A122BH battery stolen - considering some mods

[kallorne]

Hello all, I have been tearing through the forums every time i have a question on our 2015 A122BH for about 2 years so I figured it's time to join up. I had someone recently relieve my trailer of both propane tanks and the battery; the hoses are intact but they sliced off the battery terminals. I'm getting over the seeing red stage and gathering the supplies to repair and protect my trailer. not really worth making an insurance claim but expensive enough to be exceedingly irritating.

I'm thinking of taking the opportunity to make a couple mods to the battery setup. I was still using the stock group 24 battery. I was thinking upgrading to a dual battery system since we boondock frequently. Our power usage is very low, just need to be able to run the fridge (on LP) and the furnace and fantastic fan, water pump & heater and very light use of the lights. We ran 10 days in the Olympic NP last year on the one battery and had 3 travel days were the battery got any kind of a charge and we didn't run into any issues until day 8 and just ran the tow vehicle for a bit to charge and we were good until we got home.

It seems the consensus is 2 6v batteries for that kind of use. My questions are what size 6v do i get if I go that route, I've read enough to turn my brain to mush already on the subject, are they sized the same way as 12v batteries? what is the best way to mount them? I was thinking a vented lock box bolted inside the front rack has anyone done something similar I could see some pics of? is there a ready made box out there for that has eluded me on google? I want to make sure they are secure. The stock battery rack doesn't seem to be compatible with any of the options I've found like the batteryshackle.com setup; is that right?
Push come to shove I know my way around a welder and can put something together if there isn't a decent option out there.

On the wiring side of things I'll need to splice on an extension to the power tongue jack cable if I relocate the battery. I'm having trouble finding wire to add for the extension, sheathing says its 4mm, anyone have a link handy or should I just replace the whole cable with something else? I think I have enough left of the other cables to work with and am comfortable doing it myself. Are there any other considerations besides making sure everything is connected properly? (I've found extensive posts on the correct and incorrect ways to set the batteries up).

I'm sure all these thing have been asked before but I wasn't able to dredge up the answers. feel free to just through links at me too

[KMP44]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Nothing is more maddening than thieves!


Here is a link to the site where I bought my battery box:
Rvlockbox.com


Very nice product. I had a tight spot to fit my battery box, so I bought the box that fit, then went with 2 GR27 Trojan 12 volt batteries, as that was what would fit in the box. It was a hair too short for a pair of 6V's.


Torklift also makes lockable boxes.


If you buy a quality brand of true deep cycle battery, I think either 6V or 12V will perform well. I would figure out what the maximum size and weight batteries you have room for then check out a few web sites like Trojan or Deka and see what options fit. Obviously the bigger you go the more capacity you get, but sounds like your power consumption isn't huge so you should find some good options.

[Jaydubya81]

I have 2 6 volt batteries in series and one 12 volt battery wired in parallel, there are definitely boxes for on the internet they even have them for two or even four batteries, the real difference in the six volts is they do stand taller, and they're heavier here are some pics of my set up

[CHICKDOE]

just a thought. if you are going to the effort to put in a new battery box consider adding a battery disconnect that you can access without opening the box. you can wire the brakes (and jack?) directly to the battery as they do not draw power unless activated.

[NNM476X]

Have been researching the same issue today: dual 6v. lockable battery box. Though pricey, this is the best choice that I found. Keep in mind that I have not yet ordered this item (but intend to) so check the measurements to make sure your 6 v. batteries of choice will fit inside and the box will fit the intended location on the trailer. Reviews of the item are good.
TorkLift PowerArmor Locking Battery Box - 6V and 12V Batteries - Diamond Plate Aluminum TorkLift Accessories and Parts TLA7712R

[kallorne]

Originally Posted by KMP44

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Nothing is more maddening than thieves!


Here is a link to the site where I bought my battery box:
Rvlockbox.com


Very nice product. I had a tight spot to fit my battery box, so I bought the box that fit, then went with 2 GR27 Trojan 12 volt batteries, as that was what would fit in the box. It was a hair too short for a pair of 6V's.


Torklift also makes lockable boxes.


If you buy a quality brand of true deep cycle battery, I think either 6V or 12V will perform well. I would figure out what the maximum size and weight batteries you have room for then check out a few web sites like Trojan or Deka and see what options fit. Obviously the bigger you go the more capacity you get, but sounds like your power consumption isn't huge so you should find some good options.

