Eagles International Forum

My chassis batteries are in the side compartment immediately ahead of where the bus air used to be (and where the Onan generator now resides), and just behind the rear drive wheel.

They are on a fixed shelf with only maybe 5 inches of clearance above them, so getting ANY screwdriver in there to unscrew the water caps is just about impossible, AND getting to the caps for the 3rd innermost battery is just practically impossible.

I'm thinking I'd like to get a slide-out tray underneath the 3 batteries, that is:
- flat (so any water that gets onto it will drain off and not be retained)
- slick-surfaced (so it can slide easily enough without requiring a fancy and costly roller and guide setup)
- non-corroding
- non-conductive

I think there is enough extra length in the cables that come to the battery bank to enable sliding a tray out enough to make a big difference in ease of access.

Any ideas? Or, has this wheel already been invented by someone else on the board? (I could not find a reference to any prior solution).

p.s. My COACH batteries, as distinguishedd from my chassis batteries, are SEALED batteries that require no maintenance other than checking the terminals occasionally. I like that a lot!

Jim, I built slideout trays for the coach batteries in my 05. I made them using the standard roller slides. These slides are always getting dirt and gunk in them because they are open to the elements. I am finding a way to not have slides on the coach batteries on my 15. I don't know how to make slides that will not get gunk in them but keep in mind to try and keep them clean.I am afraid that sooner than later mine will freeze up.

Good Luck Wayne

Hey Jim , I have the slide out tray's . I do have 8D's in there now and Iam able to get into them with ease. However I do have to wash them off inbetween battery service. At some point they will need to be replaced as the are old and have been in there awhile. if you like I can post some pic's on my project page .

Eagle Andy wrote:Hey Jim , I have the slide out tray's . I do have 8D's in there now and Iam able to get into them with ease. However I do have to wash them off inbetween battery service. At some point they will need to be replaced as the are old and have been in there awhile. if you like I can post some pic's on my project page .

Pictures would be great!

Where di you guys get pre-fabbed slides of the correct size? (about 12" x 21" would be right for mine)

Ahoy, Eagles,

I agree that you must have a reasonable way to get at your batteries, but for routine watering, the Pro Fill system which I installed works just great. A few 'bulb squeezes' before a trip, and you are good to go. I got the set-up from Tom RVPowerSupply.com 1 888 447 4552 at a very good price.

i had AGM batteries, which never did seem to have the claimed ampere hour capacity. These ten (10ea) Deka GC 25 6vdc batteries really do the job. They are similar to the Trojan T-125 item. Rated at 325 ah.

With this fill system, wet batteries ar a piece of cake.

Enjoy /s/ Bob

Bob: This looks REALLY good. From the description of the fill process on their website, once installed, every time you want to check the water level you simply squeeze the ONE bulb until it is "hard", and you are DONE. Couldn't be easier, and safer.

I plan on getting one. Thanks for the tip.