Battery decision?

[Salmon fishing]

Hello Escape community,

Currently having a E19 built, and My wife and I are trying to decide on which batteries to use. The trailer will be lithium battery ready but trying to decide on which batteries to install. I am leaning towards 2 Battleborn 100Ah 12V GC2 LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery. They are significantly less expensive than the Lithium Hub batteries offered by Escape. Everything I am readying they will perform the same. Also, the dimension of the battery box I was given they will fit in the box. Any advice would be helpful, thank you.

 

[Ron in BC]

I switched from Renogy to Li Time and there're even less costly and are giving great performance. So, yes, there are less costly alternatives that will do a good job.

I'm not sure how using an alternate battery works. The trailer must leave the factory as a road legal trailer, that means with a battery installed. Not sure if that means that you end up paying for an unneeded LA battery that you won't have any use for or if you can ship your batteries to them and have them install them.

Ron

 

[GinoandLinda]

We have the HubLion from ETS and they have performed flawless for the past two years. Granted, our 5.0 was a lottery unit and that's what was already installed.

 

[Salmon fishing]

I switched from Renogy to Li Time and there're even less costly and are giving great performance. So, yes, there are less costly alternatives that will do a good job.

I'm not sure how using an alternate battery works. The trailer must leave the factory as a road legal trailer, that means with a battery installed. Not sure if that means that you end up paying for an unneeded LA battery that you won't have any use for or if you can ship your batteries to them and have them install them.

Ron

Thanks for the response. I was told by Escape that when I go to pick up the trailer I could bring my batteries of choice, and they could be installed.

 

[vermilye]

I have 3 100 amp hr Battleborn batteries installed in 2019 in a 2017 Escape 21C. I've had no problems with them. There were not a lot of choices when I switched to lithium other than building the battery from scratch and while expensive, using them has worked for me. Have to admit that if I was doing the change now I would take a hard look at one of the LiTimes 400+ amp hour batteries.

 

[jjdeluca]

I'll second Ron's recommendation - we've been very happy with the four 100ah LiTime lithium batteries in our 5.0; and they cost us less than a single HubLion battery from ETI would have cost.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've been very happy with the 2 x 206AH 12V SOK Batts I installed in my trailer about 3 years ago. 5200 watt hours of power, yeah!

 

[homebrewer]

I just installed the Battleborn 270 AH battery to take the place of three 100 AH batteries, one Hublion, and two DrPrepare batteries. One of the DrPrepare and the Hublion batteries had failed and I was tired of doing all the trouble-shooting to figure out why I wasn't getting any power out of my three fairly new batteries. Both are being replaced on warranty, so I'm going to end up with three 100AH batteries to sell or whatever.
But - on to the new Battleborn - a big improvement in space utilization - and no extra cables to parallel three batteries. Just two short cables to connect to the shunt and main circuit. Take a look at the way it fits into the location under the bench seat - and plenty of room to put 1" of foam insulation around the battery box. It has an internal battery heater, and with the insulation it should stay operational even below zero. Although it's expensive, the technical support from Battleborn was great, the fit under the bench seat, and more confidence that it will last many years is worth it to me.

 

[Radar1]

I have 3 100 amp hr Battleborn batteries installed in 2019 in a 2017 Escape 21C. I've had no problems with them. There were not a lot of choices when I switched to lithium other than building the battery from scratch and while expensive, using them has worked for me. Have to admit that if I was doing the change now I would take a hard look at one of the LiTimes 400+ amp hour batteries.

Jon, my needs are simple, no inverter and so far my 2 original 6 volt lead acid GC2 batteries have sufficed for me. I'm curious about your thoughts, would it be better to replace them with 2 100 AH lithium, or a single 200 AH lithium? I realize the single 200 AH would make for simpler wiring and maybe even better charging, but would having that extra 100 AH battery in case of one battery failing be a good option?

 

[Ron in BC]

Most folks don't seem to care about that and will make an argument for one large one.

I don't go that route because I'm a lifelong boater and have been in situations where losing my battery power could have ruined my day. I've also had batteries fail without warning. So I keep my batteries isolated and always have one ready to go. Whatever gives you peace of mind.

