How much weight can the tongue carry?

ok, lets try this again; and not 24v but 6v!!!  tech, just clarifying your thoughts.  better to buy 2 12v deep cycle marine batteries vs 2 6v batteries as i mentioned earlier from sams (pretty much same price).  just want to get the best bang for my buck.  hogone

Originally posted by hogone ok, lets try this again; and not 24v but 6v!!!  tech, just clarifying your thoughts.  better to buy 2 12v deep cycle marine batteries vs 2 6v batteries as i mentioned earlier from sams (pretty much same price).  just want to get the best bang for my buck.  hogone

12v "deep cycle marine" batteries don't really exist in the real world. 12v RV/Marine are what you will find, these are hybrid batteries. For true deep cycle batteries, you go 6v deep cycle. Usually in the GC2 format.

The "best bang for the buck" is an extremely variable answer. Only you know how you are going to use your batteries, how much power you are going to use between charges, how you will recharge them, etc etc.

Most owners REALLY only need that one 12v Group 24 that came with the trailer. Owners who occasionally go off grid in nice weather may find dual 12v's will get them through no problem. Owners who who go off grid for longer periods, or have larger needs, say a HAM radio, or CPAP(s), may find dual 6v's fill their needs. The decision revolves around how much space you have on the tongue, if you are willing to mod or change that area, what your actual consumption is, and for what duration, and what your charging ability/plan is for while out.

As far as "BEST" battery for our use, the "gold standard" is dual 6v Trojan T-105's wired in series for 12v. That gets you the most storage in the available, unmodified space, and the best battery that civilians can buy and afford. (There are other battery arrays available, but you really start talking +$2000 to implement)

Our T-105's were $320 for the pair. $60 for the box. IMHO, if the math works out that dual 6v's is the right answer for me, then I want the BEST batteries I can get.

looked at wally website.  exactly which ones you referring to tech?  just dont want to go wrong here.  just kind of green on the battery thing!  hogone

Explosive is right.  In all my years of driving, I have had just one battery explode, and it was totally unpredictable.  All I did was start the car and there was a loud bang and a BIG mess (sulfuric acid, not hydrochloric acid).  It took a lot of bicarbonate and water before the foaming stopped.  Flooding an engine compartment is a lot easier than flooding and scouring the inside of a Pod. 

Early VW beetles put batteries under a back seat and they tended to get forgotten by some.  And there were often corrosion problems when the batteries were ignored. 

Placing batteries under the seating may isolate or remove them from the spark source, but there is still some risk.  Outside is a much better location.