Have any of you had any issues fitting a non-8D LiFEPO4s into the stock battery tray? Specifically, I am inquiring about ones made abroad, ie, LiTime, Lipuls, Chins, etc.
To give more detail, a lot of these 200ah-400ah lithiums seem to be close to an 8D size without coming out and saying they are an 8D battery (although I see there are now some 8D ones). These measure somewhere in the 20.75" to 20.94" range. By comparison, Oreilly's 8D AGM is 20.75" per spec. The tray is 19 3/8". I assume the measurements by the lithium manufacturers take into the handle width so getting a measurement of what the base is, is difficult.
Are the base of the lithiums 19 3/8" or less? I don't want to mess with lengthening the tray, and since a lot of these manufacturers have a no return policies on Amazon due to hazmat, I want to get it right the first time.
Both my 200ah batteries fit well within the old 8D footprint. Not as long, but same width. no modification needed. Both are LiTime/Chins
Having group 8 batteries often a lot of options for installing lithium's. In that size 300 A/H are becoming common and are often better priced per A/H than other sizes. Also most have of the 300 A/H batteries have 200 A/H BMS capacity so having a set of 2 really supports larger inverters and can easily start larger generators and boost the main engine.
My 2008 Nimbus was only fitted with group 4 D which being only 8-5/8 inches wide made for some limitations. There is room where I could cut-weld modify the frame for larger batteries to fit but I found many options in smaller sizes. I went with two of these.
LIPULS 12V 300Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery - High-Capacity Power for Demanding... (https://lipuls.com/products/lipuls-12v-300ah-lifepo4-lithium-battery)
Unfortunately, this was a new model already discontinued. They tell me an updated model is being introduced soon.
In the meantime, consider this one.
LiPULS 12V 280Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery, Built-in 200A BMS, 3584Wh En (https://lipuls.com/products/lipuls-12v-280ah-lifepo4-lithium-battery)
The BMS in these batteries work very well with alternator charging and any charger with AGM profile. I added brackets to take up the smaller footprint and I also added hold downs. I am surprised that Foretravel does not secure the batteries. While extremely rare having the batteries move and short out in the event of a rollover is not a good thought.
Here is a picture of one of batteries secured. There are 3/4 spacers on the ends to take up that gap.
Microsoft services (https://1drv.ms/f/s!AqaEiIhKCAKbkr5tHbLygnLW-Agcog?e=zpJdPj)
I put two 300 amp LifeBlue in my coach. Went with heated ones and they fit fine.
This has turned into a bigger ordeal than what I expected. I found a battery that is size friendly, but like most, they do not have SAE studs. Most of battery terminal screw types are M8 but this one is M10. If it was a M10, I would get something like this. It may work since it is a 3/8" but IDK.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXSYNJP9/
What are people doing to connect their stud terminals to their batteries? I am starting to think that I may need to resize the tray if needed.
For a number of reasons, I would upgrade the cables and connections and get away from the SAE terminals for the house loads. The tin-plated heavy-duty ring terminals such as from SEL-Term work really well. You will need some good crimp tools and use good shrink tube to seal the ends and provide strain relief. My next step will be adding bus bars so I can connect/disconnect each battery individually for servicing. For me at least annual capacity testing is part of battery maintenance.
The batteries I got were labeled as M10, but were really M8. You can get the adapters on Amazon like in your link that are in M8 or M10
Any li-ion installation should have UL 1427 marine cabling. Rubber burns. UL1427 is pvc coated and does not support flame and will not drip off unlike the rubber welding cables. Rubber cables are fine for AGM or gel. They do not burn if shorted or a cell fails
Lawson Flex Battery Cable. This is good flexile stuff. Check out the Amp/Hour ratings for a given size. Pricey but worth it.
https://catalogs.lawsonproducts.com/lawsoncatalog/Lawson-Products-Volume-38-Catalog-2023/18-3/
And some really good crimp lugs.
https://catalogs.lawsonproducts.com/lawsoncatalog/Lawson-Products-Volume-38-Catalog-2023/18-11/
Rubber. Not UL 1427 marine cabling. It's not expensive as you only use small lengths. Li-ion cells are UL listed. The cases are not. Mk gel batteries are UL for the entire battery. A shorted li-ion battery cable can cause a hard to put out fire. If the rubber drips off then touching cables can add to the fire. I noticed new multi million dollar yachts run lifeline 8d AGM batteries as salt water will not dangerously short them out
LiFePO4 batteries (which is what most install in RVs) are very different from li-ion used in things like laptops.
LiFePO4 Vs Lithium Ion & Other Batteries - Why They're #1 (https://lithiumhub.com/lifepo4-batteries-what-they-are-and-why-theyre-the-best/#:~:text=LiFePO4%20is%20incombustible.,start%20a%20fire%20or%20explode).
LiFePO4 is incombustible. It can withstand high temperatures without decomposing. It's not prone to thermal runaway and will keep cool at room temperature.
If you subject a LiFePO4 battery to harsh temperatures or hazardous events (like short-circuiting or a crash) it won't start a fire or explode.
Been around industrial batteries for a long time. Forklifts, large UPS systems, 600 kw solar farm, emergency generators, etc. Shorted/failed lead acid, AGM, and even Gell can make a real mess and once things get ignited there is usually no stopping until the battery or bank is discharged. A 48-volt 1,200 A/H battery has an amazing amount of energy. Seen a number of bad days.
Thanks for the update