Need advice!! Best Batteries

[GOTSOOT]

Learned my lesson this week end,batteries went south,I did not know that the frig, and gas detector need just a tad of power to keep working. batteries went out,had to hook truck up to get some power to the fridge. What are the "BEST" batteries to use. thanx#@$%!

 

[HBarlow]

The "best" is a pretty subjective answer, an opinion at best. There are only three or four battery manufacturers in the US now, possibly only two or three. Their products are packaged differently for different retailers.

IMO all but the cheapest brands are good quality and will provide good service. The retailer, their nationwide presence, and the way they stand behind their occasional defective product is most important to me.

I buy batteries from SAM's Club. They are now Interstate brand, good price, and backed by the full financial resources of SAM's Club. If you're not a member or don't have a store in your area Wal-Mart brands are also good.

Some love the latest high tech "stuff" and prefer Optima. I don't care about high tech or frills. A good battery is a good battery regardless of the name or color.

 

[meanmatt]

Camper batteries live a harder life then the ones in our trucks. I've had pretty good luck with the Wal-Mart brand deep cycles. I think how you take care of them is the most important part . I remove mine from the camper and keep on a self in my garage I think storage in a consitant temeperature helps battery life . Not to hot and always above freezing. Idon't like those maintainer chargers at all . I just check the specific gravity every month and if they need a charge then they are charged . My current set is now 5 years old .

 

[SnoKing]

Couple 6V Golf Cart batteries in series are great, but you may need new battery boxes as they are taller.



Will last 10 years if you take care of them.



SNOKING

 

[icman95]

I do what SNOKING does. I have 2 6v Interstate golf cart batteries hooked in series and that give monster power. If careful, I can dry camp for 3-4 days without having to recharge. Can't remember for sure, but I think the model number is UD2200. Love this setup!

 

[Bill Stockard]

Camper batteries live a harder life then the ones in our trucks. I've had pretty good luck with the Wal-Mart brand deep cycles. I think how you take care of them is the most important part . I remove mine from the camper and keep on a self in my garage I think storage in a consitant temeperature helps battery life . Not to hot and always above freezing. Idon't like those maintainer chargers at all . I just check the specific gravity every month and if they need a charge then they are charged . My current set is now 5 years old .

I also use Wal-Mart deep cycle batteries. I've had excellent results with them. I store my camper inside a heated insulated building and keep it plugged in 24/7. It has the Progressive Dynamics converter with the Charge Wizard that properly maintains the battery. I check the water level about once a month and usually have to add a little distilled water every six months. If the battery starts using water monthly, I replace it.



Bill

 

[GAmes]

I'm too cheap to buy batteries for all my toys. When I'm using the RV and plan on boondocking I take the Optima marine trolling motor batteries out of my bass boat. If I double tow the RV and Boat to the lake I stay at a campground with electricity and use my work battery in the camper.

 

[RBridenbaugh]

Best battery in a system without a 3 stage charger /converter and with out a battery monitor soon becomes a dead battery.



I run Lifeline 6VDC AGM batteries. Most Ah I could fit into the space of my battery compartment. Since the were on sale they were also the least $/Ah of capacity that I could find for an AGM battery.



AGM because they have a lower self discharge rate, they will accept charge at a much higher rate (less generator time), low maintenance (no adding or checking water) and less susceptible to freeze damage, if discharged. No off gassing, so they can be located inside, so they don't lose capacity when winter camping, since they are not as cold. Down side is they are almost 3x the cost of a flooded wet cell battery.



To get the most cycles out of an expensive battery, you really need to have a good charger, monitor and charging practices.

 

[FDavid]

Just a FYI, the majority of car batteries are created by 3 manufacturers - Delphi, Exide and Johnson Controls Industries.



Delphi makes some EverStart models sold in Walmart and ACDelco.



Johnson Control Industries makes Duralast seen in Autozone stores, Diehard - sold in Sears, Kirkland - the Costco brand, Motorcraft - which Ford sells, some of the EverStarts, and Interstate.



Exide makes Exide batteries, Champion, Napa and even a % of the EverStart batteries.

