Redundant battery question I'm sure.....

[DFrazr]

What the heck battery do I want/need?

When it comes to electricity, I willingly admit my ignorance. I'm new to this forum, but not new to forums in general. I know how to search, and I have been, but I only get more confused!!!

I'm rebuilding a very small pup. Kind of a "one man man cave" it you will. Tongue weight is an issue. I'm towing with a Honda CR-V. I want an AGM battery so it can go inside.

My plan is as much 12v as possible, and have an Inverter just in case.

So far;
12v ARB type cooler
12v LED lighting
12v 19" Jensen LCD TV
Small net book/DVD
Small Sirius radio
JBL Flip speaker
Coleman 'installed' forced air heater.

None of the above will be being used all at the same time. I plan on using solar.

There are so many opinions and recommendations, it overwhelms me.

Three batteries I've been looking at;
Trojan 31-AGM Deep-Cycle AGM
VMAX USA MR127-100 Deep Cycle, High Performance AGM Battery
VMAX USA SLR125 AGM Solar Battery

I plan on boondocking as much as I can.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan.

 

[EV2]

The Trojans is. Great battery and should cover your needs well, but it is pricey.

 

[DFrazr]

The Trojans is. Great battery and should cover your needs well, but it is pricey.

All 3 are about $250'ish depending if I get the Trojan locally and pay sales tax, or order the VMAX through Amazon with no tax and free shipping. I've heard the Trojan's are good batteries, wondering how the VMAX batteries compare in quality especially when one of them says it's designed for solar(?)

 

[speckhunter80]

Of the three I would go with the Trojan.

 

[JeffC]

With those electrical loads and one battery you will probably need more than solar. You stand a good chance of discharging the battery to the point of ruining it without monitoring and a cloudy day generator.

 

[lifespeed]

I agree, with the addition of the ARB fridge you will need dual batteries for at least 100AH useable capacity (200AH advertised).

 

[bearman512]

I agree with EV2, don't worry about the ARB fridge/freezer people in the PUP world don't realize that almost all of the high end pickup popup campers utilize the ARB style fridges and they draw very little current. Lots of people think they are the Thermo electric ones but they of course are wrong.
I say go with the VMax and be our Guiney pig. LOL
The Trojan's are proven to be one of the best on the market.
Living and camping in Utah a good solar system 120W portable system will do the trick.

 

[bconrey]

Are you only concerned about tongue weight? How's overall GVWR? Tongue weight can be manipulated (balanced) by adding additional weight behind the trailer axle. For the price of one of those AGMs you can purchase two lead acid batteries. Mount them in a battery box on the rear bumper and you've 1)adjusted tongue weight, 2)removed the need for AGM as they're stored outside, and 3)doubled your amp-hour capacity.

If you're going to be boondocking a lot it's worth investing the time to understand what your power demands and consumption rates will be. The 12v Side of Life is an excellent resource (http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volta.htm) to get you started. Armed with that information, you'll know where you stand instead of guessing (or having us guess on your behalf ).

Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[DFrazr]

I haven't pulled the trigger yet on anything.

I'm still learning and pondering.

I do appreciate the info. I have had a chance to look at the 12v link before. Lots of info there.

Thanks again!!!

 

[crackerJack]

I don't have a battery yet. But, after a lot of research I am going with 2 6v Trojan t105's. It seems that 6v GC's are truly a deep cycle battery and 12v are a combo battery. Thus the cold cranking amps listed on 12v battery specs.

All speculative though, I can't speak from experience.

 

[HiFiDave]

I don't have a battery yet. But, after a lot of research I am going with 2 6v Trojan t105's. It seems that 6v GC's are truly a deep cycle battery and 12v are a combo battery. Thus the cold cranking amps listed on 12v battery specs.

All speculative though, I can't speak from experience.

Food for thought...Trojan, good battery but...not the last word. Here is a battery by a manufacture whom has been around as long as Trojan. It has a slightly better amp hour rating at about 15 to 20 bucks less per battery. Feel free to pay more for the Trojan marketing machine but just sayin...

Plus speed caps...to kewl.

http://usbattery.com/products/6-volt-batteries/us-2200-xc2-lf/

 

[bconrey]

Food for thought...Trojan, good battery but...not the last word. Here is a battery by a manufacture whom has been around as long as Trojan. It has a slightly better amp hour rating at about 15 to 20 bucks less per battery. Feel free to pay more for the Trojan marketing machine but just sayin...

Plus speed caps...to kewl.

http://usbattery.com/products/6-volt-batteries/us-2200-xc2-lf/

When I did the 6v conversion on our PUP several years ago, I went with T105s. With our new hybrid I was planning to do the same thing until I saw the current prices of T105s. Discovered that my local Costco had Interstate GC2 batteries for $40-60 less per battery, around $85/ea if I remember correctly. Specs were relatively comparable, Interstate has been a good brand for me in the past, and all backed up by Costco. Couldn't beat it.

 

[DFrazr]

[quote author=speckhunter80]
Of the three I would go with the Trojan.
[/quote]
[quote author=HiFiDave]
Food for thought...Trojan, good battery but...not the last word. Here is a battery by a manufacture whom has been around as long as Trojan. It has a slightly better amp hour rating at about 15 to 20 bucks less per battery. Feel free to pay more for the Trojan marketing machine but just sayin...

Plus speed caps...to kewl.

http://usbattery.com/products/6-volt-batteries/us-2200-xc2-lf/
[/quote]I'm going to go to Battery Systems tomorrow in SLC. They carry both the US and the Trojan batteries. I want the best bang for the buck. They quoted me a pretty good price on the US 2200 xc2. I'll inquire further when I'm at the counter.

Dan.

 

[HiFiDave]

I'm going to go to Battery Systems tomorrow in SLC. They carry both the US and the Trojan batteries. I want the best bang for the buck. They quoted me a pretty good price on the US 2200 xc2. I'll inquire further when I'm at the counter.
Dan.

Get the data sheet on both of them. It's real simple, they are equal in all ways except two. Cost and amp hours and that is where the 2200 wins the day. I hear Interstate has a darn good 6 volt too at a snug cost.

 

[DFrazr]

Just an update;

First, thanks for all the help!

Second, I ended up getting 2 of the US 2200 XC2 batteries with a NOCO Genius G7200 12V/24V 7.2A UltraSafe Smart Battery Charger.

Now to figure the rest of the stuff out.

Thanks again!