Dual Battery System - What have you fitted?

[Meanderthals]

Due to limited space in the engine bay of the Ranger the 2nd battery is in the tub. Firstly I had Ford turn off their so called Smart Charging system which now charges at old standard voltages. From the main battery I have a feed going into a plastic box tucked away at the back of the engine, passenger side. In that box there is a manual isolating switch and feeds a Redarc Smart Start isolator that kicks in after the engine has been running for a short time. Via fuses this then feeds 2 6B&S twin core runs to the rear. One goes straight to an Anderson Plug at the towbar for the van ESC. The other feed goes to a Redarc BCDC charger then via a fuse and into an enclosure that is clamped down to a sheet of formply that sits on rubber matting. The enclosure has a 100Ah AGM in it and then feeds a fuse panel and a Baintech panel.
http://www.baintech.com.au/shop/product-range/power-panels/baintech-universal-panel-ciga-engel-usb
Via appropriate fusing there is a feed from the battery to an Anderson Plug on the towbar for van power.

Still deciding on a really suitable enclosure in the tub for these items as I have yet to decide on whether I might get a Brown Davis long range diesel tank to sit up against the front of the tub. At present I have a gutted out microwave case that faces upwards and the battery fits perfectly down inside it with the fuse panel, Redarc BCDC and the Baintech panel screwed to the outside. As a replacement I'm considering an unused computer tower case that seems to have the right dimensions.

The advantage of the Redarc BCDC and similar is that they can properly charge a range of different battery types other than standard lead-acid ones. It can have a solar feed in to it but as yet I don't have a roof rack to mount one on but I may add an Anderson Plug connection to it to so that the portable panel can be used to keep the battery charged at free camping places.

Like others here most items, especially cables, were sourced from autoelecau on ebay.

 

[Crusty181]

Being a 12v nuffy (Quote unquote) too I went for a setup that was set and forget. I have the Redarc bcdc1225 low voltage controller and charger. This effectively charges the cranking battery first then second battery. I have the second battery wired to a couple of sockets in the rear of the prado that run the waeco etc. Probably a more expensive setup, but works for us. We have a 105ah battery, which lasts about 3 days when on freezer and about 5 or 6 days when set on fridge. Served us well on our recent half lap of aus.

I haven't had any issues with either of my cars over the last 6 years running the Engel permanantly in the back of the Nav on the single battery .... but Melb is not going to push the capacity like travelling up north.

Do you think from your recent travels that the primary battery would have struggled to cope with the Waeco.

 

[Crusty181]

This thread has got me actively juggling some options.

How does this sound for a option. I have the single battery in the car that copes very well with the Engel running (in Melb) constantly. I have precious little room to mount a second battery and Im reluctant to put one in the tub of my work car. I have 2 x 120ah batteries in the van and a 150w panel. 240ah and a panel is way more than we generally require. Im confident, from experience that the car battery copes quite well with the Engel for 3 days in hot weather. To err of the conservative side, when we free camp for more than 2 days I simply run a 12v lead from the vans external 12v outlet to the fridge, drawing from the already on-hand ample power supply which is topped up by the panel

I save myself the cost of isolators, smart charges, solenoids and a 2nd battery that, from experience, I would otherwise never need. Am I missing anything obvious???

 

[Meanderthals]

This thread has got me actively juggling some options.

How does this sound for a option. I have the single battery in the car that copes very well with the Engel running (in Melb) constantly. I have precious little room to mount a second battery and Im reluctant to put one in the tub of my work car. I have 2 x 120ah batteries in the van and a 150w panel. 240ah and a panel is way more than we generally require. Im confident, from experience that the car battery copes quite well with the Engel for 3 days in hot weather. To err of the conservative side, when we free camp for more than 2 days I simply run a 12v lead from the vans external 12v outlet to the fridge, drawing from the already on-hand ample power supply which is topped up by the panel

I save myself the cost of isolators, smart charges, solenoids and a 2nd battery that, from experience, I would otherwise never need. Am I missing anything obvious???

If it works for you why change it.

 

[Drover]

why not?????
I know of a guy who just (last August) brought a brand new Patrol (Y61)
its only got 100kms on the clock, and it is in getting mod's

got the back cut off for a tray, about mid point of the rear doors, and extended the front - big ar$ed ute it will be
and its getting a 6.5 Duramax & Allison 6 speed auto fitted, he is doing the work himself, hence the time so far

looks AWESOME

also know of another guy with the NEW new Patrol (Y62)1000km on the clock, and he has ripped out the Auto and fitted the 6 speed manual like they get in UAE - not an easy task

I know off topic BUT............I would buy the right vehicle first and go fishing instead of being stuck in a shed...............big arsed Chevy..

@Smergen is causing me to spend $$$ to finish off my dual battery set up, I was blissfully sticking my head in sand to ignor ethe need for a charger, now this thread !!!!!!!!

 

[Drover]

This thread has got me actively juggling some options.

I save myself the cost of isolators, smart charges, solenoids and a 2nd battery that, from experience, I would otherwise never need. Am I missing anything obvious???

Sounds like a workable set up to me, using similar at the moment, just prefer the ute to be self contained as I sometimes forget to plug in to charge things up. Even though mine is drawing from a battery other than the engine battery. Tray back rule supreme.

 

[Crusty181]

If it works for you why change it.

Haven't done it yet, just thinking on the run ....

 

[Shane Norwell]

This thread has got me actively juggling some options.

