I ran a search in this forum only for opinions on having a 2nd auxilliary battery in a Class B. I'm looking at a '98 RT 200 Versatile. It has only 1 auxilliary battery which has been fine for the current owner. They did not do any boondocking but we might be staying in unimproved campground areas for 5+ nights at a time.
I asked him about room for a 2nd battery, but he did not know. I called the local Roadtrek dealer and service-center, they told me they didn't know either, that I'd have to bring the unit in for them to look at it. So . . .
1) Does anyone have experience or knowledge about the space available to install a 2nd aux. battery on a '98 200 Versatile? Were they factory prepped for this?
2) Does anyone have experience to know if a 2nd aux. battery is necessary? (I know this depends on personal energy useage & lifestyle & that's hard to determine for someone else). Just your own personal experience in this area would be helpful.
Thanks again in advance.
RT 200V
"Facts are facts, although opinions may differ." Anon.
We have a 2001 Roadtrek 200 Versatile. There is no provisions for a 2nd auxiliary battery, but we've never felt the need for more battery storage. We've dry camped for up to 4 days on a single charge. The original gel cell battery is still going strong.
I have thought about going to a dual 6 volt arrangement by placing the second battery where the generator area is. We don't have or want a generator and feel the space behind the rear wheels is wasted. It wouldn't be difficult to add a battery platform and make a series connection with the other battery, which is located next to the generator area.
I've had this idea for almost 6 years now and haven't done anything, so maybe I don't need the second battery!
We can make it through a night with one battery, furnace running and 2 showers using the pump. I went the generator route vs extra batteries. The small hondas fit in nicely and provide power for the a/c when needed.
2003 Jayco 308fbs eagle 33' tt, towed by a 2003 Ram 3500 slt, quad cab dually, cummins diesel ho, trailer towing package, with 6 speed manual. Hauls better 1/2, 3 kids, myself, and a 2003 ez go clays car.. I have added so far, neon lights, clearance lights, back up lights, black light, lift kit, mud tires, and everything necessary to make the golf cart street legal. It's now ready to spend the winter in the garage for more mods. More neon, strobe lights, alarm, a pa system, maintance, and whatever else that comes along. This golf cart does wheelies and travels thru 7 inches of mud when need be. Two honda eu2000i gens twinned to supply the electrical power. Latest addition an 04 Honda Goldwing. [url]http://www.hometown.aol.com/rvnagain/myhomepage/profile.html[url]
We can run the furnace sparingly, lots of tv and lights, lots of water with the demand water pump, and our refrigerator (12 volt compressor type} overnight only, on a group 27 multi purpose coach battery. Bob
Last year when we had the wrong worn out non-deep cycle battery I was starting to think two batteries. Still, it got us through a night with good battery management. Now that we have a larger capacity AGM deep cycle battery I have a lot more confidence and performance has been very good. We seldom camp more than one night without electrical hookups since we seldom stay in one place more than one night. So the battery generally gets recharged with driving the next day.
Davydd
2005 Pleasure-Way Plateau Sprinter B Camper Van
Davydd is the Welsh spelling for David with an English twist using a v instead of an f. See Our Pleasure-Way and my pork tenderloin sandwiches
Visited states in an RV
As you can see from the responses one battery can be made to work. I recently added a second, not because we need it but because there was a convenient spot for it and I thought it might come in handy. I would suggest going with one for awhile and finding out how it works. If you really need two you can always find a spot somewhere for the new one.
Wayne, the old curmudgeon
I wish I had 2 house batteries. If I did, when it came time to replace (hope that's a long time down the road) my current 3-way Dometic fridge, I'd replace it with an all electric fridge.
Erroll, Mary, Duffy the Wonder Doxie & "Ollie"
1996 RoadTrek 210 Popular, on 1995 Chevy Chassis
Davydd wrote: Last year when we had the wrong worn out non-deep cycle battery I was starting to think two batteries. Still, it got us through a night with good battery management. Now that we have a larger capacity AGM deep cycle battery I have a lot more confidence and performance has been very good. We seldom camp more than one night without electrical hookups since we seldom stay in one place more than one night. So the battery generally gets recharged with driving the next day.
I'll have to find out what type of battery he has in it. Do you know how to calculate power capacity from them? (I'll google it), but if you or anyone happens to know - I'd appreciate it.
I used to have a formula to calculate the life expectancy of camera batteries for my ENG equipment - but have lost or misplaced it.
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