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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
A correction. I have found that there are convection microwaves that will fit in the space of the existing microwave. So, that may not be as much of a deal breaker as I thought it would be. Now the question is, can I make my chocolate chip brown sugar brownies in a convection oven? That would be a deal breaker! LOL!!
OK, two things. What convection microwave did you find?. And where is the recipe for the brownies?:D
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jwcolby54
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11/12/23 06:59am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
Hi All,
New here on the forum. We are considering a former rental rv to replace our 26ft trailer. What I have found so far is that the units from El Monte RV are newer, with presumably fewer miles, and a little more upgraded than those from Cruise America. The other thing I have noticed about the Cruise America rigs is that none of them have ovens installed. I doubt that a convection microwave will fit in the small space RVs have. For me, no oven is almost a deal breaker.
So, here's my question: Have any of you installed an oven in the space below the cooktop? Did you have to replace the cooktop as well if was a single unit?
Thanks for your responses.
Jim
There is a Cruise America 2018 in Mesa AZ with only 75k miles on it.
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jwcolby54
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10/31/23 06:18pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Leveling Scissor Jacks
My concern is that the jacks are typically mounted parallel to the bumper. Jack that thing up very far and if the RV does start to move in either direction, forward or backward, the jack itself would "roll" the RV the direction it is already traveling, and end up dropping the rv, ruining the jacks, and likely doing damage to the RV in the process.
Mounting the jack on the frame is problematic because (at least on the ford e450) the frame itself is narrow and not close to the edge of the RV. It would be a PITA to get at the jack to do the cranking. It just seems that all other things considered, using them as intended is best, while using the typical leveling blocks to get you close to level.
I have a small 19' 5th wheel Scamp. It has front landing gear actually designed to hold the weight. Even those, if I extend them too far, will "wobble" or flex, mostly side to side. That's my 2c.
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jwcolby54
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10/20/23 04:43pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....
To add an extra battery, I converted (on Majestic 28a RVs) one of the small driver side compartments into a battery compartment. One battery fits with a little room to spare. I drilled some holes in the side of the compartment for ventilation. I also added some straps underneath and to the frame to give it additional support. With this, I was able to add a 2nd battery to my Majestics. No problems for several years so far.
I also have a 23' Class C RV. It came with 2 batteries in the entry step that I replace with GC 6v batteries. I notice that on this 23' RV I also have a small compartment on the driver's side that I have never used, but in theory it could be used for an extra battery. Maybe your 23' Majestic has a similar storage compartment you could convert.
Good luck!
Chris
Chris, I am looking to take possession of a 28a next fall, roughly Sept 15th. Yea I know, a long way out, but I have to clear the decks and it will take a fair bit of coordination. My sis lives in Mesa and so I want to buy through that location so I can fly out and observe the refurb, inspect it, fixing everything found etc.
With no ability to lay hands on one of these units I am a bit nervous.
Do you know where the original battery is located? Is it tight or is there a lot of room around it. I would like to replace the original with a 200ah lithium, or even 300ah if there is enough room. Likewise I'd love to get 800 watts of solar panels up on the roof before heading back home to NC. IIRC you put solar on your roof. It looks like a huge area back at the back of the roof. Any thoughts on these things?
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jwcolby54
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10/19/23 12:19pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....
Heated batteries do work as advertised. Te problem is that they use part of their own stored energy to heat themselves. There is no free lunch. If you plan to use these then do yourself a favor and insulate the battery storage compartment so that the batteries can use less of their power heating themselves.
If you live in very cold country you have to deal with the cold. You have to insulate your water systems or completely drain them for winter storage. Well... lithium batteries need to be insulated as well, or charged and then disconnected. The lead lovers among us have other tradeoffs.
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jwcolby54
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10/15/23 08:28am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....
Hi,
I think LI are wonderful. They are, unfortunately, not a good fit for me.
When the RV is in storage it gets down to -40, so no you can't help.
I have to laugh. Folks winterize their water systems all the time but can't winterize their batteries? It is called a battery disconnect switch. LiFePO4 batteries have very low self discharge. Charge it and then turn the disconnect switch. Done.
And no, I can't help you.
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jwcolby54
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10/14/23 06:39pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....
jwcolby54,
Lead acid brand new need to have several discharge recharge cycles to reach their full capacity. This was not done prior to the testing.
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-804-how-to-prolong-lead-acid-batteries
Further lead acid do best when discharge is limited to about 1/4 C.
I love li batteries but can't use them due to cold weather. I boondock at -34 F. My first battery bank was 875 amp-hours.
LOL, which has nothing to do with the big picture results. If you like lead acid, use lead acid. Just don't try to do high current long time period draws, regardless of how many cycles you have already used the battery.
