2- 6 volt batteries or large 12 volt battery

[GXWagon]

Two 50 lb. 6v batteries will give you twice as many amp hours as one 50 lb. 12v battery.

Because 100 lbs. of lead-acid battery stores twice as much energy as 50 lbs. of lead-acid battery.

Two 50 lb. 12v batteries is going to have the same amp hours as two 50 lb. 6v batteries.

That makes sense to me. Any opinion on good high amp hour 12 volt batteries?

 

[dwh]

Trojan, Lifeline, a dozen others.

I'm the wrong guy to ask because I prefer to buy cheap deep cycle batteries, thrash them to within an inch of their lives and replace them every couple of years.

 

[GXWagon]

Trojan, Lifeline, a dozen others.

I'm the wrong guy to ask because I prefer to buy cheap deep cycle batteries, thrash them to within an inch of their lives and replace them every couple of years.

HA ha I can't argue with that.

 

[DiploStrat]

Parthian Shot

Remember, there are no 12v batteries, there are no 6v batteries, there are only cases of 2v (if lead acid) batteries.

Obviously, the links between cells are shorter if all of the cells are in the same case, but however you do it, you are really just combining 2v cells to make up your 6v or 12v battery.

FWIW, most lithium cells are 3v.

 

[sargeek]

If you are have the space 2 6vdc golf car batteries are the way to go. I have a pair that I abuse on a travel trailer purchased from Costco and I am impressed with the operations. The batteries are big and heavy, but are true deep cycle batteries. They have been run completely dead (Darn CO detector); when I was unable to return to the trailer as planned, and I have charged them with the crappy inverter/charger on the trailer. I am truly impressed with the abuse they can take, and I am 5 years on the pair.

The technology in the Optimas are cool but never impressed me. We tried to use them in our work trucks in the mountains when they first came out in the early 90's but they did not have the cranking capacity of large flooded battery at temperatures approaching 40 below.

My rule of thumb is buy the largest flooded battery you can fit, and it seems to work. The 6 volt batteries are awesome. I have never seen them in use on a vehicle as the primary batteries - but they work well in trailers/campers.

Good Luck!