What 2nd battery??

[Gurilla Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gurilla]

Well my century 102ah lead acid deep cycle has dyed.. noticed it was low topped up with water.. and now it’s stuffed ?? Not holding charge and it’s few months out of warranty too..

what do others run ? I was looking at maybe a century dual force ? It’s a agm that can go under bonnet and is 90ah instead of 102 but being agm should be better ???

what other options do I have and what experiences do you have on yours ? I do want under bonnet as it’s easier to have out of way in there

[Leethal Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Leethal]

I’m running a Optima yellow top for 18months and so far no issues. Previously I had a yellow top Optima in my boat for nearly 10 years before I killed it by leaving on the electronics so have had a good history with Optima although there are varied reviews online for them. The Optima suits my usage with it’s high charge acceptance even though it’s capacity is a bit lower than others.
I think you need to consider your usage as well in deciding what battery type to fit. By that I mean do you set up camp for several days and then rely on solar to keep the battery charged or like me on Fraser I drive for approx 1-2 hours each day around the island visiting different places, then the alternator can fast charge my battery and solar is just a bit extra. I think that makes sense lol.
Once you know what your duty cycle will be then select a battery type that suits best, a Optima type battery that has a high charge rate or a lead acid with greater capacity but accepts a lower charge rate like solar and is okay with under bonnet temps.

Lee

[Gurilla Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gurilla]

Yeah I get what your saying, i like to have extra ah just Incase I need it The dual force is a agm also so should charge fast like the optima and is rated for under bonnet use, the century deep cycle n70t I had worked perfect had no issues in 12 months even with low water.. only issue happen once I topped up the water.. maybe I put to much ?? Unsure what’s happen

id like to keep weight at 25kgish max as many ah I can get and get something rated under bonnet

I can get the n70t again Supercheap have it on sale for $190 currently, dual force is $320 cheapest i can find its 90ah and can also be used as a start battery

I would consider a lithium but then I’ll need to upgrade my dcdc too so that’s even more money on top of what a lithium would cost too !

I do stay 1-2 days at a spot I don’t have solar yet but I want to in the future.. but mostly when I do camp I am driving around a lot too and going places maybe I’ll get away with a lower ah battery ?? I just don’t want to run out or damage the battery if I run it to low..

I run a fridge, rear door light, battery meter that’s constantly on, and awning light. And may charge phone on cig point I installed too


lowest I’ve seen my battery sitting for 2 days was about 12.4??? Maybe 12.3??

Agm can be discharged lower then a wet cell also ??

[Snowgum Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Snowgum]

I have 2x Yellow top Optimas under the bonnet. There is no fancy battery charger just good size cables, a redarc relay and the car alternator to charge it.They both had been under the bonnet for almost 5yrs and done a fair amount of 4wdg including a 6 week trip to the Cape via the old tele so they got bounced around a lot and have dealt with a lot of heat which is why I chose the yellow top optimas in the first place.

I completely agree with Leethal, it does depend on what type of touring and your usuage. With my famly of 4, a 60L fridge some lights the batteries have held up well as like Leethal I rarely sit still for too long. Once the battery alarm went off after dinner in northern QLD given I was stationary for a day & a half. I just started the car for 30min or so and this put enough charge back into the batteries until the next morning when we drove off.

I was concernd they were only 66AH so I was thinking of getting a solar panel if my style of camping changes to staying still, but realised love exploring too much even around the camp area so it hasn't been an issue for me.

I only recently went to change the primary starting battery and when speaking to the guy at the battery world he was amazed I got that long out them and couldn't recommend another product to match it. They are built well and in my mind worth the money so I replaced the priamary one for another yellow top. I bought it from Supercheap for around $380.

I still have the same secondary yellowtop optima I bought 5yrs ago as it still holds charge, only the cranking amps were failing. I will replace it for another when the comes.

Happy 4wdg..