More stuff on lead acid
And as for the temp thing, move the battery inside your camper. Or insulate the battery box well. Or heat it. Or both. Unless of course you are letting the inside of your camper reach -34 F in which case I can't help you.
Again, there are those willing to fall on the sword for their lead acid batteries. I am not. What you do with your rig is none of my business, but to claim lead acid is the best thing since sliced bread ... it is not. Sliced bread makes much better PB&J Sandwiches.;)
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jwcolby54
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10/01/23 09:59am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....
I found a very good youtube video on lithium vs lead acid. It is by an engineer who did extensive side by side testing in the lab where he could get consistent results for each battery type he tested. It is somewhat long but very thorough.
https://youtu.be/iy3hga_P5YY?si=tr2yG_na_vB5rHmQ
It was done at BattleBorn but the results are the same for other manufacturers.
Thanks for finding and posting this.
Unfortunately they did not cycle the lead acid batteries BEFORE testing.
Lead acid / agm are rated at 25 amps discharge, so testing at 40 amps is not a level playing field.
The low voltage cut out is interesting. I wonder if going to 10.5 UNDER load is the same as discharging capacity to 10.5 volts?
Last winter because of snow cover my house bank went to 8 volts. It has recovered nicely.
I do use my rv at -34 f so Li unfortunately won't be in my future.
Let me start by saying that I am not an EE, however my job for 15 years was fixing electronics, back in the day when a thorough understanding of all things electronics, schematics, o'scopes and soldering irons were the tools of my trade. So I understand this stuff fairly well.
The fact is that lead acid works quite well if you pretty much stay plugged in, or only use the battery for led lights and the water pump etc. Trying to put a high current long draw device on it is where lead acid fails rather spectacularly.
As for 25 amps vs 40 amps level playing field... there is no level playing field. One doesn't get a choice about current draw. Once doesn't get to "cycle before" etc. One turns on a device and one gets what one gets. The Puekert effect is real. Put a 2kw inverter on a lead acid and enjoy the show. Put it on a LiFePO4 and enjoy your hot coffee from your microwave. It really is as simple as that. Even several lead acid batteries in parallel will droop radically under heavy load. I know, I have watched it. Many electric devices do not enjoy trying to run at 11.9 volts which is a very real result of a very high current draw on lead acid.
Every tool has it's uses. Lead acid's use case is low current over long times. Or (for starter batteries) extremely high current over extremely short times. It is decidedly not extremely high current for more than a few seconds. Whatever you do, do not attempt to run an inverter higher than perhaps 500 watts on lead acid, and try to pull full power for long times.
One final thing, LiFePO4 simply doesn't care if you fully discharge it. Lead Acid will die rather quickly if you do that repeatedly.
Every tool has its place.
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jwcolby54
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09/30/23 01:07pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
While researching these pages for my next Motor Home I saw a few threads discussing Rentals, most were Pros and Cons but very few posts from people who had purchased one.
I thought it may be a good resource and helpful to hear from these people. The good, the bad, what they liked and what they didn’t. Also if they had any problems, things they changed, if they would recommend this to others or do it again.
Here is my story: I am not a novice, having owned a Class A for more than 15 years and doing the camping thing with my wife and two daughters, I can say “been there done that” But life changes, and I sold everything so I have been away from this for several years. Starting over I lurked here for a while and got a lot of good insight then went looking.
My criteria was: A Class C within by budget, less than 30 feet so I can keep it at home, saving storage $, a rear bed, and a lot of storage space.
What fit that was Winnebago, Fleetwood and a few others, what I found mostly was Jamboree / Tioga 26Q. In the year models 2002 thru 2006. I did my home work looking at NADA and other sites to find the fair prices for the models that I was looking for.
After several months of searching the internet, Craigslist, private ads and Dealerships for a Class C that suited my budget and needs, this is what I found. Of the dozen or so I inquired about.Most were upsidedown in their payments, owing more than they were worth. All were on Ford Chassis, 7 needed tires, all had the original 7 to 10 year old tires, and they all needed repair of the awning and most needed some work inside or out and the maintenance records were sketchy, but most had low mileage. The Dealerships offerings were better but they had a profit margin to maintain so I got older models within my budget or huge up sales that didn’t work for me.
My next step was looking at the rental market for sales. In my area there are 2 large companies that have rental sales, Cruise America and El Monte RV,who also sell Class A RVs.
