coach battery recommendations

BABY GIRL · November 01, 2012, 05:26 PM

hello all , i love this forum.

i am new and i need to get 2 batteries for my 1985 winnebago minnie winnie. what is the best to use size etc. where should i get them.

thanks
Jeff Colantuono

ClydesdaleKevin · November 01, 2012, 11:44 PM

If you can only fit 2 batteries, I strongly suggest 2 6 volt golf cart batteries wired in series to produce 12 volts. Best bang for the buck. Also, I'm a big fan of Interstate golf cart batteries...in my opinion just as good as Trojans, but way cheaper. Just go online and do a search for your area of Interstate Battery stores...they are all over the country, and there should be one near you.

Kev

85winnerb · November 02, 2012, 11:59 AM

In my 85 minnie winnie only group 24 will fit in the compartment. I agree with interstate best bang for the buck.

BABY GIRL · November 04, 2012, 07:24 PM

can you elaborate , what is group 24, do you use 2? where do i get interstate. thanks for the help, totally new to me

jeff

OldEdBrady · November 04, 2012, 10:26 PM

I don't now a heckuva lot about the subject, but batteries come in "groups." It refers to the size and capacity of the things. For instance, my truck (2001 Dodge RAM 1500) uses a group 24. My trailer uses 2 deep cycle batteries. (Don't know what "group.). Any good auto parts store should help you out here. I use Auto Zone or NAPA. Either is excellent on something like that.

85winnerb · November 05, 2012, 10:03 AM

i am limited by the size of the compartment. If your's is the same, there is a pull out tray where the batteries go. Mine will fit two batteries, due to the height of the compartment only group 24 will fit. Interstate battery's should be available somewhere near you.

BABY GIRL · November 05, 2012, 10:05 AM

does it have to be deep cycle or marine etc

85winnerb · November 05, 2012, 12:40 PM

Yes, the only way to go is deep cycle.

Froggy1936 · November 05, 2012, 06:38 PM

I have 2 Marine 12V starting batterys (that are 8 yrs old now) I also have a battery charger with a maintenence feature that is on at all times veh is plugged into 110 v (wich is anytime its parked) I am going to replace them at PepBoys because i have a $55.00 cupon from buying tires there They still show full 13.5 V on the gauge and read 1275 on the hydrometer and will supply all needs over a weekend of dry camping with furnace at night But i know that i am pushing it at 8 yrs Frank

vincewarde · November 08, 2012, 07:53 PM

My thoughts: Fill the compartment. My tray is about 14" W x 24" D (basically one dinette bench). I filled it. NAPA had a deep cycle that fit like a glove. My solar panels keep it charged.

James E Vining · August 10, 2013, 02:52 AM

Quote from: Froggy1936 on November 05, 2012, 06:38 PM
I have 2 Marine 12V starting batterys (that are 8 yrs old now) I also have a battery charger with a maintenence feature that is on at all times veh is plugged into 110 v (wich is anytime its parked) I am going to replace them at PepBoys because i have a $55.00 cupon from buying tires there They still show full 13.5 V on the gauge and read 1275 on the hydrometer and will supply all needs over a weekend of dry camping with furnace at night But i know that i am pushing it at 8 yrs Frank

8 Years doesn't seem to bad for a HD Deep Cycle Battery that is maintained properly, I had a Auto battery that came with a 100 month warranty and it lasted until I dropped it and couldn't seal the leak I created.
The Auto Battery was no where close to as Heavy as the Marine Batteries I bought at Wal-Mart for $75, They are made by Johnson Controls and have a 122 A/hr Rating (Group 29DC Selection 95) 6.5"W X 13"L X 10" H to clear Posts and Studs
Since the Previous Owner has Removed the cool Pull out Battery Tray on Drivers Side and Moved Batteries compartment to in front of Radiator, I only have enough room for 2 of these batteries ( now it would be great to have one of the 220 A/hr Batteries but not only do they cost a fortune they are Huge)
I also found a trick to extending the life of your Batteries when you refill them use a Mixture of Distilled Water and Epsom Salt it keeps them from Sulfating and reverses any Sulfating that has already happened.

Stripe · August 10, 2013, 10:04 PM

What is the solution ratio for that refill tip?

Rickf1985 · March 16, 2014, 12:59 PM

I just priced out that comparison today and I think I am going with the two 12 volt deep cycle set-up. Two 6 volt of roughly the same output total would be 100.00 more. I can get two group 27 100 Ah batteries for 200.00 minus some rebates at Batteries plus. For you die hard boondockers I would say go for the AGM batteries but my budget would not cover 350.00 each! I don't do enough camping right now to justify that kind of expense. This is my first class A so I may or may not stay this route.

