Ultimately the best would be batteries from Rolls Surrette. Bring $$$$ In
the reasonable price RV world, Trojan GC-2 are outstanding. Yes, golf cart
batteries. There are three versions of the same case size starting with
the T105, (225 A/H0 to the T-145 (260 A/H). My next choice would be Deka.
These batteries will deliver an honest 500 to 1,000 cycles as compared to
the 300 or so from an AGM. There are also 12 deep cycle batteries
available from Trojan. The golf cart, aerial lift, floor scrubber type
batteries are designed for daily use.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Mark C
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 7:22 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Solar Panel: Charge Controller & Vents

Okay then, so which batteries do you guys think is best?

From: Troy <colorworks@GCI.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Solar Panel: Charge Controller & Vents

> Excellent advice from Dennis. I can say firsthand that the Odyssey
batteries are not all they're cracked up to be. I've been having a lot of
trouble with mine recently keeping it charged. It seems to take a
sustained high amps before it will start to accept it charge. If it drops
below a certain point, my standard alternator will not charge it. I then
have to remove my front seat to allow me to get the chargers leads in
there, and then run the charger on manual for about four hours. A royal
PITA. One nice thing, is they can be deeply discharged and still be
recovered. A standard battery would be toast under similar circumstances.
I paid a whopping $175 for mine. Not sure what else fits behind the seat
though.
>
> Troy
>
>
> <<Seems like an awful lot of money to accomplish what? Never mind
carrying
> around 300 pounds of battery. The best part of the Odyssey batteries is
the
> advertisements. You would be much better off in the long run with good
> flooded batteries. They are charge and temparature sensitve and have
high
> failure rates. Check the current warranty.
>

----- End Original Message -----