6V Golf Cart Battery Maintenance

Omniphil

2018 T@B 320s

I have been reading that the 6V GC2 batteries should fit right in the standard tray. It seemed like a cheap way to upgrade capacity at first until I noticed these were just lead acid batteries, How often are you guys checking the battery levels and adding water?

Currently I have a group 24 AGM battery so I have no maintenance, but i'm only at about 75 amp hours. Looking to possibly double that capacity, thinking now the best way might be to just get a larger 12v AGM battery.

jkjenn

Omniphil said:

2018 T@B 320s

I have been reading that the 6V GC2 batteries should fit right in the standard tray. It seemed like a cheap way to upgrade capacity at first until I noticed these were just lead acid batteries, How often are you guys checking the battery levels and adding water?

Currently I have a group 24 AGM battery so I have no maintenance, but i'm only at about 75 amp hours. Looking to possibly double that capacity, thinking now the best way might be to just get a larger 12v AGM battery.

I checked every spring and before every big trip. That averaged to about every 6 months.

Omniphil

Every 6 months isn't so bad, I was reading that you should check it every few weeks and add water. That seemed a huge hassle...

N7SHG_Ham

You can get GC2 batteries in AGM, that is what comes standard in the 400's. Maintenance free. I like maintenance free batteries if for no other reason you don't get corrosion on the battery, plus no water needs checked or added. You can also get that form factor in LiFePo4 from Battleborn, but they are 12v, just hook them in parallel for 200ah of usable storage or a little less like 180ah if you only want to draw down 90% of capicity.

Denny16

You get more useable power from the LiFePo4 batteries, a good move if you are dry (boondocking) camping with out hookups.  But if you mostly use campsites with at least power hookups, than the AGMs are a better buy.  But this depends on how much you use your TaB. 

Our slightly used TaB 400 came with a huge (same size a factory original AGM) 200 amp AGM Battery, so will use it for now and see how it goes.  When this dies in 2-3 years, will look at going to lithium batteries, like the two Battleborn 12VDC 100 amp units.  Right now with the AGM in the center of the back bed storage area, it makes a nice counterbalance on the tongue weight, which is at 400 lbs.
cheers

jkjenn

Denny16 said:

You get more useable power from the LiFePo4 batteries, a good move if you are dry (boondocking) camping with out hookups.  But if you mostly use campsites with at least power hookups, than the AGMs are a better buy.  But this depends on how much you use your TaB. 

Our slightly used TaB 400 came with a huge (same size a factory original AGM) 200 amp AGM Battery, so will use it for now and see how it goes.  When this dies in 2-3 years, will look at going to lithium batteries, like the two Battleborn 12VDC 100 amp units.  Right now with the AGM in the center of the back bed storage area, it makes a nice counterbalance on the tongue weight, which is at 400 lbs.
cheers

It's hard to get up and running with 100w of Lithium for under $1k. AGM is half of the cost. Batteries should last 5+ years of taken care of properly.

Omniphil

I'll need all sorts of magic chargers and stuff i'm guessing tho with Lithium. I have the factory solar option and want to just keep it simple for the most part but with just some larger capacity.   A 200 amp AGM sounds nice, I haven't seen any that large yet however...

Denny16

Mine is an Interstate battery, same size as the original 2018/2019 TaB 400 factory battery (which was 240 amps) and later replaced by the two 6VDC AGM 100 amp batteries.  

Converting to lithium will require upgrading the shore power battery charger unit for one that will do lithium, which is a direct plug in replacement for the factory one inside the fuse box.
The factory solar Victron Blue can be set for lithium, so no need to change it.  Yes, the initial cost is about twice what a 200 amp AGM setup would be, but your battery life is also doubled to 10 years.  

Yes an AGM properly used (not drawn down past 50 percent) should last 4-5 years.  But the factory battery quit after two years.
cheers

jkjenn

Omniphil said:

I'll need all sorts of magic chargers and stuff i'm guessing tho with Lithium. I have the factory solar option and want to just keep it simple for the most part but with just some larger capacity.   A 200 amp AGM sounds nice, I haven't seen any that large yet however...

I have 2 VMax AGM batteries (look on eBay and Amazon) which gives you 225 ah. The Trojans are a little more expe sive and should give you the same range.

Omniphil

jkjenn said:

Omniphil said:

I'll need all sorts of magic chargers and stuff i'm guessing tho with Lithium. I have the factory solar option and want to just keep it simple for the most part but with just some larger capacity.   A 200 amp AGM sounds nice, I haven't seen any that large yet however...

I have 2 VMax AGM batteries (look on eBay and Amazon) which gives you 225 ah. The Trojans are a little more expe sive and should give you the same range.

Are those 6 or 12 volts?

Sharon_is_SAM

@Omniphil, we have a 150 amp Lifeline AGM in the tub of our clamshell.  It is large and it did require a new welded frame.  Also, the tub sits out further from the TaB.  Works for us.  

jkjenn

Omniphil said:

jkjenn said:

Omniphil said:

I'll need all sorts of magic chargers and stuff i'm guessing tho with Lithium. I have the factory solar option and want to just keep it simple for the most part but with just some larger capacity.   A 200 amp AGM sounds nice, I haven't seen any that large yet however...

I have 2 VMax AGM batteries (look on eBay and Amazon) which gives you 225 ah. The Trojans are a little more expe sive and should give you the same range.

Are those 6 or 12 volts?

6v. When you wire them in series, thenvoltage is additive, so even with 2 batteries, you ha e 225 ah.