How does this sound for a option. I have the single battery in the car that copes very well with the Engel running (in Melb) constantly. I have precious little room to mount a second battery and Im reluctant to put one in the tub of my work car. I have 2 x 120ah batteries in the van and a 150w panel. 240ah and a panel is way more than we generally require. Im confident, from experience that the car battery copes quite well with the Engel for 3 days in hot weather. To err of the conservative side, when we free camp for more than 2 days I simply run a 12v lead from the vans external 12v outlet to the fridge, drawing from the already on-hand ample power supply which is topped up by the panel

I save myself the cost of isolators, smart charges, solenoids and a 2nd battery that, from experience, I would otherwise never need. Am I missing anything obvious???

I wouldn't say your missing anything, if your happy with your system stick with it.

 

[bigcol]

i agree with the others, if it aint broke why try and fix it.

 

[Smergen]

Wow.... haven't I opened up some discussion! Without quoting all contributors so far, I just want to say thank you all very much for the time and the input.

I reckon, like @Crusty181, I reckon most of the time I could run off one battery with some sort of protection to ensure that I don't discharge the battery too much. But I'm trying to set the truck up to be a bit of a base camp for the Big Trip. We intend at this stage to take the truck sans van to some nice spots where we can remain a little self sufficient. So I think I'd prefer the redundancy of a second battery.

But having said that, weight is supreme and a constant issue with these decisions, so if there is a smart solution then that might be it. Maybe a simple input from solar and safety options could buy me a few kg's....

Hmmmmm some real thinking to do. Really appreciate the all the thoughts and feedback. Keep it coming and I hope more than just me benefits from such knowledgeable input!

 

[mfexpanda]

Wow.... haven't I opened up some discussion! Without quoting all contributors so far, I just want to say thank you all very much for the time and the input.

I reckon, like @Crusty181, I reckon most of the time I could run off one battery with some sort of protection to ensure that I don't discharge the battery too much. But I'm trying to set the truck up to be a bit of a base camp for the Big Trip. We intend at this stage to take the truck sans van to some nice spots where we can remain a little self sufficient. So I think I'd prefer the redundancy of a second battery.

But having said that, weight is supreme and a constant issue with these decisions, so if there is a smart solution then that might be it. Maybe a simple input from solar and safety options could buy me a few kg's....

Hmmmmm some real thinking to do. Really appreciate the all the thoughts and feedback. Keep it coming and I hope more than just me benefits from such knowledgeable input!

@Smergen When we free camp and the engel is full of drinks I use a portable solar panel while the Colorado is parked . I use the Anderson plug at the rear that goes straight to the battery .
I don't have an extra battery in the ute

 

[Colin Exley]

Hi guys sorry to butt in but now you can buy fully sealed secondary batteries you can mount inside the cab under or behind seats on their side . They are a little pricey but I wouldn't go anywhere without a second battery. You just never know when a battery will fail. I can handle warm beer but a dead start battery in the scrub ain't spec

 

[Kenshi123]

I haven't had any issues with either of my cars over the last 6 years running the Engel permanantly in the back of the Nav on the single battery .... but Melb is not going to push the capacity like travelling up north.

Do you think from your recent travels that the primary battery would have struggled to cope with the Waeco.

I think it would have mate. Only for the reasons of ambient temperatures being in excess of 30 degrees and that is in the winter. I guess it would also depend on how many days you plan on staying put and whether you plan on using it as a fridge or freezer. We managed 6 nights running the waeco on 2 degrees with a short drive in the middle and it didnt skip a beat.

 

[Dobbie]

You could give up a beer fridge.....but then....

We sorted ours out by using a projecta (?) battery box with a spare 120ah deep cycle battery. It comes with 12v sockets and basic battery indicator. We added an Anderson plug.

It sits over the back wheels in the patrol, is charged when necessary on the go via 12v, can be charged when free camping via solar (Anderson plug), is sort of portable if needed so useful for extra van power or portable fridge and keeps Engel going while on the move or when parked.

The 12v plug we use to charge it in the car is wired to the dual battery system and redarc protected.

Having said that, we use it very infrequently but it gives us peace of mind with extra 12v available should we need it. We also avoided the need for more battery power in the van.

We like to have a safe power margin but sometimes think we're over complicating things just to keep iPads, phones, ereaders and other toys going.

Those decisions were also influenced by our need to have power available at home as we often lose it, and to have several lighting options and the ability to charge them when necessary.

And we hate generators, even though they are a viable option, hence the above...

 

[MUMSRIG]

This was our set up in the Prado.

We ran a D250S linked with a SMARTPASS CTEK with alternator and Solar input. Installed a 40w solar panel to the roof rack which I could hinge up towards the direction of the sun. This was enough to keep the fridg running as we left it in the car 24/7 plus we had the system linked to the Swan vain an Anderson plug if required coupled with the 120w solar on the Camper and deep cycle 100AH in it it all worked well.

There is a 2nd deep cycle 120AH on the drivers side in the engine bay that's out of shot.

Previously we ran a REDARC solenoid which I still have and will use for the Expanda as I am putting a 2nd battery in it.

 

[Drover]

You could give up a beer fridge.....but then.....

......................................................

 

[bigcol]

You could give up a beer fridge.....but then....

......................................................

I quite agree @Drover



- shame shame shame

 

[Dobbie]

Or try XXX brand instead of XXXX....has to be lighter and smaller so quicker to chill and fit more in?

 

[bigcol]

Or try XXX brand instead of XXXX....has to be lighter and smaller so quicker to chill and fit more in?

that stuff - XXXX
is only used to show who is from Queensland, and who is blowins

no one in their right mind drinks that stuff

you use it to keep the Ants away from the camp
pour it out like a moat around your camp - ants wont cross it

 

[Dobbie]

But crocodiles will. They know a sure taste when they can find it.