Battery Mod: size 27

[e9999]

well, finished off working off my new battery scheme.

Premise: I wanted a dual purpose battery cuz of deeper loads while camping (lights etc)

Situation:
- Only found one 27F (OEM optional size) battery in town. Expensive. Not dual purpose. Hard to find in the boonies I'm sure.
- No Walmart nearby
- Costco has 27 duals in stock. Very good specs (as good as some 31s I've seen). No 27Fs. And the Optimas they have (RT and YT, no BT) are smaller (34 and 35) with only 55Ah.
- Found a 31 in town but the true 31s don't fit the OEM holdown plus their specs are about the same or only a bit better than the Costco 27. And more expensive.
- Optima 31: Can be ordered but much more expensive, and still limited RC.

Conclusion: went with the Costco 27 wet dual: 600CCA (plenty in the SW for the 4.5 I believe) and 115Ah. Extra studs. Nice handle . Also fresh battery (shipped within the last 2 weeks) - a big deal as far as batteries go. Can add water - another good plus in the SW. And the return policy!
I think it's excellent value for the $69.

The AGM etc types have only the sealing as main advantage IMO. Not a biggie if you don't roll the rig. Plus their RC/ Ah is not impressive at all.

Problem: 27 posts are the opposite of 27F.

Solution: made an extension for the + side. 12". $9 of parts at welding supplies store. The OEM - cable can reach the - post w/o trouble. Stashed the bundle of + cables on the back of the tray, well insulated, tied down.
Battery fits the tray perfectly, of course. Caps can be opened.

Now I can readily switch from 27 to 27F to Optimas etc as needed. Got all the cabling right there.

Spent too much time on this, but fun, and I'm happy with the outcome...

 

[Rusty Phillips]

Can add water - another good plus in the SW.

of course you need to remember to check the water every once in a while (oops!)

 

[e9999]

of course you need to remember to check the water every once in a while (oops!)

yes, but that's better than having a sealed battery losing water (they do, especially under high temps) and not being able to refill it, right?

 

[RavenTai]

Spent too much time on this, but fun, and I'm happy with the outcome...

That is the important part,

both of my batteries are regular 27, I made custom cables all the way arround,

 

[Grench]

All three of mine are Optima D31A. Same size as 27F (give or take). Posts in the middle. No mods needed. Dual purpose battery. 1150 CA. Easier than fitting a standard 27.

YMMV

 

[Darwood]

I went with a 27 on the passenger side and a 27F on the drivers side so that both positive posts are inboard.

 

[NorCalDoug]

just a fyi to throw in here...an extension to the pos cable is not needed for a 27 -- you simply need to snip the zip tie holding it in place and pull it through the grommet.

 

[e9999]

just a fyi to throw in here...an extension to the pos cable is not needed for a 27 -- you simply need to snip the zip tie holding it in place and pull it through the grommet.

yes, good point, was wondering about this. Wasn't sure that would make enough extra length, plus I didn't want the cables to be stretched across big empty spaces, I'd rather thave them tucked in, plus I wanted to play with making cables...
But it may have been more efficient to try the unwinding first...