I have one well n truly knackered house battery and need a replacement. Has anyone got any recommendations about brands?
The old one was an AMP-TECH (120AH) and appears to be from the original build of the caravan so that would make it between 8 & 9 years old so that may be as good a recommendation as I need.
2nd battery is on selector (either or both in parallel, usually either) and both charged mainly from 90W panel on roof topped up with external panels.
What I really need to know is whether it is worth spending $450+++ on an ULTIMATE brand.
Any suggestions anybody??
Cheers Ken
Ge said
11:20 PM Mar 17, 2018
Struth Ken, that would be the best recommendation you could get, i have never heard of the brand but i don't no much about batteries.
Maybe ask a a battery place ( Battery world ) or the likes Just be care full where you ask some will push the brand with the most profit margin.
Good luck please keep us informed with the outcome.
Regards Ge ( Stuck in the Big smoke until after Easter ) give me a home where the roo's do roam and dingo's howl all night.
AC Delco have a good reputation, fitted as standard by some RV makers.
Roy E said
11:02 AM Mar 18, 2018
Marken,
Good luck with battery search. I'd be looking on Flea-bay and I believe that the most expensive is not necessarily the best. For example, pick on make and model and see that you can buy it for as little as, say, $350 and for as much as, say, $550 for identical item.
My opinion would be to go for a sealed, AGM battery. The one in my old Jayco (which I bought new and sold 2 years ago) was still going strong after 10 years of careful use. I'm sorry, I can't remember what brand it was other than sealed AGM.
Here in Brisbane, there is a battery seller who sells German-made batteries at about 2/3 normal market price but I think shipping would spoil the margin for you.
Roy.
patrol03 said
12:06 PM Mar 18, 2018
It is my opinion that in more cases than not, the van builders fit batteries that seem to be at the bottom of the food chain, and at the cheapest price for bulk buys.There are a plethora of batteries on the market these days and it is confusing when confronted with conflicting advice and advertising.I have found Full River give the service I am happy with for the van. Under the bonnet of my Y61Patrol I use Century wet batteries for starting and deep cycle aux.which has given 6 years of faultless service. After 3 years I have had to replace the starting battery in my y62.I went for the marine version of the recommended Century replacement.It was heavier, higher CCA and AH capacity and believe it or not, cheaper. As an Aux battery I use a sealed AGM yellow top spiral technology Optima 55Ah unit which has turned out brilliant as there is limited space under the bonnet.I think it was about $330 on e-bay inc delivery.
-- Edited by patrol03 on Sunday 18th of March 2018 12:10:50 PM
Mike Harding said
05:53 PM Mar 18, 2018
Having tested some professionally a few years back I can assure you Fullriver are good... but expensive.
From my own use I have found Powersonic to be fine for camping with a 60lt fridge/freezer and HF radio - I bought mine (100Ah and 60Ah) here:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/4wdextreme
denmonkey said
09:48 PM Mar 27, 2018
I used these guys for batteries and have put a few mates onto them as well. https://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/ I've had a 125ah running a fridge in the car 24/7 for 2 years now no issues. Both solar and alt inputs through a projecta unit. A second went in the van a few months ago. Keep an eye out as they have sales or free delivery on some batteries, so check their options before buying. Can't tell you long long term but thus far I've been happy, especially for the price
Tony Bev said
11:51 PM Mar 27, 2018
My research is about two years out of date now, and I am only talking about AGM deep cycle batteries
At that time I could not find a deep cycle battery made in Australia Since then someone on this forum mentioned that there is indeed an Australian manufacturer, but I forgot which manufacturer
I had the choice between American made batteries, which were expensive, and Chinese made batteries which were cheaper
Someone on this forum mentioned (at that time) that Fullriver (American made), were a good brand The battery in my second hand motorhome was a Fullriver, which had failed, but I do not know if it was used or abused by the previous owners, and decided to give that brand a miss
I picked Bosh 120 AH AGM batteries made in China, for three reasons
I could purchase them locally, in case there were any problems within the warranty period
I thought that Bosch would have probably liked, to keep their good name, by checking the quality control in the factory
The Bosch battery weighed about 36 kilograms, while the other batteries of the same capacity weighed less, which meant to me, that Bosch had thicker plates
I think that two years is not enough time for me to recommend a deep cycle battery manufacturer, except to say that so far I have had no problems
I would be checking the battery capacity/weight/price in that order, because at that time, some people were selling what they claimed were130 AH AGM batteries which only weighed 31 Kilograms
IAN zzz said
01:46 AM Mar 29, 2018
I've been using four X 120AH AGM VISION batteries. Made in China but solid support here in WA. I bought direct from the importer. Unfortunately, I don't have that info to hand. They are now approx 6 years old and still going strong.
Highly Recommended
Stay safe
Aus-Kiwi said
10:09 AM Mar 29, 2018
Take your pick . Iāve used EXPENSIVE over $500 and around $230 batteries . So far in 5 years still
Going strong . My old RV had 6 X 6 volt batteries . They where pricey. Lasted 4 years . Top brand . So money and brand names donāt mean much to me . If it makes you feel better ? Buy the expensive ! Chances are itās made in same place . A GOOD regulator and battery size to limit too much battery draw between cycles saves heaps in long run .
