Battery

fredoe61 · 04-10-2019, 09:07 PM

Bought a new Greywolf last spring and a year later the battery that came with it is toast. Wont hold a charge less than an hour. How cheap are the batteries that come on these things?

RandK-M · 04-10-2019, 09:15 PM

They are just basic batteries, but if maintained properly, it should last much longer than a year. All it takes is draining the battery to completely dead a couple times to ruin it. Those type of batteries shouldn't go below 50% to maintain it's capacity. I've also heard 40% Have you tried charging it on a regular battery charger to rule out converter problems?

Ray

tomkatb · 04-10-2019, 09:27 PM

A voltmeter is a good plan.

You should not discharge to 12.1 volts.

Typical dealers install an inexpensive boat battery. OK in some circumstances. Should last 4-5 years. If you discharged it to zero a couple of times, that answers the question.

You need to identify your needs and pick out the right battery/batteries. Etc.

fredoe61 · 04-10-2019, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomkatb

A voltmeter is a good plan.

You should not discharge to 12.1 volts.

Typical dealers install an inexpensive boat battery. OK in some circumstances. Should last 4-5 years. If you discharged it to zero a couple of times, that answers the question.

You need to identify your needs and pick out the right battery/batteries. Etc.

Yes several times discharged to dead. I turn all breakers off yet it drains it to zero unless I remove the negative cable. I would have thought that it wouldnt drain but it did several times. I guess I killed it.

**bikendan** · 04-10-2019, 10:31 PM

Pretty sure Grey Wolf TTs dont come with a factory battery disconnect switch.
So unless you keep it plugged into shore power or tak the battery out, the parasitic power drains will empty a battery in a few days.
And the battery is a dealer-installed item and they usually install the cheapest 12v dual purpose marine battery they can get.

fredoe61 · 04-10-2019, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

Pretty sure Grey Wolf TTs dont come with a factory battery disconnect switch.
So unless you keep it plugged into shore power or tak the battery out, the parasitic power drains will empty a battery in a few days.
And the battery is a dealer-installed item and they usually install the cheapest 12v dual purpose marine battery they can get.

You're probably right. I will eventually put a switch in but in the meantime I'm gonna have to get another battery and just disconnect it when not in use. I will say though that this battery even when it was fully charged seemed weak and discharged at a fast clip just running the fantastic fan and a few lights.

clarkbre · 04-10-2019, 11:49 PM

For the money of a new 12v battery, you may want to double the price and step up to 2, 6volt batteries. They are more robust and will take a charge better than a 12v deep cycle battery.

Like others have said, if it doesn't have a battery cutoff switch, it really should be plugged in at all times unless towing or boondocking.

Our 2 6 volt batteries hold 225amp hours where a generic 12v battery could be as low as 85 amp hours.

cavie · 04-11-2019, 05:36 AM

Install a cheap battery disconnect from any auto parts store. You just turn it off. No need to remove anything.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-I...7b28303d13d62b

Where you live has a lot to do with battery life. In Florida 3 years is about the limit in anything.

tomkatb · 04-11-2019, 07:01 AM

My feeling on batteries is install the biggest ones you can.

Carefully measure your floor area. Measure height. Biggest capacity possible.

Why? Two six volt batteries will give the most power for the floor area. They are higher.

In the past Costco had ones for $100 each as said above. These tolerate abuse better. 225 amps typical. Then get and install a voltmeter so you can see where you are. I just installed a BM2, Amazon, $40. A plug in that goes in a 12 volt plug is About $12. Not so convenient.

Also get a disconnect. Or remove the easiest wire to the battery when not using the trailer for more than a week.

I wish rv sales places were better in this area. Often they put one cheap battery in rv’s. Often with residential fridges. They are depleted in 4 hours sometimes. Only 40 available amps.

Every offseason we accumulate project parts in the dining room. On spring break we drive 250 miles to a little mom and pop rv park. We do our projects, eat, drink, relax and a little site seeing.

CHICKDOE · 04-11-2019, 08:06 AM

just to clarify a bit. you stated you turn all breakers off yet the battery still drains. the breakers control 120 vac power and have nothing to do with the 12 vdc power from the batteries. in act if you were plugged into shore power and turned all breakers off you would deactivate the converter which is what recharges your batteries. i had a problem with our batteries getting drained. once i put a true disconnect switch on them they now stay charged for at least a couple of months assuming they were fully charged when i disconnect them. to go bad in a year you either got a damaged battery from the dealer or you have damaged it by frequent discharges.

NJKris · 04-11-2019, 08:45 AM

If you go with a single 12v battery again, at a MINIMUM make sure it is a true deep cycle/marine battery, not dual purpose deep cycle/starting battery. If it has cold cranking amps on the label, don't get it. I've heard those types of batteries you don't want to run below 60% charge, as they are not true deep cycle batteries that are ok to bring down to 50% charge.

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