First up was El Monte RV Their units are production RVs that are made by major manufactures, with TV antennas and hookups inside and out, Ducted A/C and heat, 2 house batteries, a rear ladder and parts are readily available from those manufacture’s. I looked at their web site and it detailed their warranty and what was checked and serviced by their factory trained technicians. The unit I looked at was like new inside, the upholstery on all the seats was new as was the floor mat in the driver’s area, it had a new mattress, still in plastic and a new bedspread. All of the curtains were new also. Newer (2010 mfg date) tires with 98% rubber and the mileage was ninety thousand (90,000).
Then there was Cruise America: Their units that I looked at seemed to be Spartan,no TV antenna or hookups for one,non-ducted A/C,small counter space and only one battery, no rear ladder for inspection and maintenance of roof and built just for them, they were all “refreshed” their words not mine. They offered extended warranties at a huge cost. All had high mileage, one hundred and thirty thousand (130,000) or more and the price range seemed a little high. The sales staff had a take it or leave it attitude and were not very forthcoming when asked about maintenance records and service,they claim to have proprietary info in those records,It doesn't seem to be a problem for El Monte RV.
At El Monte RV I took a test ride; This Unit was a 2006 Tioga 26Q on a Chevrolet Chassis it rode
Drove and handled much better than the Fords that I had driven. It also had more leg room and was quieter. We got back and I asked about the service and maintenance on it, the salesman, Joey, handed me a 28 page single spaced document asked if I wanted some coffee or something to drink and said “read this and if you have any questions I will answer them”.
It detailed everything that was done before and after each rental, the mileage, generator hours and hours billed. Each time it was washed and detailed inside and outside, all fluids were checked and replenished if needed, the holding tanks were washed, LP system was checked for leaks, all torque on wheel lugs were checked, brakes front and rear checked for wear and cracks, pressure in tires, all appliances, generator oil, lights inside and outside, the list goes on and on.
It also listed all oil changes,coolant change,trans service,fuel injector service and cleaning,fuel filters,air filter, new brakes, all repairs and replacements all with date, mileage and time spent in complete detail from day one to when it was pulled from the rental fleet and was refurbished. I have a complete service record on this vehicle.Also the service records on the Onan Generator,all oil changes,air filter and spark plug replacement with hours and date. I negotiated a good deal with them and am very happy with my purchase.
It came with a 1 yr. 12000 mile power train warranty and 30 day on all appliances. It also came with a 28 page maintenance record that detailed everything. Also the original sales packet from Fleetwood with the manual and serial numbers on all appliances,refrigerator, microwave,furnace, AC, water heater, etc. and the manual for the Chassis. I have had no problems with it so far.
(ON EDIT) 5 Years and close to 14000 miles.Just Scheduled Maintenance and new tires,old ones were at the 5 year mark and I wanted new Michelin LTX M/S2s.
There were a few things that it didn’t have as it was a rental and the ones from private parties did have.
• Power steps, outside Stereo/CD don’t need or want them.
• An Awning, this I wanted and had installed. A Swivel Seat and a new Window in The Door that I installed.
• Wheel Simulators, I like the looks so I had them installed and at the same time had Tire Man valve stem kit put on.
• Replaced the Chinese WFCO with a US Made converter/charger
• It came with mini blinds and not the day/night that most have, these are more practical and have a lot less failure.It also came with Stainless Steel sinks,easier to maintain than the cheap plastic ones that come in the noncommercial units.
I am very happy with my Rig, it suites my needs and it was in my Budget range, I think I got a good deal.
So if you bought a rental please share your experience here for others to use as a resource.
Or if there are any other questions that have not been covered in these pages, just ask, there are many helpful people on this thread.
6 months to position myself to buy mine. I intend to live in it full time. Semi-retired, will pay it off in about two years and be debt free... and rent free...
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jwcolby54
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09/29/23 08:14am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
Did a bit more poking around and found several posts that mounting inside the cabin is not a good idea due to outgassing. Several mentioned that it has been done successfully when vented properly, but unless one is an expert it's not recommended.
FYI in 2023 a 100ah lithium battery (LiFePO4) is da bomb and doesn't off-gas.
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jwcolby54
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09/27/23 06:30pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
...
I use a CPAP machine and wondere if there is a way to use it when boondocking. Do I have to have a inverter? If the cigarette socket is live, I think I can use a 12 volt adapter for it.
I know this is an old post but now full sine wave comverters are avail that plug into a 12v socket. I use one to run my very old AC powered CPAP.
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jwcolby54
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09/27/23 06:22pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
After all a motorhome is like a house going down the road, having a 7.5 earthquake each day. Something bad is going to happen sometime so be ready.
You've obviously never been on I95 south in SC/GA.:B
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jwcolby54
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09/25/23 04:09pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
Any thoughts on buying a cruise america out of florida? Lots of flooding down there in the last few years...
