[p]I have my new trailer finally! By bypassing the dealer and picking it up at the factory I 'missed out' on dealer prep - so no batteries. I was planning to buy dual 6v batteries and am wondering if anyone has seen or done anything on the tongue to use that space better? I'm planning to at least get the dual battery box but was wondering if anything exists that would let me put batteries, propane and possibly some smaller items on the tongue.[/p]
I have a 16TBS with a dealer (presumably) installed Group 27 battery. Even though that battery serves us fine- we can camp for 3-4 days without running it down below 50%, I have looked hard at how to install two batteries.
First buy the battery box that you want to use. I strongly recommend two 6V golf cart batteries wired in series. Amazon Prime has a battery box for them that costs about $20. Then get some 1-1/2 wide aluminum angle from Lowes, Home Depot or your local hardware store. Cut two lengths long enough to go crosswise on the tongue behind the LPG bottle and just wide enough apart for the battery box to slip in. Bolt the angle down to the outside rails and the four corners of the battery box to the angle. Use stainless steel bolts.
All it takes is a hacksaw, an electric drill and a crescent wrench.
You can buy the jumper it will take to wire the batteries in series at any marine supply store- West Marine or similar. Connect it between the pos of one battery and the neg of the other. Connect the trailer's wires to the remaining pos and neg.
You can put a couple of pieces of plywood to the right and left of the battery box to hold other stuff. But with two GC batteries and a full LPG tank your tongue weight will probably be as much as you need.
David
Here's what I'm doing for the battery and box installation. I bought two 12 volt Duracell group size 31 AGM batteries from Sam's Club (31DTMAGM) and wired them in parallel. I bought a 48" aluminum diamond plate storage box from the Home Depot (48" Aluminum Flush-Mount Side-Bin) and put that on the trailer tongue right behind the double propane tanks. I spent a long time finding one that would fit and still have clearance to open. This one is just barely ok, but it matches the diamond plate on the Camplite, holds both batteries, and has enough room leftover for the shore power cords and some misc. Plus it securely locks. The Home Depot also has a 60" version of the box and that would provide even more storage, but to me it seemed too long for the proportions of the trailer. The box can be fastened to the trailer tongue with large U-bolts, so no drilling on the tongue is required. The batteries can be fastened down with standard battery tray/hold-downs from the hardware store. I'm still in the process of installing all that, so I'll report back on final details and/or any problems when I get done. I also like the idea of two 6 volt golf cart batteries in series, but I went with two 12 volt AGM batteries in parallel for a number of practical reasons.