensive at initial purchase. A 100 watt battery will be around $1-1.2K (100 watts of FLAs, in 2 GC2s, can be had for about $170) They can be discharged, and charged, at a much higher rate then FLA batteries. They can be discharged to a much lower SOC, theoretically 1%, without damage. (FLA batteries should not be brought below 50% SOC) They weigh substantially less then a comparable FLA battery, usable power storage wise. Their expected life cycle is very much longer then FLAs, This means "over time" they are not much more expensive then FLAs.
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Oliver
Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2018 Status: Offline Points: 321 |
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Thanks Furpod. Looks like 2 GC2's is the better choice for me. I don't want to change my charger/converter out. I don't want to pay that much for lithium batteries. So to make an improvement on my stock 12 volt, I think I will go with 2 GC2's like what you have pictured. Are you happy with their performance? How long can you go when boondocking? What can you safely run without the risk of them going down in the R-pod?
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furpod
Senior Member Joined: 24 Jul 2011 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 966 |
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The longest we ever went was 10 days I think. We ran out of vacation, not 12v.
How long they last isn't an easy question to answer. Everyone's usage, and needs are different. The big users of 12v are the furnace fan the water pump, and the antenna booster. Run the fridge on propane. Turn off all unnecessary loads. If you Pod doesn't have LED lighting already, switch it out to LEDs. We ran Trojan T105's. They are twice as expensive as the GC2's you can get at Sam's, Costco, etc. They are considered the very best. But the ones at wholesale houses are 90% as good for 50% of the cost. Your call. We own, but have never hooked up, an inverter, so all we ever ran was the standard 12v loads, plus I added USB charge points for phones and such. Where we live, boondocking is mostly a spring and fall activity, the heat and humidity here in the summer means hook up camping is a must.
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Oliver
Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2018 Status: Offline Points: 321 |
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I'm living in my pod full time in SC state parks.I am retired military and want to travel. I have full hook up here but gearing up for off grid. The batteries I'm looking at are 2 GC 6V at Batteries Plus. Duracell I think. I get 10% off by ordering online and pick up at their store. Then I'll order the case like yours. Then I want to get solar. Maybe you can suggest what to get there. Am I on the right track?
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