Omniphil

jkjenn said:

Omniphil said:

jkjenn said:

Omniphil said:

I'll need all sorts of magic chargers and stuff i'm guessing tho with Lithium. I have the factory solar option and want to just keep it simple for the most part but with just some larger capacity.   A 200 amp AGM sounds nice, I haven't seen any that large yet however...

I have 2 VMax AGM batteries (look on eBay and Amazon) which gives you 225 ah. The Trojans are a little more expe sive and should give you the same range.

Are those 6 or 12 volts?

6v. When you wire them in series, thenvoltage is additive, so even with 2 batteries, you ha e 225 ah.

Did they fit right in the stock location?

jkjenn

Omniphil said:

jkjenn said:

Omniphil said:

jkjenn said:

Omniphil said:

I'll need all sorts of magic chargers and stuff i'm guessing tho with Lithium. I have the factory solar option and want to just keep it simple for the most part but with just some larger capacity.   A 200 amp AGM sounds nice, I haven't seen any that large yet however...

I have 2 VMax AGM batteries (look on eBay and Amazon) which gives you 225 ah. The Trojans are a little more expe sive and should give you the same range.

Are those 6 or 12 volts?

6v. When you wire them in series, thenvoltage is additive, so even with 2 batteries, you ha e 225 ah.

Did they fit right in the stock location?

My tub was already modified from adding the 6v lead acid batteries.

WilliamA

I'm "that guy" around here. I used my grp 24 LA battery for 2 years, then upgraded to a grp 27. I personally think the Lead Acid battery is a great workhorse. It's cheap, reliable and easy to maintain. There are downsides but not many. The capacity has (IMHO) much less of a role to play than many people think. Regardless of whether one has a lawn mower battery or a forklift battery, it needs the same thing. Smaller batteries charge faster and are much lighter. My grp 27 charges quickly and efficiently with my tow vehicle charging system. I don't tend to stay put for long in any one spot but occasionally stay for 2 or 3 days. I've not had issues with running low on power. I also don't generally use a lot of power either, but that is creeping up as I add things.  
There are many setups and different requirements for campers, but I'd chide folks to try the stock setup before gutting the system and making lots of changes.  As I have found, it's possible that you already have enough power.  
Lithium systems are light and powerful but no one has yet to convince me that the savings in weight is worth the huge cost of changing the batteries, converter, wiring and all of the related hardware.  The biggest problem for me is the mis-match between a lithium system and my tow vehicle's lead-acid system. My first priority is always tilted toward keeping my mule (tow vehicle) happy and healthy. Mis-matching systems is a guarantee that future problems aren't an "if", but rather, a "when". There was a time in automotive history when you could run a vehicle for hours on the battery alone, but that time is long past. Now, the battery-only run-time is measured in minutes.  My mule (Jeep) has two separate systems and 3 batteries. It has a conventional 12 volt system and a separate, 48 volt d.c. system with a big, honkin' lithium Ion battery. There's a lot going on in there and the last thing I want to do is add more problems.
Lead-acid batteries are easy to maintain. I check mine a few times a year to make sure the water level is good, clean the terminals and otherwise forget it's in there. If my voltage needs go up significantly, I'll probably go to a grp 31 AGM. If that's not enough, then I'll  work to reduce my electrical requirements. 
 I've always been in the minority on this subject but then I've always had enough power for what I want to do. I carry a generator on my trailer so I have power limited only by the amount of fuel I carry. I have seldom used it, but it weighs less than an extra battery and has infinitely more potential than a trunkful of batteries. My gennie (Generac 2200 watt inverter) has been bulletproof and needs little maintenance. I run it occasionally, change the oil annually and keep it clean and covered. That's all. It weighs 46 lbs and is only a little bit larger than a big 6 volt battery and box. One can argue til the cows come home about which system is better, but at the end of the day it's all about your comfort level and your needs. For batteries, bigger is almost never better. We don't stop to consider the trade-offs. For long term reliability and ease of maintenance, it's still impossible to compete with a lead-acid battery system. The key word there is "system". Nothing stands alone.
WilliamA

Denny16

Hi all excellent points!  While upgrading to lithium seems nice, I am staying with the AGM battery our TaB 400 came with, its new, and at 200amps gives us 100+ amps of power available, more than enough for our needs.  We also have the factory solar setup, so the battery stays charged at this point.  Will be interesting to see how it performs on an extended 3-5 day Boondock Trip.

 So far, I have test d it for two days, one night, and did not even come close to dropping the voltage below 12.75 volts, it stayed at around 12.8 to 13.5, depending on the load at the time.  But I was only using the TaB lights and Alde on gas mode, which uses some 12VDC power also.  For now, staying the course with the AGMs...

rh5555

Actually, with 200Ah AGM batteries, you get about 160Ah of usable capacity.  See this thread: https://tabforum.nucamprv.com/#/discussion/comment/128998

Denny16

Good to know.  I have seen conflicting info on how far down to discharge AGM batteries.
Thanks.

Omniphil

Sharon_is_SAM said:

@Omniphil, we have a 150 amp Lifeline AGM in the tub of our clamshell.  It is large and it did require a new welded frame.  Also, the tub sits out further from the TaB.  Works for us.  

Are you able to put that in a battery box or is it just open?
I just purchased a VMAX SLR155 12 Volt unit and can't seem to find a battery box to fit it, but maybe I don't need to worry about a box if its secured down good?

Just trying to figure out what you guys are doing to secure down the larger 12V batteries 

Sharon_is_SAM

No commercial battery box was available.  A custom aluminum box was built.

Omniphil

Sharon_is_SAM said:

No commercial battery box was available.  A custom aluminum box was built.

Hmmm, ok. I suppose it doesn't have to go in a box, it would just be nice....