Batteries

[Jack M. Starwalt]

Hello, I am new to this forum and real new to RVing. I just bought a 1999 Jayco Eagle 302FK. Just found out the the battery won't hold a charge.
My question is there any batteries better than others. Do I use a deep cycle or car battery?

Thanks,
Jack

 

[Gary B]

Batteries

Hi Jack, welcome to the forum, and to rving, yes a deep cycle battery is the way to go, if you plan to do mostly cg camping with electrical hoohups then the size isn't as important as vs mostly boondocking (thwts where you'll be camping with no hookups) if boondocking it is then you'll want the largest battery / batteries you can install in the trailer. Generally Interstate batteries are good and they have a nation wide dealership network, the past few years I've been going with Wal-mart batteries price is good batteries standup good and also a nation wide network for warrenty / replacement. Happy camping. :laugh: :bleh: :approve:

 

[ARCHER]

Batteries

Hello Jack and welcome.
We use deep cycle for our aux batteries and regular battery for engine juice. Agree with Gary's comments about which way to go. I use Wal-Mart batteries also and they have worked just fine and the price is right. Make sure you keep charger (if you have one) working properly and fluid levels correct in batteries (distilled water only after initial battery acid load).
Have fun, your gonna love it...... :laugh:

 

[hertig]

Batteries

For the batteries used to power the living area, TRUE deep cycle batteries are the only way to go. Watch out for the 'combo' deep cycle batteries some places push. Basically, if a battery has a cranking current (CCA) rating, it is a battery which should be passed by. The ones you want will have only an 'amp-hour' rating, and of course, you want the biggest value for that you can afford.

For some reason, 2 12v batteries in parallel give slightly better service than 1 12v battery with twice the rating. Also, 2 6v 'golf cart' batteries in serial is a good choice because they tend to be better suited for deep cycle applications than 12v batteries.

 

[Kirk]

Batteries

In reading your post, it crosses my mind to wonder, do you realize that you Eagle has at least two batteries, and possibly three? There is a battery for the chassis that has a rating in CCA and that is what you want for it. The other barrery or possibly two batteries are deep cycle and are for the coach. When the engine is running they do cross-connect to allow the engine's alternator to charge both batteries (or all three if you have two coach batteries). But when you are parked they are seperated and when on shore power, only the coach batteries will be charged by the converter.

For the coach batteries, I agree with what has been posted, but the very best deep cycle batteries are from Trojan and while they cost more, if you are serious about camping with no shore power, you may find them to be worth the price. If you happen to have two coach batteries, then I suggest that you get two 6A batteries and connect them in series to get the 12V for the coach. I'll not go into the technical aspects of why, but that is only if you have two of them and you may well have only one. I have a friend who has an Eagle but I can't recall if it has two or not. I do know that they really like the coach.

Welcome to the world of RVs!