Mounting battery under?

[halfdome, Danny]

This is how I've been doing it.




Available HERE.
I make a removable hatch in the floor for access.

Danny

Danny,
Is your battery also removable from under the trailer? And, how much ground clearance do you normally have under the trailers?
Thanks,
Steve

Steve, WELCOME to the forum . Nice 55, I have a blue & white one.
Yes the batteries are removable from under the trailer but very heavy to lift in the position you would be unless it was on a lift.
Not much strength for most lifting from the elbow and forearm.
Once I use my pallet jack to install the batteries, before I went with a hatch in the floor.
Not everyone has a pallet jack.
Since they are very close to the axle not much clearance is need, but enough in the event you lost the tire completely.
My tires are 5 1/2" inflated and the trays are 6 1/4" from the pavement.
Their somewhere about 3/4" - 1" above the bottom of the rims.
A floor hatch is so easy to install and remove batteries and you can keep them higher vs no hatch.
Danny

[DriverOne]

I found that Mazda Miata batteries are almost as small as lawn mower batteries and have decent cca's. Would that battery be a good option to save even more space under there, or is a bigger battery a better choice?

[55chevy]

[/quote]
Steve, WELCOME to the forum . Nice 55, I have a blue & white one.
Yes the batteries are removable from under the trailer but very heavy to lift in the position you would be unless it was on a lift.
Not much strength for most lifting from the elbow and forearm.
Once I use my pallet jack to install the batteries, before I went with a hatch in the floor.
Not everyone has a pallet jack.
Since they are very close to the axle not much clearance is need, but enough in the event you lost the tire completely.
My tires are 5 1/2" inflated and the trays are 6 1/4" from the pavement.
Their somewhere about 3/4" - 1" above the bottom of the rims.
A floor hatch is so easy to install and remove batteries and you can keep them higher vs no hatch.
Danny[/quote]

Thanks Danny. The tray looked much closer to the ground to me in the picture. I will definitely put a hatch in the floor for the battery/ies. I don't have the muscle or the pallet jack to lift the battery under the trailer. Thanks again for the welcome.
Steve

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I found that Mazda Miata batteries are almost as small as lawn mower batteries and have decent cca's. Would that battery be a good option to save even more space under there, or is a bigger battery a better choice?

It would work.... but starting batteries aren't made to handle the heavy charge/discharge cycles like an RV or golf cart battery.

[Bogo]

I found that Mazda Miata batteries are almost as small as lawn mower batteries and have decent cca's. Would that battery be a good option to save even more space under there, or is a bigger battery a better choice?

It would work.... but starting batteries aren't made to handle the heavy charge/discharge cycles like an RV or golf cart battery.

X2

Unfortunately standard deep cycle batteries are rarely small. If you want a small one, then I'd look at some of the medium to large UPS batteries. Personally I'd just go with a standard sized RV deep cycle battery, or a pair of them. You'll get more capacity for the dollar as they are more of a commodity item. If you are mounting in a vented battery box or outside the chassis, then you can go with flooded batteries to save cost. The flip side is maybe needing to add water every so often.

[Lgboro]

Wheel chair batteries might be a good choice but again are pricy. If you know your 12 volt usage you might be able to use a battery with less storage and therefore smaller and lighter. I installed a marine/rv 55 amp battery (sealed) from Sam's. I only use between 15 to 18 amps so I could have gone with a smaller battery. All lights are led and all fans are computer fans along with a 12 volt television and a car stereo without the need to inefficiently convert 12 volt to 110 which helps reduce usage. (i do have an 80 watt solar array so I don't have to worry about charging under normal conditions) Now to wire a plug to my workshop or house so that I can use the solar in the off season to selective lights - might help pay for my solar in the trailer.

[Off Grid Rving]

I had the batteries (two golf cart batteries) positioned in the back of the main cabinet in The Ogre Rv behind where I slid the composting toilet into.

[grant whipp]

IMHO, if you are going to be running lots of appliances (or, a couple of big appliances), then a couple of 6v golf-cart batteries connected in series (to get your needed 12v) is the way to go ... ...! Our (currently on hold) TugDrop project will have a system like that, but ours will be gel-cells laid on their sides/backs to keep the under-floor boxes as shallow as possible ... we'll also have solar panels and an emergency backup generator (yes, we plan on being out and off-grid a l-o-t of the time!).

If, however, all you plan on running are a couple of reading/accessory lights and possibly a vent fan, then a small-but-powerful (and designed for abuse) 12v gel-cell wheel-chair battery or ADM sound-system battery should be all you need. I just picked up the battery box for a trailer I'm currently working on ... it's 8" x 7-3/4" x 6-3/4" deep, 6" will be below the bottom of the floor with only 3-1/2" below the bottom of the frame ... and it'll get an ADM battery.

I suppose that some could/will argue that you could buy several small shorter-life car batteries for the same price, but I like the idea of only having to replace the battery when its useful life is over, and with wheel-chair or ADM batteries, that's going to be one helluva long time ... ...! Maybe it's just me, but electrics aren't something I like to keep fussing with ... I want longevity & durability & reliability, and if I have to pay a few extra $$ for that peace of mind, then so be it ... it'll all work out in the end.

Good Luck, and as always ...

CHEERS!