Thank you! I think i'm going to go with the 27" RV Lockbox... it even matches my existing diamond plating, should look pretty sharp. also the most economical option I've found. I decided on the cheap route for the batteries for now and picked up a pair of GC2 6v batteries from Costco and my local auto parts store was able to run down the wiring for me. I'm $100 over budget but...my wife doesn't know and its a big upgrade from what we had before.

I'm thinking of mounting it just inside the rack and bolted to the cross piece and all the way forward to minimize the loss of storage space.

[kallorne]

Originally Posted by CHICKDOE

just a thought. if you are going to the effort to put in a new battery box consider adding a battery disconnect that you can access without opening the box. you can wire the brakes (and jack?) directly to the battery as they do not draw power unless activated.

I was actually considering that... There's been a time or 2 when that dang carbon monoxide detector starts its "malfunction" chirp every 30 seconds when I didn't disconnect or have it plugged into shore power. And since I have to put new terminals on anyway I'm thinking I might as well. I don't have any experience with them so a recommendation would be welcome.

Originally Posted by NNM476X

Have been researching the same issue today: dual 6v. lockable battery box. Though pricey, this is the best choice that I found. Keep in mind that I have not yet ordered this item (but intend to) so check the measurements to make sure your 6 v. batteries of choice will fit inside and the box will fit the intended location on the trailer. Reviews of the item are good.
TorkLift PowerArmor Locking Battery Box - 6V and 12V Batteries - Diamond Plate Aluminum TorkLift Accessories and Parts TLA7712R

I found the tork lift boxes shortly after posting.. they do look like a nice option but for the price difference I'm sold on the RV Lockbox

[DanM-AZ]

To see my solution, check out my first forum post:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...rum-81229.html

I built my own battery box out of furring strips and OSB and used what is known as a 4D sized battery. It is a single large 12V battery. The box allowed me to incorporate a battery shutoff switch inside the lid, plus it gave me a little extra storage space for miscellaneous stuff.

The battery is an AGM type, designed for off-grid solar applications. It is an expensive battery new, about $500, but I lucked into some used ones that I paid only $100 for. Capacity is about 200 amp-hours.

[GreenImp]

Originally Posted by kallorne

I decided on the cheap route for the batteries for now and picked up a pair of GC2 6v batteries from Costco

An EXCELLENT choice!

There may be "better" batteries available, but they don't come close to the value of basic GC2's from Costco/Sams, etc.

[Tom48]

Easiest solution for me was two six volt boxes. Same footprint as the #24 boxes but two or three inches taller. There are many batteries that fit. The Costco ones here are about $85 plus California crap fees etc. But they are only 208 amp batteries. At a bump in cost, I think Interstate's best are like 235 amp.

Then a bar across bottom under the frame and a bar over top with vertical rods on each end and locks. Not foolproof but a big deterant. Then drill the butterfly wing nut between the batteries and drill through the cross bracket and a long shakle pad lock stops the wing nut from turning. A bad guy who recently stole a good battery sawzall can still get them but it takes time and makes noise both of which most bad guys avoid.

If I ever finish mine and then Learn to post pictures I will show mine.

Good luck. Tom

[mzak]

Originally Posted by Jaydubya81

I have 2 6 volt batteries in series and one 12 volt battery wired in parallel, there are definitely boxes for on the internet they even have them for two or even four batteries, the real difference in the six volts is they do stand taller, and they're heavier here are some pics of my set upAttachment 131314

What is your tongue weight with all those batteries?

[brandon 2]

WE had both of our propane tanks stolen some time back from our Bullet travel trailer.. Here is what you do. Drill a hole in the large wing nut that holds the tanks down and another hole thru the cross piece that holds them together. Then drop a good quality long shaft pad lock thru both holes . This way they cannot twist the wing nut off and if they want the tanks that bad they have to cut the shaft of the pad lock.


Brandon2
2500TS
Sun Seeker

[rbq]

My experience. Went to hook up the trailer before leaving for trip only to find someone had stolen my 6 volt batteries & boxes. Expensive start to trip getting new ones. When I got home I found these locks on the internet. They work fine. No problems since.
B & D RV Battery Lock For RV travel trailers and popup campers.

[Jaydubya81]

About a 110-120 more than original, I have no idea what it weights, I'm not pulling from a bumper on a sickly little SUV, I'm pulling with a long wheel base truck with a receive and WD hitch, pulled over 1500 miles last year alone, with no problems. I also prefer on long intestate trips to fill the water tank up, it rides better

[HONDAMAN174]

I went with the b and d locks also. Just switched over to 6v so does anyone need a set of dual 12v locks?