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jwcolby54
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09/22/23 05:07pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
Where do I find my 'preference settings' for this forum? I can't see any pictures due to 'your preference settings'
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jwcolby54
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09/21/23 12:30pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
.
The 28a is an e450. the 25 is an e350. Same engine and I believe same transmission, but the suspension is different between the two.
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jwcolby54
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09/21/23 11:50am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
After having my 23A for over a year I thought I would check in.
I haven't had really any negative issues with the RV until recently, and it concerns the house battery. It seems I haven't been giving the battery the love it deserves. CA said they put a new battery in the unit before I bought it, and the battery is a rather expensive battery (Lifeline 100 AH AGM), but since I can't find anything on the battery telling me when it was made, and I suspect that if the battery was "new" a year before I purchased the rv, it probably wasn't charged or maintained as it should have been.
When I first got the rv, I put a number of long trips on it, which should have fully charged the AGM battery. It's only been lately that I think it doesn't hold a charge as it should. But then, how I'm using the rv now has changed, With the cost of gas, I don't make the long trips anymore.
So I think either the battery has seen better days due to the way it's been used prior to my ownership, and/or the way I've been charging the battery hasn't done it any good. For example, I thought that simply driving the rv a long distance would fully charge the battery. No, the alternator will only give it a bulk charge; to fully charge the battery up to 100%, I need to trickle charge it for a couple of days. Who would have thought that?
For a while I've been researching adding solar power to help fully charge the battery. I've learned a ton of information on batteries and solar on the Sportsmobile website. I realize there's information available on various RV sites, but I found that after reading them, they didn't answer all of my questions. On the Sportsmobile site, all of the information I was looking for was in one spot.
the link-->https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f20/faq-s-battery-problems-and-common-power-calculators-1940.html
Hopefully, this link will help someone discover everything they need to know about how to take care of their house batteries.
Lead acid batteries of any type self discharge somewhat rapidly. When it sits, leave it plugged in if possible. If not have a solar panel charge it if possible. If not put a trickle charger on it. If not... just cruise in it every month.
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jwcolby54
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09/17/23 09:24am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
(On Majestic RVs from Cruise America....,but I suppose could apply to any former rental Class C or any Class C in general...)
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When I look underneath my RV, I see that there is a steering stabilizer already on the RV. I assume this is "from the factory". Here is a picture...
https://i.imgur.com/GLkCfGNl.jpg
Does anyone know how good, or how NOT good, this steering stabilizer is (especially in the event of a front tire blowout)?
I have heard that the factory installed is pretty much worn out and needs to be replaced
Do ALL Class C RVs come with this type of steering stabilizer? Does this factory stabilizer significantly protect against vehicle pulling during a front tire blowout??
This is less a 'RV specific' thing. It is something that folks do on the E/F 450 whether RV, VAN etc.
...
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Thanks!
Chris
I don't have mine yet. I am going to buy one around June of 24 according to my planning spreadsheet. I'm semi-retiring and going to live in mine. I drive tractor trailer now and will continue to do so for several more years.
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jwcolby54
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09/17/23 08:29am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
I am not seeing photos, instead seeing 'due to personal preferences; or some such. Anyone know how to set that so I can see photos?
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jwcolby54
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09/17/23 07:57am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
I am a database analyst / programmer. I built a database using MS Access and scraped 103 records from the CA website, specifically for the 28a. I managed to miss 2 of the records currently out there. I have not done the same for the 25a simply because I am not interested in those and...
It was a bit of a pita doing this as I had to click on each and every one of the listings to get into the second page because the VIN and the miles are only available on the second page. Sigh.
But it is done. Now I have to check up occasionally to see new listings as they occur. BTW if there is anyone out there who can actually automate this using for example Python and wants to help me do this please do speak up. I managed to use the windows paste buffer to paste it into my db, from where I parse the 10 lines of text into the various prices and other fields.
I can export this thing out to an Excel spreadsheet if anyone is interested in seeing what is out there and how the prices break around the miles and year.
2018 prices range from $38850 with 136302 miles vs $46850 with 96850 miles.
2019s range from $39,350.00 for 150562 miles up to $46,850.00 for 117924 miles.
Of course I also have the location where each unit is being sold.
I have the VIN and did a basic lookup on it. Not much of interest to me in that.
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jwcolby54
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09/16/23 07:06pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....
I found a very good youtube video on lithium vs lead acid. It is by an engineer who did extensive side by side testing in the lab where he could get consistent results for each battery type he tested. It is somewhat long but very thorough.
https://youtu.be/iy3hga_P5YY?si=tr2yG_na_vB5rHmQ
It was done at BattleBorn but the results are the same for other manufacturers.
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jwcolby54
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09/16/23 05:47pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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