How Long Did Your Oliver Duralast Battery Last?

[Geronimo John]

My Ollie is a Spring 2018 egg.  At purchase I decided to run with the standard Duralast 12V Marine Deep Cycle batteries.  They are approaching their fourth season.

For those with the same standard batteries, how long did yours last?

I am considering going AGM, but solar is not in the cards.  If you upgraded to AGM, what was necessary, and what would you recommend.

Thanks

Geronimo John

Edited April 5, 2021 by Geronimo John

[Galway Girl]

My 2019 shipped with 4-6v Trojan Black AGMs.

They died after only 16 months.

 I was told on a call to Trojan support that black case AGM Trojans are not true Trojan batteries but an Oem’d brand Trojan Remarkets for cheaper price and only had 1 yr warranty

If you want to buy 6v Trojan AGMs, buy the Motive T105-AGM maroon case Trojans which are a longer warranty battery.

Craig

2019 Hull 505

 

 

[Galway Girl]

Forgot to say....to move from wet lead acid to AGM the change can be simple, depending upon the converter that’s in your Progressive Dynamics power center under the dinette seat.  
 

Also, do you have Solar (Zamp)?

 

 

 

 

 

[BackofBeyond]

16 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

My Ollie is a Spring 2018 egg.  At purchase I decided to run with the standard Duralast 12V Marine Deep Cycle batteries.  They are approaching their fourth season.

For those with the same standard batteries, how long did yours last?

I am considering going AGM, but solar is not in the cards.  If you upgraded to AGM, what was necessary, and what would you recommend.

Thanks

Geronimo John

Ours is #359 - June 2018. AGM's appear to be doing very well. I expect to get several more years out of them. They have seen good repeated discharge and recharge cycles - and stay fully charged when in idle. Perhaps I am being too optimistic. But, I have gotten 7- 8 years on my other batteries - well don't count the tractor and the mower - they aren't big enough to do much - questionable manufacturers.  At this point - if they meet expectations - AGM's go back in...

RB

[Galway Girl]

Just sharing the specific "Trojan" Battery that shipped with our Oliver and all 4 died within 16 months.
They were maintained per the standards set forth for warranty support.  
Properly charged using the onboard Progressive Dynamics Charger and the Zamp Solar.

The Trojan Service contact stated these are made for them by a Chinese Manufacturer as their OEM line.
He said they do often have problems with them but as they are only warranted for 12 months...I was not offered any compensation.
Finally, the rep told me to buy the "Maroon Case" trojan if I want a good battery as they start with a 2 year warranty.

 

Below  is the "preferred" High Quality  Motive T105-AGM  6V recommended to me during my support call with Trojan.
They have a 2 year warranty but are known for lasting 4+ years when properly maintained.

 

 

 

 

In the end, I bought two of these Napa Branded 12V AGMs to get us buy until we are able to install our Lithium upgrade.
My nephew is the West Coast GM and said try East PENN as he's toured many of the battery manufacturer for Napa, and found that East PENN Mfg. (a US Company) has better quality than off shore OEM brands.

They came with a 12 month full replacement warranty, and added 3 year prorated.

NAPA Commercial AGM Battery BCI No. 31 800 A Glass Mat
Part #: BAT 9831DT  105AH  (Dual Terminals) 

Manufacturer : East PENN

 

 

You can see my progress on the upgrade by following this thread in the Forum:

 

 

 

[DavidS]

Since several people are commenting on how long their batteries last, I will add another data point.

Our AGMs are doing just fine, thank you very much. (Knock on wood, bangs fist against head.) We picked up our Ollie in Sept 2016, which was four and a half years ago.

We store our trailer under cover, where the solar will not charge them, so I disconnect the batteries when I put the trailer in storage. I wonder whether disconnecting them contributes to their apparent longevity.

[Overland]

We replaced our Duralast batteries on delivery, but I just checked and one of them is still holding the garage storage room door tightly shut.  So, that's at least three years of useful life.  Hoping to get at least two more.

[Geronimo John]

On 4/4/2021 at 6:57 PM, Galway Girl said:

@Galway:  .....Also, do you have Solar (Zamp)?

No, I do not have solar.  Not likely in the cards for how we camp.  

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Geronimo John]

Thank you all for the above thoughts.  A follow-up questions for those who HAD DURALAST, and CONVERTED to 12V AGM: 

• Were the standard Oliver battery cables able to be reused with the new AGM 12V batteries?  
• Are the AGM's really worth double the cost of the Lead Acid Marine Deep Cycle batteries? 

Thanks

John

 

[AndrewK]

John,

If you haven't watched this YouTube video yet, it may help finalize your decision.  The video is from Tom of Morton's On The Move.

Andrew

(2) Don't Waste Your Money On Batteries - The Shocking Truth I Discovered When Testing RV Batteries - YouTube

 

[John E Davies]

FYI about AGMs vs standard wet (non-sealed) batteries. The only way to know if they are any good is to get them load tested. No other method exists, unlike wet ones with caps, where you can check electrolyte level, condition (clear or cloudy), state of charge and balance. You have to fully charge an AGM, let it sit at least six hours, then check it with a hand hold load tester. Any battery shop should do this free, they hope to sell you more batteries :). My four black Trojans were toast by the beginning of the third season. The guy at Batteries Plus Bulbs that tested them said they normally fail in a couple of years. I personally would never install a maintenance free LA battery in an RV. It is the worst of both worlds IMHO.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

17 hours ago, AndrewK said:

(2) Don't Waste Your Money On Batteries - The Shocking Truth I Discovered When Testing RV Batteries - YouTube

Wow, that is very cool, but for the average person I suggest you just watch from about 7:00 minutes to 15:00 minutes. The rest is tech talk and data crunching. 

His end conclusion is buy lithiums, but that decision does not take into account any extra (possibly very expensive) hassles like adding a smart shunt, changing the onboard charger, and adding a DC to Dc charger for the truck. Plus physical changes to the battery box to keep it more climate controlled. AAAAND labor expen$e$, if you can't do this stuff yourself.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[rideandfly]

20 hours ago, AndrewK said:

John,

If you haven't watched this YouTube video yet, it may help finalize your decision.  The video is from Tom of Morton's On The Move.

Andrew

(2) Don't Waste Your Money On Batteries - The Shocking Truth I Discovered When Testing RV Batteries - YouTube

 

Andrew,

Thanks for posting this video. Great information!

[SeaDawg]

Very interesting.  And, nice to see "3rd party aka Tom" constructing the tests and interpreting the data.

It did seem to me that the testing was weighted, though, to heavy power consumption. (Which of course, makes sense, as Tom is a heavy power user.) We are not. 

And, pretty sure Tom has some sponsorship with Battleborn. Just saying.

I'm sure it's accurate testing. I have no doubt about his credentials or honesty. Just that I always look at testing parameters when judging.

 

 

[1Lessworker]

I wish the battery testing would have included heat (or desert temps) to see the difference capacities.