spikemd
Explorer
After 3 years and some abuse, my Goal Zero Extreme 350 battery wasn't holding its charge like before. I also left it discharged for a few months, which is not good for a lead acid battery. So I started to research a replacement battery and found out the OEM battery is a Ritar RA12-33, the same battery in the Extreme350 and the Yeti 400.
After some research, I came across what appears to be an upgrade in quality and small boost to 35ah in the VMAX 857 AGM sealed battery and only cost another $20 or so. It has the same dimensions and many excellent reviews on Amazon from the fishing community where it is used to power the trolling motors. It arrived on my doorstep in just two days.
Taking the Extreme 350 apart is quite easy, just eight 4mm allen bolts on the sides. I also took off the top handle with a 3mm allen but I don't think it was necessary. Two more bolts for the positive and negative terminals and the battery was free. A little wrestling to get it out as it fits tightly in the case. I put extra electrical tape on a few wires that were showing some wear from many miles of bouncing down washboard roads. Installation is the reverse of disassembly and the whole process took less than 30 minutes. The battery showed a full charge and I am topping it off. I will be more diligent about keeping the battery charged at all times.
I like the Goal Zero products and the fact that it is plug and play with their solar panels and other products. I have a 27 watt foldable, two 13.5w foldables and a 30 watt briefcase panel that chain together nicely. In Baja and full sun, I was able to run the ARB 50qt fridge and recharge the Extreme 350. In addition, Goal Zero has donated countless solar products to people in need after disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and the typhoon in the Philippines. Glad to have my power pack working again.
After some research, I came across what appears to be an upgrade in quality and small boost to 35ah in the VMAX 857 AGM sealed battery and only cost another $20 or so. It has the same dimensions and many excellent reviews on Amazon from the fishing community where it is used to power the trolling motors. It arrived on my doorstep in just two days.
Taking the Extreme 350 apart is quite easy, just eight 4mm allen bolts on the sides. I also took off the top handle with a 3mm allen but I don't think it was necessary. Two more bolts for the positive and negative terminals and the battery was free. A little wrestling to get it out as it fits tightly in the case. I put extra electrical tape on a few wires that were showing some wear from many miles of bouncing down washboard roads. Installation is the reverse of disassembly and the whole process took less than 30 minutes. The battery showed a full charge and I am topping it off. I will be more diligent about keeping the battery charged at all times.
I like the Goal Zero products and the fact that it is plug and play with their solar panels and other products. I have a 27 watt foldable, two 13.5w foldables and a 30 watt briefcase panel that chain together nicely. In Baja and full sun, I was able to run the ARB 50qt fridge and recharge the Extreme 350. In addition, Goal Zero has donated countless solar products to people in need after disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and the typhoon in the Philippines. Glad to have my power pack working again.
