Anyone swap out their 2-12volt batteries for 2-6volt batteries? My two 12v batteries I think won't do the job anymore. I got 4 years out of them. I'm considering replacing them with 2 6v ones. Anyone have experience with both? Which way is better?
If your batteries are 4 years old I would consider just replacing them now. Odds are they will fail in the middle of the season. Bad batteries will also tax your charger/converter. They will also tend to overcharge and boil off creating more maintenance and possible damage.
I would not worry about charging rates to a pair of 6 volts in series. Odds are any 6 volt battery you buy will be "golf cart service" (deep cycle) and far superior to what came in your trailer. Trailer batteries are installed by the dealer and typically will be cheap car starting batteries.
For an example, I have 6 6 volt batteries in our golf cart, the charger is a 36 volt charger, not 6 – 6 volt chargers. Electric fork lifts have up to 48 - 1 volt batteries wired in series and use a single 48 volt charger.
I would make sure that your charger/converter is one of the “smart” types.
A pair of golf cart 6 volts wired in series will have the same voltage (almost) but much higher capacity then your pair of 12 volts wired in parallel.
If you have the room and don’t mind the weight replace the 2-12’s with 2-6’s – and you will have to change the way they are wired.
Tom’s buddy with the 4D’s has the room for big batteries. 4D’s are big and heavy, don’t remember the weight, but he 8D’s in my boat weigh 175 pounds each and are awkward to handle.
Go with 6’s and the odds are good, if you take care of them, you will get another trailer before you buy batteries again.