Dual Battery Location - D40

[Gcg7861]

Hi All

Looking for some dual battery location innovation as I've deliberated over this a fair bit and can't make up my mind. I don't want to spend big bucks on a mount and where I could make my own from ply would be ideal (I have no aluminium or steel welding experience) - For reference I have a Spain built D40 ST.

Just some options I've explored and excluded are the Under bonnet - which is a no go due to space. Drivers side chassis rail - Potential Option, however Piranha tray costs a lot and I'm not sure how it would go in deep water crossings?

This narrows it down to the tray only.

I would really want to use the dead space over the wheel arch (drivers side).

If I use one of those standard tray mounts that fix into both the top of the wheel arch and the side, due to having a tub liner screwing that type of mount may be in-effective due to a requirement of longer screws and a flexing plastic substrate that might fail. http://offroaddownunder.com.au/prod...bt50-2011-battery-traybox-wheel-arch-mounted/

I have also thought of manufacturing a ply wood box where the height of it is in line with side aluminium channel and then subsequently using 3 uni-strut channel nuts to fix a timber box to that. However only being fixed from the top edge on one side and having a 120ah battery in there might shake the box to bits as the fixings are not evenly distributed.

Considered this same box idea in a thick steel/aluminium so it doesn't shake to bits, however I cannot manufacture and if I got it made by somebody the cost would be on par with the chassis rail tray - with less stuffing about.

Any other ideas would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[doug696]

hey mate happy john [from this forum] has 2 batteries mounted behind his back seat i can't remember the size of them but i'm sure when he see's this he will fill you in on the details
cheers doug

 

[happy john]

That would be one of these slimline AGM’S. I’ve see them on their side under seats too.
http://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/slimline-agm-battery-front-terminal-deep-cycle-battery

 

[Gcg7861]

Legends !! Thanks for that. I knew there had to be at least 1 other option I wasn't thinking of. I'll look into this. Happy John, how have you fixed it down or do the seats and it's own weight pretty much keep it in place?

Cheers

 

[happy john]

I did a thread a fair while ago mate, here is the link with some pics also recent ones.
http://www.navara.asia/showthread.php?t=22631

 

[Old.Tony]

If you can't fit the battery behind the seat (where will you put the jack?) then the idea you had about the tub wasn't a bad one - all you need to do is make the box wide enough so that the face furthest from the side rail can reach the tub floor. I don't know about the ST specifically, but in my STX there's a small channel that allows me to bring a cable up in the corner of the tub out of sight (and harm's way) and into the box there.

 

[Gcg7861]

If you can't fit the battery behind the seat (where will you put the jack?) then the idea you had about the tub wasn't a bad one - all you need to do is make the box wide enough so that the face furthest from the side rail can reach the tub floor. I don't know about the ST specifically, but in my STX there's a small channel that allows me to bring a cable up in the corner of the tub out of sight (and harm's way) and into the box there.

I was thinking that also, if the face is extended down it adds a base and extra support. Ill see how I go behind the seat and if its not a goer I'll maybe mockup a marine ply box to do just that and see the result. Alternatively I even thought of reinforcing a timber box with flat bar somehow - havent thought that through yet.

 

[Gcg7861]

I did a thread a fair while ago mate, here is the link with some pics also recent ones.
http://www.navara.asia/showthread.php?t=22631

Cheers !