 

[Bill Stockard]

My group 31 Wal-Mart EverStart Maxx Marine battery has written on the tag, "Dist. by Johnson Controls Battery Group, Inc. " in small print. I recently purchased a replacement group 51 EverStart battery for my John Deere lawn tractor from Wal-Mart which also has the same Johnson Controls statment on the label.



I look at batteries before I purchase them for the Johnson Controls label. If it isn't on the battery, I buy elswhere. I've experienced unsatisfactory service from Delphi and Exide products.



Bill

 

[AABEN]

My camper is an 04 and still have the same Batt. I had the dealer put them in when I bought it. Grope 31 deep cycle. We are snow birds and my camper is pluged in all the time. I check my Batt every month and add distilled water when needed. Any good deep cycle Batt will do you a good job. I have found out that if you need one Batt it is best to replace both at the same time---Good luck

 

[Grizzly]

I don't buy the best batteries, I buy the best warranty. To me the battery with the best warranty is Costco.

 

[Matt42]

I used to recommend Optima batteries. I don't any more. Since they moved manufacturing to Mexico, their quality has turned to Cr*p. I got two years out of my last one. Costco gave me a full refund.

 

[flyby night]

I am cheap. I usually try to get the factory blems from Interstate or Delco.

 

[JCrockett]

Odessey batteries are a very good battery, best money can buy. That being said they are expensive but have an unconditional 3 year warrenty on them. I have one in my off road truck (off road lights and heavy continuous winching), I have been very happy with it I bought one for my ATV's. We will see how the ATV units hold up in the cold this winter. Once my stock units go out in the Cummins I will be putting 2 of them in there as well.

Just another sugesstion...

 

[SRath]

These are supposed to be the best camper batteries available and a whole lot a folks on camper websites swear by them:

Lifeline Batteries - Marine & RV Deep Cycle Batteries

 

[Grizzly]

These are supposed to be the best camper batteries available and a whole lot a folks on camper websites swear by them:



Lifeline Batteries - Marine & RV Deep Cycle Batteries

How much do they cost?

 

[RBridenbaugh]

Lifeline GPL-4CT 6VDC 220 Ah @ 20 hr rate.



Price about $270 ea with free shipping. Need two.



Compare this to the price of two Group 31 12VDC deep cycle batteries which have about 200 Ah total, if you don't run six volt batteries in series.



Over a 10 year period you'd go through 2 to 3 sets of wet cell Group 31 batteries, you'd have to check and add water each month and have to wash the battery compartment with baking soda a few times to deal with the acid. Murphy's law would have it that you have to change these batteries out at the worst possible time.



Or you buy a quality, deep cycle AGM battery and it lasts 10 years or more and you don't have to deal with any of the above.



The true lifecycle cost of multiple, cheap, flooded batteries vs. AGMs, really depends on where you want to spend your time . I'd rather be camping with 110 Ah of useful capacity and only running my generator once every 3 days.

 

[Road Dog]

The biggest factor in long battery life is regular maintenance. Lead-acid batteries last longest if they're kept fully charged and that means regular charging (every 2 - 4 weeks) in the off season. And check the water level once in a while. Trickle chargers can be ok but some will boil off the battery over time.

 

[Grizzly]

Lifeline GPL-4CT 6VDC 220 Ah @ 20 hr rate.



Price about $270 ea with free shipping. Need two.



Compare this to the price of two Group 31 12VDC deep cycle batteries which have about 200 Ah total, if you don't run six volt batteries in series.



Over a 10 year period you'd go through 2 to 3 sets of wet cell Group 31 batteries, you'd have to check and add water each month and have to wash the battery compartment with baking soda a few times to deal with the acid. Murphy's law would have it that you have to change these batteries out at the worst possible time.



Or you buy a quality, deep cycle AGM battery and it lasts 10 years or more and you don't have to deal with any of the above.



The true lifecycle cost of multiple, cheap, flooded batteries vs. AGMs, really depends on where you want to spend your time . I'd rather be camping with 110 Ah of useful capacity and only running my generator once every 3 days.

Since they're 6V, I'd have to buy 4 of them. That's $1,080 plus tax. Do they make them in 12V? You can get a lot of deep cycle 12V batteries at Costco for for much money.



I don't mind using my built-in generator as much as I want. It runs on propane, which is relatively cheap anyway when compare to gasoline. Propane is $1. 90 per gal in Albuquerque.