[ShrimpBurrito]

My experience has been a bit different.

When we bought our TM in 2007, I installed 2 Trojan T-105s. That was 9 years ago. After testing both specific gravity just last week, levels were consistent across all 6 cells, with the possible exception of one being slightly low. Between those readings and several open circuit voltage measurements taken 24 and 48 hours after any charging or discharging, I determined that my batteries had a capacity of roughly half what they were when new. So just last week, I replaced them with 2 Trojan T-125s, which are the exact same size, but with slightly higher capacity (240 Ah) and weighing about 4 lbs more each. $325 including tax and delivery to my front door via the dealer's truck.

We nearly exclusively dry camp, so our TM is plugged into shore power for maybe 6 weeks/year. A few days prior to each trip, and then maybe two 2-week periods. Other than that, whenever the TM is at home, I have it on a battery tender type charger. It's made by a company called PulseTech, which claims to have some sort of special pulsing technology that desulfates the battery in some unique way. Who knows if it works as they claim, or if it's different than other desulfating chargers, but with a lifespan like the above, who cares?

Maximum charge current is 2 amps. I know that's far below the recommended charge rate, but again, my batteries lasted 9 years before losing half their capacity. And the charger fully recharges my batteries. It takes awhile (a few days), but for me, that's plenty of time before the next trip.

Dave