Posted 2012-01-24 10:42 AM (#140276) Subject: 6 volt battery to replace 12 volt batteries?
Veteran
Posts: 236 Location: Little town in Pa
So I was told I can replace the two 12 volt batteries on my horse trailer with two 6 volt batteries and that would keep the LQ lasting longer when on battery power. Does this sound like a good plan? My husband does a lot of primitive camping and has lost the furnace blower after a couple nights with no plug in power.
Posted 2012-01-24 11:32 AM (#140279 - in reply to #140277) Subject: RE: 6 volt battery to replace 12 volt batteries?
Expert
Posts: 2957 Location: North Carolina
Yes... (2) 6 volt batteries in place of (2) 12 volt batteries is a good change. BUT ... the main reason to do this is avoiding having batteries in parallel. When batteries are in parallel, they cause self discharge if there is any imbalance. That is the stronger battery charges the weaker battery. Then the former weak battery charges the former strong battery. 6 volt batteries are connected in series so they don't affect each other.
The golf cart batteries may be larger than your existing batteries. In that case you WILL have more energy to run stuff.
Posted 2012-01-25 8:02 AM (#140303 - in reply to #140276) Subject: RE: 6 volt battery to replace 12 volt batteries?
Member
Posts: 35
I think it is a good idea when you can fit 4 of the 6volt batteries. That way you still have 2 12volt banks. With 2 12 volt batteries If you loose a battery it is no big deal you still will have 12 volts but the system will go dead quite quickly. If you are running 2 of the 6 volt batteries and you loose one "goes bad" you are totally dead. No power at all. I dont know about you but with my luck it is too big a risk.
Posted 2012-01-27 10:33 AM (#140337 - in reply to #140303) Subject: RE: 6 volt battery to replace 12 volt batteries?
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Originally written by saltwater redneck on 2012-01-25 9:02 AM
I think it is a good idea when you can fit 4 of the 6volt batteries.
It's a great idea, if your trailer has the room and strength for the installation. If the 6v batteries are the golf cart types, their total weights are considerable, especially when pondering four of them.
Be sure that the structural strength of the trailer is addressed, wherever this modification is contemplated. You may easily over tax a bulkhead for instance, when all that dynamic weight starts moving on a rough road.
The racks will have to be quite beefy, to adequately support this number of batteries. This conversion should be thoroughly researched for the pros and cons. For instance, their weight and total cost, vs a small generator used to recharge your existing batteries.
6 volt battery to replace 12 volt batteries?
