18 replies to this topic

[pods8]

210ah? When two similar batteries are connected in series the voltage will be doubled, but the amp-hours remain the same. When connected in parallel, those same two batteries will have the same voltage of each individual battery, but the amp-hour capacity will be doubled.

Yup. The batteries I have are each 6v 210ah AGM's and their body size (12"Lx6.65"Wx9"H) is more similar to a group 31 battery as opposed to a golf cart battery. Thus 210ah at 12V.

My engine bay is way too full to fit anything in there without going to a specialized intake. I have room on the frame under the cab/box and also between the frame rails behind bumper if I wanted. Also truck bed one on each side or in the camper. All the truck mounting options are going to require making some metal brackets to bolt to the truck in my case. Right now I'd just leaning more towards putting them in the camper but am debating locations.

Anyone have an opinion on if my concerns of adding the weight to the drivers side is a legit one or not really something to be concerned about?

[EdoHart]

You write 6 volt, and I read golf cart. You certainly have quite a bit of battery capacity.:thumb:

[pods8]

You write 6 volt, and I read golf cart. You certainly have quite a bit of battery capacity.:thumb:

I would have generally assumed the same thing till I walked into the battery place torn on what to get and they presented me with the option of these 6V AGM batteries $75ea since they were switching product lines. SOLD! At that point I considered them to be priced like normal flooded cell marine batteries so as long as they meet or exceed the life of some of those I figure I am ahead on the deal and I have more mounting options since they are AGM. The bonus is since they are really close to a group 31 type footprint I just keep that in mind while setting up mounts so down the road when they give out I can grab some readily available batteries of that size to replace them.

[EdoHart]

I would have generally assumed the same thing till I walked into the battery place torn on what to get and they presented me with the option of these 6V AGM batteries $75ea since they were switching product lines. SOLD! At that point I considered them to be priced like normal flooded cell marine batteries so as long as they meet or exceed the life of some of those I figure I am ahead on the deal and I have more mounting options since they are AGM. The bonus is since they are really close to a group 31 type footprint I just keep that in mind while setting up mounts so down the road when they give out I can grab some readily available batteries of that size to replace them.

I remember your post about that find. I was just starting to look into batteries, chargers, solar, etc. so I didn't pay much attention to it.

Back to your original question...When I had the Hawk on my Dodge, the biggest issue with weight wasn't so much the total weight (though I was pushing it), but rather the height of the weight. I see that the newer FWCs have the water and propane down low, but on mine, they are both above the bed rail. That imparted a lot of moment that made the truck sway a lot. At least you would be mounting the batteries down low, which would help. If your FWC is of the newer design it may not matter too much.

How much do those batteries weigh? Maybe you could just strap or wedge them in without connecting them and do some test drives. With your airbags, I think you could adjust the drivers side to even out the stance of the truck.

[EdoHart]

I'm sorry, but for a while I though you had a 2003 Hawk as opposed to a 2003 Dodge. Boy, have I been misdirected more than once in this tread? I need to get more sleep.

[pods8]

How much do those batteries weigh? Maybe you could just strap or wedge them in without connecting them and do some test drives. With your airbags, I think you could adjust the drivers side to even out the stance of the truck.

Probably about 70lb a pop, I can see about giving it a test run.

[ScottBailey]

Pods,

I want to see dual battery frame mount. I've got to many irons in the fire to do more than speculate.

[pods8]

Pods,

I want to see dual battery frame mount. I've got to many irons in the fire to do more than speculate.

I'm not a genie lamp, haha. One issue on that plan is the guy I was going to work with that had a good amount of equipment to do metal work unfortunately just passed unexpectedly. I have some other contacts to pursue if I decide to go that route but its not necessarily the leading candidate now (but the ideas are ever evolving until the trigger gets pulled.

The thread got my wondering if I should look into moving the water tank to the front of the camper and build a bench/cabinet around it to move some of the driver side weight and provide more cabinet space... Off with the tape measure again, haha.

[EdoHart]

I'm not a genie lamp, haha. One issue on that plan is the guy I was going to work with that had a good amount of equipment to do metal work unfortunately just passed unexpectedly. I have some other contacts to pursue if I decide to go that route but its not necessarily the leading candidate now (but the ideas are ever evolving until the trigger gets pulled.

The thread got my wondering if I should look into moving the water tank to the front of the camper and build a bench/cabinet around it to move some of the driver side weight and provide more cabinet space... Off with the tape measure again, haha.

Sorry to hear about your guy. I'm getting old enough that I've gone to a few funerals for friends. Last Sunday for was for one of the best friends I've ever known. But, not to be to maudlin...

I had thought about relocating the water tank, even before seeing the newer campers, but given the plumbing for the fill and vent it looked like it would either require a lot of space, relocating the fill door, or having to fill the tank from the inside. Combine the cost of a new, larger tank and a way to drain it, I decided against it. I did build a cabinet up front for added storage of small items, which just happens to be large enough for a group 31 battery box to fit in with the long dimension running parallel to the couch. I didn't plan it that way, I just got lucky when I built it to other, pre-existing dimensions.

If you decide to relocate the water tank, remember that you'll still need access to the driver's side front turn buckle, something I initially overlooked when looking at water tanks sizes.