Adding a battery - Montana Owners Club

padredw · 10-23-2004, 08:56 AM

Does anyone have experience with adding a second battery? The one battery seems to be one of the "thin spots" of our Montana. The real question would be changing the 'battery box' from the one battery to the two battery size. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

dw

tbhd · 10-23-2004, 01:18 PM

Yes, my husband just finished doing this. What he did was purchase a additional battery box. He ran a second hose off that box and then inserted a "T" joint purchased at Home Depot to connect everything together. The only problem he had was trying to slip the hose on the new battery box hole. He had to chamfer (trim) the outside edge of the hole in order for the hose to slip on. He also turned the original battery 90 degrees and installed the second battery next to the orginal battery. In addition he had to drill two new holes for the drain for the battery boxes. Next, then wire the two batteries together. Positive to positive and negative to negative. Hope all this makes sense. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. Also if you want I can take some pictures and send them to you. Good luck.

Sharon

padredw · 10-23-2004, 02:07 PM

Thanks, Sharon, this is very helpful. Where did you obtain the new battery box? I noticed that my Montana does have an additional drain opening which, of course, is not connected to anything. But it looks like it was designed to allow for this expansion. Made me think Keystone might have a "two battery box". That would be great if they do.

dw

tbhd · 10-23-2004, 04:10 PM

We bought the battery box at a local RV parts and supply store and didn't think that there might be a slight difference with the size of the hole for the tubing to fit over. We have a 3670 model so the set up might be a little different than your 2955. Feel free to ask any questions and good luck again.

harleyrider · 10-23-2004, 07:38 PM

Sharon

If you wouldn`t mind Sharon I would love to see the pics of your battery install.I`am thinking of doing the same thing.

My e-mail addreess is--johnw@rcn.com

thanks

padredw · 10-24-2004, 02:52 AM

Sharon, again thanks for your help. If you do make photos for John, I would also like a copy. Just send image file attachment or insert to my email: davidw@etex.net.

DW

nutts · 10-24-2004, 12:30 PM

i've put dry cell batteries in our rig. they do not produce gasses and are a lot easyer to maintain (no acid to keep up on). and they work great without battery boxes. i have been using them in my race cars as well as my rv's for years now. hope this will help.

jim

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by padredw

Does anyone have experience with adding a second battery? The one battery seems to be one of the "thin spots" of our Montana. The real question would be changing the 'battery box' from the one battery to the two battery size. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

dw

sreigle · 10-24-2004, 12:51 PM

Jim, please tell us more. What brand are the dry cells? What is the downside, if any? Cost? Wondering about cost, too.

Thanks.

tbhd · 10-24-2004, 02:48 PM

I'll take some pictures tomorrow and send them out.

Sharon

Countryfolks · 10-24-2004, 04:16 PM

I had the dealor add a second battery to ours. He did it pretty much as described above. I plan on switching to 2 six volt battearies when these go. I thing I am going to change to a marine battery box from Bluesea. You can check them out here.

Bluesea products

Skip

sreigle · 10-24-2004, 04:51 PM

Skip, is that a new truck in your signature or is that the one you had at the rally? I remember you had a good looking truck but didn't realize it's the new 600.

nutts · 10-24-2004, 05:00 PM

the dry cells i have used are by eather champion (the spark plug people or optima)heres a link.
DC Battery

the last ones were around a 100.00 each

jim

sreigle · 10-24-2004, 05:33 PM

Thanks, Jim. Looks good except the warranty seems a bit short. You'd think since they say they last two to three times longer than conventional batteries they'd warrant them for more than two years, especially at that price. Curious. Thanks for the info. Something to think about.

Countryfolks · 10-24-2004, 05:42 PM

Steve;

The one at the Rally, had it about a month then.

Skip

tbhd · 10-25-2004, 12:58 PM

Harleyrider and padredw I've sent you both a e-mail that explains costs along with a couple of pictures. Hope you get it okay.

Sharon

OntMont · 10-25-2004, 03:49 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Thanks, Jim. Looks good except the warranty seems a bit short. You'd think since they say they last two to three times longer than conventional batteries they'd warrant them for more than two years, especially at that price. Curious. Thanks for the info. Something to think about.

The dominant Auto parts chain in Canada sells an AGM battery (which is what I think we are really talking about) with a 10 year wattanty. Their batteries are made by Exide, so you could check out Exide AGM batteries. AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) is supposed to be the ultimate in battery technology. GypsySCM had a pair installed in her new 3670RL.

Merv · 10-25-2004, 04:18 PM

I have added two extra batteries to my Mountaineer. i just bought a couple battery boxes at Wal-Mart and 4 battery cables to connect them together. the battery boxes have straps that secure them to the compartment plate (floor). the cables run from one battery to the next. Positive to Positive and Negative to Negative. That is VERY IMPORTANT!
i didnt use the hose vent that came with the original box. in fact i removed the original and replaced it with a larger box to fit the large batterys. i figure there is enough air flow and ventilation in the front compartment already. It is not a sealed compartment by any means.
This works real well for us. we have ran 4 days and nights on a single charge. the 5th day we needed to get to a campsite with electric hookups, to re-charge.
Merv

tbhd · 10-25-2004, 06:02 PM

PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!! Batteries emit a fume or gas when charging that is flamable. You have electric motors in that compartment for the jacks and slide out that spark when they run so there is a possible dangerous situtation. True it's not a sealed compartment but always like to be on the safe side. Not trying to tell you what to do.

Montana_1826 · 10-26-2004, 12:11 PM

I installed a second battery on my Montana and it was easy. I just used a battery box from Wal Mart for the second battery and I also installed a marine selector switch. The switch enables me to select which battery I want to run from as well as allowing me to use both batteries at the same time or to even turn both batteries off (disconnect both batteries). I have new batteries and the charger tends to drain them after about 3 weeks (in storage) if I don't keep the coach pluged into an AC outlet. I have put my coach into storage for 2 1/2 months with the switch set to off position and the batteries seem to keep a full charge during storage. The marine selector switch I used was a heavy duty switch rated for 280 amps which should more than handle anything an RV needs. The switch is easy to install and it has 3 lugs on the back labled B1, B2 and LOAD.

Montana_2230 · 10-27-2004, 03:33 AM

Hi, I am new here and certainly not a battery expert. I was thinking of adding another battery in parallel and did some research on the web. I read where you should not mix battery groups and if you parallel an old battery with a newer battery, the newer battery power will be reduced to the level of the older battery. Indicating that you should start with two new batteries. I am still looking for information on how the power converter will work in keeping the batteries charged. Anyone with information on this?

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