Ron

 

[CE Vogel]

I don't have personal experience with Battleborn batteries, owning Renogy batteries myself, but I have heard nothing but praise for Battleborn batteries. Should I ever replace my Renogy batteries, Battleborn would be on my shortlist of replacement options.

 

[Sean Murry]

I switched from Renogy to Li Time and there're even less costly and are giving great performance. So, yes, there are less costly alternatives that will do a good job.

I'm not sure how using an alternate battery works. The trailer must leave the factory as a road legal trailer, that means with a battery installed. Not sure if that means that you end up paying for an unneeded LA battery that you won't have any use for or if you can ship your batteries to them and have them install them.

Ron

We got our E19 with the least expensive battery Escape offered at the time as we knew we were going to put in 4x100A Battleborn batteries. So we got a single lead acid 12V battery. When we got it home I took out the lead acid battery and put in the Battleborns. Then I put the lead acid battery on Facebook and got something like $75 or $100 for it. Sold within a day

 

[splitting_lanes]

I’m a fan of Li Time, and one 280ah battery is really inexpensive and will handle plenty of load.

I have one of the older 300ah batteries and I’ve put almost 3 years of use on it, no regrets.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

My 3 yr old 200AH batts have a max sustained output of 150 amps, and my 2000W inverter can draw 200A under max load, so having 2 batts in parallel is a good thing.

 

[Salmon fishing]

I just installed the Battleborn 270 AH battery to take the place of three 100 AH batteries, one Hublion, and two DrPrepare batteries. One of the DrPrepare and the Hublion batteries had failed and I was tired of doing all the trouble-shooting to figure out why I wasn't getting any power out of my three fairly new batteries. Both are being replaced on warranty, so I'm going to end up with three 100AH batteries to sell or whatever.
But - on to the new Battleborn - a big improvement in space utilization - and no extra cables to parallel three batteries. Just two short cables to connect to the shunt and main circuit. Take a look at the way it fits into the location under the bench seat - and plenty of room to put 1" of foam insulation around the battery box. It has an internal battery heater, and with the insulation it should stay operational even below zero. Although it's expensive, the technical support from Battleborn was great, the fit under the bench seat, and more confidence that it will last many years is worth it to me.

Thanks for the info and the photo. I assume you had to put in a larger battery box for those size of batteries. I asked Escape the size of the battery box and was told it was 14 1/2 by 10 1/2. So, is there more room down there than I am being told?

 

[Ron in BC]

So, is there more room down there than I am being told?

Way more. I built a custom box for two Group 31s and as you can see it's a big open area with lots of room.

Ron

 

[splitting_lanes]

FYI, lithium batteries don’t off-gas, so no battery box is needed.

 

[homebrewer]

It's my understanding that the plastic battery box and vents cut into the side of the camper were required by regulations in Canada, assuming that "batteries" are all lead-acid, venting hydrogen in the process (US regs probably required the same). I took my LiFePO4 battery out of the box, gave it to Goodwill, and plugged and removed the vents. Sorry. Escape tried to give us a clue (my assumption) when they moved the batteries from the cargo box on the front to inside the camper. Lithium batteries don't work the same as Lead-Acid batteries - I'm not an expert by any means, but if you learn about the LFP batteries (there's so many abbreviations!) they are so much better, the extra price is worth it. BTW - I don't like the bargain foreign batteries - I've got two failed batteries, tore them apart, and it's clear that they're trying to sell while products while the LFP craze is going on. Okay, my rant is over. I'm better now.

 

[Ron in BC]

FYI, lithium batteries don’t off-gas, so no battery box is needed.

I should have clarified, the box that I built was for FLAs. It's just shown for scale. Now that I have Li I still use it. It serves to protect the connections etc. when other stuff gets piled in there.

The old factory plastic box fits in the front tongue box perfectly and gives a dedicated space for all the smaller objects that I carry.

Ron

 

[Ron in BC]

I don't like the bargain foreign batteries - I've got two failed batteries, tore them apart, and it's clear that they're trying to sell while products while the LFP craze is going on.

I generally agree but I did watch the Will Prowse tear down of LiTime batteries. He rated them highly, right up there with some top brands and they've done well for my friend that I ordered them for. Not all foreign stuff is bad.

Ron