Deep Cycle battery question

I'm trying to decide which way to go for my power needs. I currently will be running a fridge and maybe a USB charger at night and need some help deciding which way to go...single deep cycle battery or a dual battery setup. Funds are more of the issue than anything, so any feedback would help.

What battery do you suggest for a single deep cycle battery that won't break the bank ($200-&250)?

For a dual battery setup, what affordable tray options are out there? I plan on eventually using a blue sea isolator. What aux battery?

 

Anyone have any battery suggestions? Model numbers?

 

Well here are some links for a dual tray:

http://www.4xinnovations.com/2005-2015-Tacoma-Dual-Battery-Tray_p_20.html

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/OPT-WID.html?gclid=CIXbqJH54dQCFdgBgQodUo8B0g

 

I have an Exide XMC-31 marine deep cycle in a pelfreybilt battery cage. It's a bit more than your budget, but I have left my fridge go for 4 days, plus charging battery packs and phones, plus LED camp lights with no problems...not even slow cranking. This was a stop-gap measure till I installed a dual battery....may not even go dual till I put a winch on now since this works so well.

 

Awaiting gurus for knowledge.

 

Deka. One of the few still made in the US

 

So was the pelfreybilt cage a requirement because the exide didn't fit in the original cage?

 

Oh yeah...group 31 battery. Takes every bit of available space where the factory battery was. It's pretty freaking big!

 

Thanks! This is probably the best way to cover my needs for now. Maybe a solar cell down the road to tend it

 

@auditechnician where did you find that battery?

 

I picked mine up at an Academy Sports store. I used a locator tool on their (Exide)website to find local retailers, then shopped for best price. I got it for $210 after rebate.

 

So are there any deep Cycle batteries you recommend that will fit the stock tray?

 

@dziner he's doing what you've done. This maybe what u need next. Hehe. Ur welcome.

 

This may or may not be sobering but an ML-ACR by itself is going to be $150+, also add on cabling, terminals, sheathing, shrink wrap, tools (or borrow) if you don't already have them for a dual battery set up . Your going to be beyond your budget before you even get to the battery. If your on a budget I would just get a group 31m tray (or make one yourself) and a 31m battery.

 

I personally threw together a little deep cycle box with a low voltage cutoff. Group 31 AGM 100ah battery with USB outputs and a couple 12v auto plugs. I wanted to keep it portable for flexibility. Mine can run the fridge all night and barely take a hit. I charge it with solar for off the grid camping. I'm going to push it a little harder next time out to see what it's capable of, but for me it's more than enough power. I eventually added a MPPT controller and a terminal for a trickle charger.

 

I am building a battery bank for my enclosed trailer. I put my needs ahead of budget because to do it the other way around tends to result in a higher end cost when you finally do it the way you should in the beginning.

Went with 2 12v golf cart deep cycle batteries. Local interstate dealer is practically family so decent price on those. Going to make an aluminum carrier so I can stack them and have wheels like a moving cart and a lifting eye for you guessed it. Clip in to the trailer so it is solid yet be able to remove it to put it into the truck for tailgating etc. Going to run it into the trailer circuit so it will charge off the truck when needed and I have an adapter so I can feed it off the 12v feed on the 7pin trailer plug when going solo. For many of you I would consider making this type of adapter so you can run your fridges etc without any cutting or splicing. Just plug in the 7pin trailer plug into the trucks 7pin hookup and then adapt to whatever you need from there. NOTE this only feeds when truck is ON. But here is the beauty, it charges your battery (if you had a deep cycle secondary battery like I described) when running but it doesn't backfeed and drain your starting battery. So store it inside and bring it when needed with very little extra overhead, mounts and wiring.

Here are the batteries I picked up. In comparison the type 34 Optima red top is around 50ah. The golf cart batteries are 150ah EACH. So keep to automotive or marine if you are going to keep it in the engine bay but realize they are not the best bang for your buck. If you truely need big power golf cart deep cycle batteries are the way to go. At list price the GC's are 1.5X-2X the price of the Red Top but offer 3X the capacity.

 

I am pondering if I'll need to replace my Toyota factory battery at some point, and what to replace it with.

OP, @Braves95 and I installed a Renogy 100 watt solar panel on the OEM cab roof rack of my truck. This wires into the Renogy Rover MPPT controller that I mounted to the bed track in the bed of my truck (I have a topper and the solar controller needs ventilation). The controller is then wired to the battery (make sure to wire the controller to the battery first). I drilled out the drain holes in front of the bed to run the wires. So that keeps my battery charged, especially well when it's sitting in the parking lot at work all day. Then I had Matt at Off-Grid Engineering build a DC plate that has a DC outlet, dual USB, on/off switch, and LED volt meter. This I mounted onto a replacement cover that I built out of plywood and mounted over the small cubby that sits in front of the inverter (I removed the OEM cubby door and used the bolts that hold that entire section in place). This now powers my fridge 24/7.

 

I run the X2 batteries in my land cruiser. They aren't cheap but have the best warranty out there, 5 year free replacement. They have gold plated terminals and are a hybrid starting/deep cycle AGM battery. They are also made in the USA!