Adding a second battery?

08-12-2015, 06:52 PM

My wife and I are new owners of a 2008 trailmanor 2720Sl and I have a few questions. How does one install a 2nd battery does trailmanor sell a kit?

LoveToCamp · 08-12-2015, 08:15 PM

Where is your current battery? On the tongue? Back compartment? Under dinette? Designs and locations change over the years, so knowing where your battery is will help.

**Bill** · 08-13-2015, 07:10 AM

In a 2720SL, the battery is located in the rear compartment, accessible from outside. The battery box is recessed into the floor, and is big enough to accommodate either a Group 24 or a Group 27 battery. I believe that the battery is added by the dealer, not the factory, but I don't know who makes the cutout in the floor. It is worth noting that the weight of the battery is supported entirely by the thin aluminum outside skin of the floor, since the upper aluminum skin and foam core are cut away.

To the best of my knowledge, TM has never offered a kit to add an extra battery. Several members - perhaps Padgett most recently - have added a second battery. The details of their projects will be found in their posts. I don't recall that any of them have beefed up the floor to handle the extra weight, but I could be wrong. I have visions of the aluminum skin giving way and dumping the batteries on the ground.

The mechanical part of the project is the challenging part. Wiring in the new battery is easy. See, for example,

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...&pictureid=451

for the two common configurations.

Bill

Padgett · 08-13-2015, 07:36 AM

As purchased the 2720SL had a battery box wedged in the recess so little weight was directly on the skin. It also had a grp 29 in the box which was really too small for it.

To maximise space I built a plywood platform with cover for it to sit sideways against the side and there is room for a grp 31 or two GC2s (215AH) or GC2Hs (260AH) that way (I now have two GC2s there).

By relocating against the side wall there is room for my 2500W generator in the compartment. There is a vent in the side wall above the batteries.

Since I have a 1KW inverter and 200W of solar, I mounted a load center and the solar controller above the batteries on the front bultkead.

Picture shows with the battery cover removed. There is no room for a conventional battery box without modification of the storage compartment.

With everything loaded there is still 436lbs tongue weight.

**ShrimpBurrito** · 08-13-2015, 11:05 AM

About 7-8 years ago, I followed the method described my member mjlaupp. I have not had to make any further modifications, and it was worked perfectly since day 1. If I ever have to do it again, I'd do it the exact same way.

Check it out:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=1696

Dave

Padgett · 08-13-2015, 12:27 PM

The rear compartment in those pictures seems narrower than mine (my rear compartment is 14.5" front to back, two 7.25" GC2s fit perfectly but why I had to make a cover). By wedging the batteries against the street side wall, I had 24" left to store a generator in the same compartment.

My platform is braced on the sides and is over the slot in the floor. I just route the solar and trickle charger cables through the slot.

ps It is carpeted

**ShrimpBurrito** · 08-13-2015, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padgett

The rear compartment in those pictures seems narrower than mine

As Mike explains in one of the posts in that 2004 thread:

Quote:

Note that the new '04 2720SL has a larger storage area that is 3 inches deeper due to the shore-line storage area being moved to the bumper storage area. This modification would be much easier on the new models.

Dave

Padgett · 08-13-2015, 01:05 PM

That explains the sideways battery position. Am surprised they did not relocate against the street side wall after the mod. But then I have seen a number of "legacy" elements that could have been improved over the years.

Suspect if we sat down and did an ergonomic study we could find a lot of low or no-cost improvements. (like eliminating the spacer by ordering axles clocked differently)

RottieMom · 08-13-2015, 06:35 PM

Bill, I'm thinking battery location may have changed from year to year on 2720SL because mine is under the sofa...which I'm really not that happy about.

**Bill** · 08-14-2015, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RottieMom

Bill, I'm thinking battery location may have changed from year to year on 2720SL because mine is under the sofa

Located on the slide-out? I have never seen that - must be something new. I'm the first to admit that the under-sofa storage is pretty useless for normal things, so maybe that was the motivation.

Bill