Motor mover battery.

[paulsy69]

Hi ‘ I need to purchase a new battery for my Bailey Pegasus Rimini GT 65 , I have fitted a new motor mover to it and need to know what Amp battery to get that will move caravan with ease , previous battery was 100 Amp and seemed to struggle a bit , any advice would be very nice
Regards
Paul

 

[otherclive]

A 100 ah should have no problem moving the caravan, perhaps it was because the battery was beginning to age, or the previous movers were not working at optimum. Or were you expecting too fast a speed? The largest battery I have ever had was 110 ah. But you would be hard pressed to spot any difference between a 100 or 110 ah when it came to moving the caravan. In fact the only difference should be endurance time. Once the van starts to move the actual amps required to keep it moving reduce quite a lot. Some mover makes specify a minimum amp hour less than 100ah.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It's not the Ah capacity or size of the battery that's important, its whether it can supply the current the mover needs when you want to use it. In reality most caravanners us a mover for less than 5 Mins running time and typically that will use between 1 and 2Ah of battery charge, which is often surprisingly little.

What you need to ensure is the battery is capable supplying the peak current ( Sometimes known as cold or cranking amps) demand the mover needs, usually 60 to100A depending on the model, the weight of the caravan and the terrain you're trying to move over. But as soon as the caravan is moving the current demands falls significantly which is why over all it doesn't use a lot of battery capacity.

The important factor is the battery does need to be well charged before its used to move a caravan.

 

[RogerL]

It's not the Ah capacity or size of the battery that's important, its whether it can supply the current the mover needs when you want to use it. In reality most caravanners us a mover for less than 5 Mins running time and typically that will use between 1 and 2Ah of battery charge, which is often surprisingly little.

What you need to ensure is the battery is capable supplying the peak current ( Sometimes known as cold or cranking amps) demand the mover needs, usually 60 to100A depending on the model, the weight of the caravan and the terrain you're trying to move over. But as soon as the caravan is moving the current demands falls significantly which is why over all it doesn't use a lot of battery capacity.

The important factor is the battery does need to be well charged before its used to move a caravan.

I'd suggest that batteries for caravan movers need a lot more than the cold cranking rating - that depends on discharge for a few seconds only while the car engine starts up - motor movers will use high current for several minutes.

Powrtouch used to recommend a minimum of 80 Ah capacity for a lead-acid battery in order to cope with the high current needed, without shortening overall battery life.

 

[paulsy69]

Thanks for the replies, the mover I fitted is an E-Move my old battery was a 100 Amp but it was old and came with caravan when I purchased it , caravan is 2013 model , I store van at side of my house and there is a slight slope to go up to park it so needs a decent battery , so need to know what type and amp ?

 

[otherclive]

Reich easy driver only takes 20 amp on a level road when running. Reich recommends 50 ah minimum battery. 15% slope with 2500 kg van and 25% slope 1200 kg van. 33 % kerb.
Don’t know what your mover tech spec is but as Prof stated you don’t use that much current whilst operating a mover. Even a small AH battery will give the necessary starting kick after which current demand reduces. A feature of the motors.

Doesn’t your mover tech spec give minimum battery size?

ps Powrtouch recommend 85to 100 ah battery fir their Feedom or Evolution models respectively but I suspect these figures are based on the fact that most users will require a battery that does more than just move a van, as this would be a disadvantage on non EHU sites. But their max current is 80 a snd running current 20 amp. A substantial reduction.

 

[Woodentop]

Always buy a decent brand is my advice. If you by an own brand from Halfords you will be getting a re-badged Yuasa, probably one of the best makes of battery you can get. Also consider Bosch and Varta - most of which are made by the same (outside) company. Its more about the physical size and if it will fit in your battery compartment than anything else.
Tip: always carry a spare battery (or batteries) for your remote. If they die when you are trying to move the van you could be well stuck!

 

[audiorob]

Just googled for the answer - the Emove 203 with manual activation uses average 20A and max 100A if that helps

 

[otherclive]

The OP’s mover requires 85ah minimum or 105 ah recommended. Here’s the makers manual.

https://www.streetwizeaccessories.com/files//13ef12ba-959a-424a-b1d0-af12007b4389/EM203%20Manual%20AW%2011-2020.pdf

 

[ProfJohnL]

I'd suggest that batteries for caravan movers need a lot more than the cold cranking rating - that depends on discharge for a few seconds only while the car engine starts up - motor movers will use high current for several minutes.

The action of a caravan mover in regards of current consumption and how it affects a battery is nowhere near as aggressive as a car starter . Typical maximum load for a caravan mover will be around 80A or less, and unlike a car starter which repeatedly has to overcome the the compression resistance of each cylinder to turn the engine, the motion of caravan on reasonable surface is comparatively benign. The worst case case scenario is when the caravan is being asked to make an incline. Typically it takes less than a second for the mover to get up to speed (Unless a slow start system has been fitted) and once at speed it will typically only use about 20% or less of its stalled current rating.

Most caravanners take less than 5 min. of manoeuvring to unhitch and position the caravan, and even then the mover is rarely used for more than a few seconds burts at a time.

The caravan buttery's maximum current output only needs to be able to match mover's stalled current rating, and most Lead Acid leisure batteries should be capable of that.

