aux battery options

[koolmoe]

I didn't look too intensely but haven't seen anything that summarizes the various types of batteries that can be used in an auxiliary setup.

According to the vanagon.com site, I think it was, the auxiliary compartment is 11"l x 7"w x 6"h. That ring true?

The biggest problem seems to be the height, especially if the battery posts stick up higher than the battery case, as those post heights don't always seem to be included in the battery's reported height. True?

There's the formerly famous Odyssey. The 2100 (44ah) seems most often cited.
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc1200.htm

That's taller than 6" but seems to fit properly? However I have seen posts here about needing to cut down the posts (terminals) in order to close the aux compartment lid. Maybe that was a different model.
Are there other Odysseys that seem to fit well?

Werkers seem to be mentioned more frequently. jkidd152 recently posted referencing Werker 44ah sealed deep cycle battery "from Batteries Plus":
http://www.batteriesplus.com/p-32629-12v-44ah-agm-vrla-cu-term.aspx

Then there's Karl's semifamous UB12220 setup.
http://westyventures.com/parts.html
Which personally I'm leaning towards. With just three instead of the more common 4 'pack', I still get 66ah instead of the 44 from the above two options. However, paralleling batteries has it's downsides, if not just inconvenience of wiring them all together.

There also seem to be a few wheelchair/golf cart batteries that may fit, like the UB122260...

SO any other insights out there? What's YOUR preferred battery?
AND does it fit without any modifications in the auxiliary compartment?

inquiring minds...
KM
_________________
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Current: 1990 Westy GL (Savannah. Good to be back!)
from '95 til 2008: 1995 Pathfinder (frame rusted out, charitable parts donation)
from '91-'95: 1982 Westy Diesel (Smokey. Traded in for far too little!)
from '87-'91: 1980 VW Rabbit (my econoPorsche - passed on)

[westyventures]

We need to work on making 'Auxiliary batteries' a sticky.

The UB12260 is a 26 a/h battery, only two will fit in the box, so 52 a/h.

I just installed my big boy 4D in the old rusty Syncro today (230 a/h),

and last week installed a group 31 (114 a/h) in a customer's van.

I decided I needed 'more' in my personal van for those extended winter camps where I don't move for almost a week.

Upcoming is my project to install group 27's in each battery box, by cutting the bottom and installing a deeper custom box.

[kd4yor]

I tried to ask about gp91's in another thread. no one replied.
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82 Westy oil burner

[msinabottle]

[badgerb0b]

+ 1 for the Odyssey

It is expensive but I have never seen a complaint about them. You get what you pay for.
Fits great if you unscrew the posts like MS said.

[PDXWesty]

I installed a Group 27 Trojan SCS200 battery 115 AH under my sink with minimal loss of storage space. Had to re-route the drain to the corner. A group 31 will also fit in this location. It's about 2 inches longer than Group 27.

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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[Raynor Shine]

I went with the power patrol for my 3rd battery. fits nicely in the cabinet and eventually I will use this fror my solar hook up. left my driver seat battery alone as it will charge when I drive and we get enough sun here.

Split the outlets & used the hidden space for an additional inverter.

Thanks Dogpilot!

Plus I bought this cool tool to drill holes, no cabinet split. Not an expert, but this worked well for me.

[presslab]

I have two Odyssey batteries. The PC1700 fits in the driver's battery box with slight trimming of the battery, and it doesn't stick up at all. It is rated for 68 Ah.

_________________
1986 Vanagon Westfalia EJ25
1988 Subaru GL-10 EJ20G --- 2000 Honda XR650L
2010 Titus El Guapo --- 2011 On-One 456 Ti

[Texxxxx]

[kd4yor]

[westyventures]

Lots of good info here:

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

[Boegrrl]

Werkers, female posts, no probs.
Had interstate battery change wire leads to eye grommets, the service guy was reluctant, but went to the boss signed a waiver - it was astonishingly cheap.

Lined the batt lid with 2 items, prob overkill,, but i wanted the assurance.
Rubber floor mat from the box store, cut to fit complete lid applied with 3M. Then added a thin strip of plastic cutting kitchen board to lie across the terminals.

Very pleased with these Batts.
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'87 Wolfsburg Weekender

[grambo]

[GWTWTLW]

I have the Werker as well and have it laying on it's side. Fits fine. Just be careful not to short the terminals on the front of the box when laying it in. I put tape over mine and still had a nice little spark shower.
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[presslab]

[koolmoe]

I web-shopped for hours over the week with all the replies in mind, mostly hoping to find a local source for the Werver battery....but not only couldn't find that but not many options at all.

So hit a local 'battery store' and picked up two of these.

At 18amp each, seemed like a good deal for a total of 36. About $100 for the two...not great, but assuming the 'AH' is accurate - seemingly worthwhile compared to other options. Will see how well they work!
KM
_________________
--
Current: 1990 Westy GL (Savannah. Good to be back!)
from '95 til 2008: 1995 Pathfinder (frame rusted out, charitable parts donation)
from '91-'95: 1982 Westy Diesel (Smokey. Traded in for far too little!)
from '87-'91: 1980 VW Rabbit (my econoPorsche - passed on)

[Bruce Wayne]

I have two of these Hawker batteries under the drivers seat. 38ah each. paid $20 each for them. wired in paralell. bought them from the local auto electrec guy. he has some even bigger ones. I'm thinking of getting a couple of the bigger ones and putting them under the back seat for more power,or getting a deep cycle battery from Wally World. good thing about WW is the warranty.

http://www.gotbatteries.com/index.php?mfg=Hawker&a...D=36L203S1

[koolmoe]

Dimensions: 9.80"L x 3.80"W x 8.10"H

How'd you fit them in there? Two at 38 would be great!
KM
_________________
--
Current: 1990 Westy GL (Savannah. Good to be back!)
from '95 til 2008: 1995 Pathfinder (frame rusted out, charitable parts donation)
from '91-'95: 1982 Westy Diesel (Smokey. Traded in for far too little!)
from '87-'91: 1980 VW Rabbit (my econoPorsche - passed on)

[Bruce Wayne]

[PDXWesty]

So here's something to think about. One of the things I've picked up from experience and reading everyone's posts is that it's possible that a single large battery is more reliable than multiple small batteries, based on the number of cells you're working with. It's common for one cell in a batter to go bad. The odds increase whith more cells. One large battery only has 6 cells, vs. 12 cells on two medium batteries, or 24 cells on four smaller batteries like the UB1220 that many people have installed. If one cell goes bad, it draws the voltage down on the whole bank.

I guess on the other hand, if one cell goes bad on a small battery, you can take it out of the line-up and still have partial capacity and only have to replace one small batery at a lower cost.

Did I just talk myself out of my original thought?
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto