Agm battery

[Biggs44]

I am just getting back into rving again I have a Rockwood 8280 and am trying to find a longer lasting battery. Is anyone using the agm batteries?

[camaraderie]

AGM's are not longer lasting...but they require less care...so they DO last longer than poorly cared for wet cells...and less long than well cared for wet cells (roughly 10% according to Trojan). They have many other excellent properties to help justify their 2-3x price differential...
No maintenance, 1/10th the self discharge of wet cells, faster charging time and higher output sustained current. Superior long term storage capability. Mounting flexibility.
The downside is that they must be rechrged to 100% very regularly in cycle service or they will lose capacity.
Hope this helps. If you want a longer lasting battery bank...and don't need the other benefits of AGM's or the price....get yourself some Golf Cart batteries or TRUE DEEP CYCLE Batts in 12V like the Trojans or Deka marine DC series.

[Roving Ron]

You may want to upgrade your converter to make whatever battery you have last longer. Progressive Dynamics sells smart converter (PD9200 series) that will efficiently charge your battery and prevent sulfation. Check it out online.


Roving Ron from Forest River Forums

[Biggs44]

I was looking at the vmaxtanks 155 deep cycle agm battery. Two of these batteries claim 310 amp hr draw capacity. The other flooded lead batteries were much lower 45 to 60 amp hr each. The questions are is the price difference worth it and how long would 310 amp hrs last?

[camaraderie]

Biggs... two points after I first state that I know nothing of this company directly.
1 When you compare these to other AGM batteries...are you looking at the physical size and weight??
VOLTS 12V AMP HOURS 155AH WEIGHT 90LB SIZE : L=13.5" W=6.8" H=11.3" MAX. CHARGING CURRENT: 35A MAX. CHARGING VOLTAGE: 14.7V
Make sure you are comparing like batteries. This does NOT compare with the sizes commonly found in stores and installed in RV's...typically group 24, 27 AND 31 WHICH
ARE SMALLER and typically offer 75/90/105 amp hours respectively nd weigh in with much less lead. The tanks more closely resemble Trojan 1275s http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/T12...t_DS_Final.pdf

2. This brand has been around for less than 5 years. I can find NO manufacturing facility and the home "office" looks like this:
https://flic.kr/p/qqZEMy
Obviously they are slapping a label on someone else's battery. Source unknown...perhaps China?...What are the STANDARDS they use in testing their claimed performance?

So...ya takes yer chances AND you better make sure 2 will fit where your existing batts now sit. See my post above for comments on how long AGM's last and the reasons for the price difference with AGM's and the SAME SIZE flooded battery.