Battery info please

[Ken and Cindy Haney]

Hi all. I am finally preparing to drag the beasty home. I thought I would try to put a charge on the dad battery and was a bit confused when I really looked. It has a battery on the passenger side hooked up andy attached to a standard Ford solenoid. The driver side has a spot for another battery that looks to be attached to a standard Ford solenoid. ??? Is one of theses spots the engine battery and the other for the generator? Should one be deep cycle? Would the deep cycles be somewhere else? I may have to still tow it home but if I could get it started it would be tons easier. Thanks in advance for any insight. It is a 1983 Rockwood with a E350 cab.

[Ken and Cindy Haney]

Ok. The battery that is missing must be for coach power. The wires off the solenoid are a lot smaller gauge. So should that one be a deep cycle? That is if that is what it is.

[Russell E Johnson]

Try this again. My internet connection is really flaky today. So I will try again and hope I get this out before it flakes out again. If your E350 has diesel engine, then that second battery setup if for the 2nd battery that is necessary for the MH to start. If it is a gas engine, which I suspect it to be, that that may well be the coach battery location.

I think it suspicious that there is room for only one coach battery. When you get the Rockwood home, look at the stairs going into it, that seems to be the most common place for coach batteries to be located in class Cs. One or more of the steps may have screws to enable their removal easily to gain access to the area under them.

If that battery tray under the hood turns out to be for the coach battery then yes, it is best to use a marine/deep cycle 12 volt battery. Starting batteries do not hold up well under long draws and recharging when depleted.

[Ken and Cindy Haney]

Thanks Russ. It is a gasser. I will look under the step when I get it home. I too a quick look around th outside compartments and didn't find one. So hopefully they put one under hood and one under step.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

 My best pure guess is the one is obviously the engine starting battery and the other space is for the house battery. NOTE on the house battery Id guess what looks like a Ford Solenoid is actually a 100% duty cycle isolation solenoid and a regular Ford starting solenoid WILL NOT WORK THERE as its not 100% duty rated. It will work until its coil overheats, they're ON LY for short term starting use. If there's ONLY room for one house battery of course that should be a 12 volt Deep Cycle BUT those so called RV/Marine batteries sold at Wallymart (actually just semi deep cycles) will "work" but you dont get near the performance for extended dry camping as if you had two true deep cycle golf cart 6 volt batteries in series. The battery with big cables and a Ford solenoid is likely the engine starting battery while the other battery with what looks like a Ford solenoid and smaller cables is the house battery.

 I agree with Russ but doubt its a Diesel, if so yes it may have two engine batteries BUT they both would have huge cables if that were the case. Look where he suggested for house batteries but if none there all you have is one house battery that should be a deep cycle

 John T

[Russell E Johnson]

Those Wally world deep cycle/rv/marine batteries are warrantied for 1 year, if you are lucky you get 14 months before they crap out LOL, at least that is how long my lasted. I bought Interstate batteries on the go round, also warrantied for 1 year but that was 2 years ago so i am money ahead already. When those give out i hope my wallet is a little flusher. then there will be 2 6 volt golf cart batteries sitting in that tray.

[Ken and Cindy Haney]

Thanks John and Russ. I guess I didn't know about the rv/marine batteries at Walmart. I will search out a bigger name in batteries.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

   I'm ONLY saying the not too expensive Walmart so called RV/Marine batteries are at best semi deep cycle as they are engineered to BOTH start a big marine engine and then power say a trolling motor. Many many are used in RV applications and they do "work" its just that for long sustained dry camping application they wont function as well as a true deep cycle golf cart type battery. Unfortunately, that usually means you have to have room for TWO 6 volt true deep cycle golf cart batteries. However, I believe Trojan and others make a true deep cycle 12 volt battery but they are EXPENSIVE and not normally stocked or readily available. IE the world wont end if you only have room for one battery and use an RV/Marine even if NOT the ideal as its still far superior to a normal starting battery for RV house battery use.

John T  

[Ken and Cindy Haney]

Thanks John. I might just start with a Walmart battery since right now we really don't plan on much dry camping. We will save a bit of money up front and get us going sooner. Money of course is a bit tight so even in rebuilding the camper we will be searching out alternative repair and component methods. We'll try to think outside the box to put it inside the box. Haha.