There is no harm in going for a bigger battery but its not necessary. In fact if you are only using sites with an electric hook up, then you can easily get away with using a small car battery with a 100A cold cranking rating. to cover the movers needs.

 

[Buckman]

We have a twin axle with AWD motor mover and the 100ah AGM Battery that we have fitted is more than adequate.

 

[JTQ]

IMO, by far the majority of mover issues others attribute to inadequate "size" of the battery is simply down to knackered batteries. As the Prof and others have said a battery yielding adequate amps, here power, to start up and sustain a mover has nothing to do with the energy, Ah, "size", the holding capacity of a battery, just its ability to yield enough of the varying currents, for long enough. Also as said, the "energy" Ah, most users need to cover their mover demands, is a very small part of the energy a healthy battery of circa 80 plus Ah should hold.

I for well over a decade used a "traction" battery, of just 60Ah labelled capacity.
These are of course absolutely the ideal of those of the LA battery technologies, exactly the battery for traction duties, as powering a mover is.

Mover makers specifying minimum Ah capacities for their products are not in stating that portraying an understanding of what their product needs from the battery; I am sure they do actually understand, they just know if they say a high Ah there is every chance, given where their clients will buy a "caravan" battery from and what they get as a battery , it is going to do.

Further, it is a fact of life of two similarly knackered batteries, the bigger the holding capacity one will yield both proportionally more power and energy than its smaller sibling, The real life outcome is the individual with the biggest "size" knackered battery is not going to complain as early as one with a smaller battery. This and the fact the duty a mover asks from a battery is a very telling "test" of the battery's health; by quoting a girt great size battery the mover maker is buffering itself well away from users being unhappy with their product, even though the actual cause of that dissatisfaction lays elsewhere.

 

[Beachball]

Well funny enough we put the exact motor mover on our caravan and at the storage there was a slight slope . the battery was check at the time it was a halfords 110 ah it was great

 

[otherclive]

Well funny enough we put the exact motor mover on our caravan and at the storage there was a slight slope . the battery was check at the time it was a halfords 110 ah it was great

As long as the battery is healthy and meets the minimum capability for moving the caravan it is one area where size does not matter, unless of course the caravanner has other power demands too.

 

[Buckman]

As long as the battery is healthy and meets the minimum capability for moving the caravan it is one area where size does not matter, unless of course the caravanner has other power demands too.

I thought that size was a prerequisite as it would need to fit in the battery compartment?

 

[otherclive]

I thought that size was a prerequisite as it would need to fit in the battery compartment?

I do assume that most caravanners have a modicum of common sense. But could be wrong😱🤣🤣🤣

 

[Buckman]

I do assume that most caravanners have a modicum of common sense. But could be wrong😱🤣🤣🤣

Are you kidding? 😆

 

[Raywood]

We use a 110a/h battery which is probably overkill. We have used a 75 a/h battery before on a lightweight caravan and it managed but possibly with a heavier one it might have struggled. A 100 a/h should be adequate, I do not think the speed they operate is connected to the power of the battery, they operate at a set speed.
Having had three different makes on our caravans the one thing they had in common is that they were all very slow and it might give the impression they were struggling, when that is how they operate.

 

[otherclive]

We use a 110a/h battery which is probably overkill. We have used a 75 a/h battery before on a lightweight caravan and it managed but possibly with a heavier one it might have struggled. A 100 a/h should be adequate, I do not think the speed they operate is connected to the power of the battery, they operate at a set speed.
Having had three different makes on our caravans the one thing they had in common is that they were all very slow and it might give the impression they were struggling, when that is how they operate.

The maker of the OP’s mover recommends 85 Ah minimum.

 

[PTA]

I do assume that most caravanners have a modicum of common sense. But could be wrong😱🤣🤣🤣

I resemble that remark!

 

[paulsy69]

Thanks for the replies and advice, I have decided to get a 100Amp battery from Halfords £145, might be cheaper as I know someone who works there,

 

[ProfJohnL]

We use a 110a/h battery which is probably overkill. We have used a 75 a/h battery before on a lightweight caravan and it managed but possibly with a heavier one it might have struggled. A 100 a/h should be adequate, I do not think the speed they operate is connected to the power of the battery, they operate at a set speed.
Having had three different makes on our caravans the one thing they had in common is that they were all very slow and it might give the impression they were struggling, when that is how they operate.

For the reasons given earlier, its not the Ah size of the battery that is real criteria, it's the ability of the battery to supply the peak demand currents. However it is generally the case the larger the Ah rating of a battery its likely to also have a slightly larger peak current capability also, but it isn't always the case, and as has been pointed out it could also be down to the age of the battery. The older or more used a battery is the less able it is to provide peak currents.

 

[Beachball]

As long as the battery is healthy and meets the minimum capability for moving the caravan it is one area where size does not matter, unless of course the caravanner has other power demands too.

When we brought the caravan it came with 110ah battery so the previous owner must have had more demands on it i just put my mover on .

 

[xtrailman]

I use a Varta LFD 90Ah battery to move 1700kg now 6 years old.

 

[xtrailman]

The Halfords one wouldn't fit.