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Old 02-10-2019, 10:42 AM   #1
ADQ K9
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Cougar 29RKSWE Battery mod questions thoughts

When we bought our Cougar the dealer included 2 group 24 batteries that fit behind the propane tanks side by side length wise (long end right to left). I do not want to install more batteries with an additional inverter. just want to get the most amp hours I can in the space I have
Here is what I want to do as there seems to be enough space,
1.Upgrade to larger boxes to fit a Group 31 or 6 volt golf cart battery not sure how big a box a golf cart battery needs
2.Rotate the battery boxes 90 degrees so they are side by side long side front to back, This will allow the bigger boxes to fit I think, and will involve removing and welding up new angle iron to support the new configuration.
3. Add a 1.5 amp automatic charger between the master switch and the batteries to keep a charge on the batteries while in storage with out plugging the 30 amp cord and running the converter all the time to keep them charged.
If I go the 6 volt route and wire them in series how would I wire up the charger? I think I can get away with the two group 31 wired in parallel
I basically want enough power to run the Furnace fridge TV/radio and water heater over night in temps down to 20 above without running the generator. I know the furnace will suck up a lot of power if running constantly.
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2016 Ford F350 CC 6.7 4x4 SRW (Ghost Rider)
2017 Cougar 29 RKSWE (The Tumble Weed)
Connected by a Curt 15K WDH W/Sway Control
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Old 02-10-2019, 11:08 AM   #2
JRTJH
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Six volt golf cart batteries would provide you with a deeper discharge/recharge capability than deep cycle GP31 batteries. Golf cart batteries GC2 or EGC2 have the same "footprint" as your current GP24 batteries and will fit in the same boxes (if the boxes are tall enough). The only size difference is the battery height, so your current battery boxes may (if they are tall enough) work with 6 volt batteries.

As for connecting an auxiliary battery charger to two 6 volt batteries in series, just connect the positive lead to the positive terminal of one of the batteries and the negative lead to the negative terminal on the other battery.

Remember that if that auxiliary battery charger is connected and powered on, it will effectively disable the WFCO converter/charger sensing circuit and shut down the main recharge system. As for leaving the auxiliary charger connected to the batteries when using the WFCO, some battery chargers will not be affected, some can be damaged by the charge current being sent from the WFCO. Read your installation/owner's manual for the auxiliary charger and it should tell you whether you can safely leave it connected while charging with another, more powerful charger. Some can, some can't.....

I'd suspect that it would be significantly cheaper to convert to golf cart batteries than to reweld your battery tray on the trailer. I'd suspect that you'll get better performance as well, but that depends on which GP 31 batteries you choose.
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Old 02-10-2019, 11:11 AM   #3
KeithInUpstateNY
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I know I have pics somewhere, but I can't find them at the moment. If I do, I'll post them.

The tech at my dealer welded up a frame that bolts into the original battery tray so I have room for two group 31 battery boxes end to end (original orientation). The legs bolt into the rails of the original tray and hold the new tray about half an inch above the frame of the trailer so water doesn't get caught between and cause rusting. The front corners of the new frame are about even with the outside edges of the tongue frame. He had to move the ground on the frame so it would reach the negative post of the battery. I've used this set up for three seasons, and it has worked great.

I boondock hear in upstate NY near the Canadian border from May until the end of October. I have two 12V 115 amp hour batteries wired in parallel and if I run the generator until 11 pm or so they will get me through the night and still be above 12.2 volts in the morning when it dips into the low 20s at night. My camper is smaller than yours and I've insulated the pass through storage so you may have longer furnace fan run times. The other thing that effects furnace fan run time is the size of the furnace. The larger the BTU output of the furnace, the shorter the fan run time as it is putting out more heat faster. Probably obvious, but....
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Old 02-10-2019, 11:40 AM   #4
ADQ K9
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Right now I am looking at the Trojan Battery brand for both the 6VGC and 12VGRP31 the have multiple distributors up here so I can source them locally and not have to pay shipping.
John,
That is why I want to add the auxillary charger between the master and the batteries to take the WFCO out of the the loop. I assume the solar charger is wired in this way. It will only be used when the trailer is in winter storage but be "ready" as refuge if we have a natural disaster that disables electricty and gas in the stick and brick house. You may have have heard we had a 7.0 here last November.
Now I pull the batteries out and store them in the heated garage at home which is a few blocks away from where I store the trailer.
I know that when I shut the master off that it does not kill my tongue jack, I assume that it shuts everything else off though.
I also have a source for welding up the new angle that would only cost me the material and a 12 pack.
We "boondock" a lot of places up here and I just want to limit generator time for the wild neighbors
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2017 Cougar 29 RKSWE (The Tumble Weed)
Connected by a Curt 15K WDH W/Sway Control
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Old 02-10-2019, 11:55 AM   #5
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The "master battery cutoff switch" installed as OEM only removes battery power from some circuitry and does not affect other systems. Typically, turning the BCO switch off will not remove parasitic drains caused by the CO monitor, LPG monitor, stereo memory/backlight system and all the awning/slide/jack/landing gear systems. Some of those systems have LED power lights that remain on, so even if not used, over time will drain the battery. The only sure way to eliminate all drain is to install an additional BCO on either the positive or negative (people argue about which to use) lead "AT THE BATTERY".....

As for GP31 "marine deep cycle" vs "true" golf cart batteries. You can discharge golf cart batteries deeper and more frequently without damage. If you try doing that with a typical "marine deep cycle" battery, going to 50% discharge repeatedly will usually kill the batteries in one season. Golf cart batteries will survive that kind of power drain repeatedly and "keep on tickin"....

For RV use where you are likely to wake up to "deeply discharged batteries" most will agree that golf cart batteries are a better choice. Of course, if you work somewhere that has GP31's on bench stock for the taking, well, why buy anything at all, so much of the selection process is personal decision based on multiple factors.
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Old 02-10-2019, 12:11 PM   #6
ADQ K9
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Good thing to keep in mind. Does not seem too hard to wire in another BCO switch in. My inspiration came from the big trucks I drive for work in the oil field. They have a BCO switch and battery charger set up to maintain a full charge when the engine is not running.
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2016 Ford F350 CC 6.7 4x4 SRW (Ghost Rider)
2017 Cougar 29 RKSWE (The Tumble Weed)
Connected by a Curt 15K WDH W/Sway Control
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