Santa said
09:52 AM Apr 2, 2018
After 7 years of use the 2 x 75 AH AGM Century batteries in our Motor home recently failed, replaced them with 2 x Bosch batteries of similar specs, will be happy if I get a similar life span from them.
wfdTamar said
04:01 PM Apr 30, 2018
Reading on this site run by a company in the UK that service chargers and regulators (but don't sell batteries) they put up great arguments for the Varta LFD (also sold as the Bosch Deep Cycle L5) in 90 Ah capacity. They are not AGM, but a proprietary tech called Powerframe. Not too expensive either.
I have one well n truly knackered house battery and need a replacement. Has anyone got any recommendations about brands?
The old one was an AMP-TECH (120AH) and appears to be from the original build of the caravan so that would make it between 8 & 9 years old so that may be as good a recommendation as I need.
2nd battery is on selector (either or both in parallel, usually either) and both charged mainly from 90W panel on roof topped up with external panels.
What I really need to know is whether it is worth spending $450+++ on an ULTIMATE brand.
Any suggestions anybody??
Cheers Ken
Maybe ask a a battery place ( Battery world ) or the likes Just be care full where you ask some will push the brand with the most profit margin.
Good luck please keep us informed with the outcome.
Regards Ge ( Stuck in the Big smoke until after Easter ) give me a home where the roo's do roam and dingo's howl all night.
AC Delco have a good reputation, fitted as standard by some RV makers.
Good luck with battery search. I'd be looking on Flea-bay and I believe that the most expensive is not necessarily the best. For example, pick on make and model and see that you can buy it for as little as, say, $350 and for as much as, say, $550 for identical item.
My opinion would be to go for a sealed, AGM battery. The one in my old Jayco (which I bought new and sold 2 years ago) was still going strong after 10 years of careful use. I'm sorry, I can't remember what brand it was other than sealed AGM.
Here in Brisbane, there is a battery seller who sells German-made batteries at about 2/3 normal market price but I think shipping would spoil the margin for you.
Roy.
It is my opinion that in more cases than not, the van builders fit batteries that seem to be at the bottom of the food chain, and at the cheapest price for bulk buys.There are a plethora of batteries on the market these days and it is confusing when confronted with conflicting advice and advertising.I have found Full River give the service I am happy with for the van. Under the bonnet of my Y61Patrol I use Century wet batteries for starting and deep cycle aux.which has given 6 years of faultless service. After 3 years I have had to replace the starting battery in my y62.I went for the marine version of the recommended Century replacement.It was heavier, higher CCA and AH capacity and believe it or not, cheaper. As an Aux battery I use a sealed AGM yellow top spiral technology Optima 55Ah unit which has turned out brilliant as there is limited space under the bonnet.I think it was about $330 on e-bay inc delivery.
-- Edited by patrol03 on Sunday 18th of March 2018 12:10:50 PM
Having tested some professionally a few years back I can assure you Fullriver are good... but expensive.
From my own use I have found Powersonic to be fine for camping with a 60lt fridge/freezer and HF radio - I bought mine (100Ah and 60Ah) here:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/4wdextreme
I used these guys for batteries and have put a few mates onto them as well. https://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/ I've had a 125ah running a fridge in the car 24/7 for 2 years now no issues. Both solar and alt inputs through a projecta unit. A second went in the van a few months ago. Keep an eye out as they have sales or free delivery on some batteries, so check their options before buying. Can't tell you long long term but thus far I've been happy, especially for the price
My research is about two years out of date now, and I am only talking about AGM deep cycle batteries
At that time I could not find a deep cycle battery made in Australia
Since then someone on this forum mentioned that there is indeed an Australian manufacturer, but I forgot which manufacturer
I had the choice between American made batteries, which were expensive, and Chinese made batteries which were cheaper
Someone on this forum mentioned (at that time) that Fullriver (American made), were a good brand
The battery in my second hand motorhome was a Fullriver, which had failed, but I do not know if it was used or abused by the previous owners, and decided to give that brand a miss
I picked Bosh 120 AH AGM batteries made in China, for three reasons
I think that two years is not enough time for me to recommend a deep cycle battery manufacturer, except to say that so far I have had no problems
I would be checking the battery capacity/weight/price in that order, because at that time, some people were selling what they claimed were130 AH AGM batteries which only weighed 31 Kilograms
Highly Recommended
Stay safe
After 7 years of use the 2 x 75 AH AGM Century batteries in our Motor home recently failed, replaced them with 2 x Bosch batteries of similar specs, will be happy if I get a similar life span from them.
Reading on this site run by a company in the UK that service chargers and regulators (but don't sell batteries) they put up great arguments for the Varta LFD (also sold as the Bosch Deep Cycle L5) in 90 Ah capacity. They are not AGM, but a proprietary tech called Powerframe. Not too expensive either.
www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/battery-technology.php
-- Edited by wfdTamar on Monday 30th of April 2018 04:02:55 PM