Oz · March 16, 2014, 01:01 PM

Honestly, I do not feel there is no one correct answer for whether to use two 12VDC Deep Cycle batteries in parallel or two 6 VDC batteries in series. A persons budget and needs govern the choice. In the end, it is in truth, a trade off. If you can only afford the two 12VDC Deep Cycle then you typically trade longer life for cost. If you can afford the two 6VDC batteries, and have the physical storage area, you pay more for longer life. That may be a difference of 4/5 years for the 12VDC to 7/8 years for the 6VDC. As long as you care for your batteries properly (50% rule, charge to 100% periodically, water level, etc.) then you can get very good life out of either choice.

Dave

Stripe · March 16, 2014, 01:01 PM

If you have any golf cart shops nearby, double check if they have 6volt batts on discount. A lot of times folks will buy a cart and ask to replace the 6v with a 12v and the shops will sell the 6v at a discount..

TripleJ · March 16, 2014, 04:15 PM

I just picked up two of these from menards. $65 each plus a $10 rebate on one battery. My battery bay has slots for two 24 series batteries so I went for it. I dont have much experience with this so I might just ruin them in the first year... probably wont cry about it W%

cosmic · March 16, 2014, 06:33 PM

great deal.

PwrWgnWalt · April 01, 2014, 02:09 AM

Thought I'd pass along a tip. I've used blem batteries in my autos/trucks for several years with excellent results, so I got to thinking...

Knew I was going to need coach batteries this spring, so 2 weeks ago called local Interstate battery warehouse to ask if they had any 6 volt golf cart style GC2 "blems" (cosmetically blemished new batteries) or "used" batteries...

They had a couple of used (take-offs they have tested and checked out, less than a year old), but no new Blems... Until I called last week! They just got some blems in, so I just picked up two to fill my battery tray, $75 each!

If you call and they say they don't have any used or blems, ask if they ever get any... If not, ask if their warehouse does.

- Walt

ClydesdaleKevin · April 01, 2014, 02:44 AM

Good advice! I swear by my Interstate 6 volt batteries...a bank of 6. They hold a LOT of amp hours, the price was fair, and they don't lose water all that quickly with my current setup...and I check them before every trip.

Kev

Missy-Mae · April 01, 2014, 03:26 AM

Hi I live in England and when the Olympics ended they were selling the emergency lighting batteries from the basket ball stadium so I have 2. 230 amp batts and paid about $110 for the pair not bad as only used for a few weeks
Cheers les

Stripe · April 01, 2014, 04:43 AM

Goes to show, a little luck and being in the right place at the right time can do for you.

legomybago · April 01, 2014, 12:04 PM

The inlaw just bought 2 6v batts from Costco, they were 65$ a piece i think?...may want to look into that. Cant beat that price...I'm pretty sure that was what he said he paid i??

PwrWgnWalt · April 01, 2014, 03:24 PM

I didn't want to spend a whole lot for batteries either, but the Interstate GC-2XHD were too good to pass up. Rated as 232 AmpHours, with a Reserve Capacity (RC) of 474 minutes at 25 amp (that's 7.9 hours at a very heavy RV load, for me anyway), these should work extremely well for the price. They also list it as good for 14 hours @ 15 Amp load, and 54.5 Hours @ 5 Amp load... The latter being about what the LED lighting in my MH would draw if I turned them all on at the same time.

My last 12v truck battery I bought was a 'blem' because a little lead had splattered from the post and barely melted a very small spot on the top edge of the case, about 1/8" diameter, and barely below the normal surface height... Nothing at all to effect it usefulness.

Unsure what ratings the cheaper "big box store" batteries have, but when I looked a month ago, I was not impressed. Seems that different stores may get different stock, too, depending on where you live.

TripleJ · April 02, 2014, 02:08 PM

Costco would have been my second choice, tho my battery bay has spots specifically for the 24 size batteries. I would prefer to delay having to modify it for now.

Aaarrghh · February 20, 2016, 08:08 AM

I just bought a new Duracell flooded 115 amp from Sam's Club for $102 incl tax. Good enough for my little class C. They had lots of batteries on the rack to pick from. This one had a date code of B6, meaning it was just made this month. Very important not to get a battery that's been on the shelf many months!

Just one more option, y'all. Price was sure better than the regular stores I looked at.