Dual battery options
- Thread starter Robbo9
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Sammy45
Member
You can actually get a rack and mount it under the tray. Should be some room under there.
Depending on the size of your battery and also the system you decide to use.
My solution might not be the most practical but I tow my second battery in the van.
If you need a second battery for camping, fishing etc then you could also get a portable battery pack with a DC to DC charger and use that either in the back of the tray or in the cabin.
There is just no space available in the engine bay for a second battery unless the battery itself has been completely re-designed, maybe one day.
If you need a second battery for camping, fishing etc then you could also get a portable battery pack with a DC to DC charger and use that either in the back of the tray or in the cabin.
There is just no space available in the engine bay for a second battery unless the battery itself has been completely re-designed, maybe one day.
Navara Newbie
Member
I made a battery tray up that sits in behind the left hand headlight.I have an N70 Z in there for the moment and this is hooked up with a redarc smart solenoid.
The D22 is fitted with an Ebay snorkle so it was no problem to make up the intake duct from 3 " poly pipe a peice of 3" silicon hose and the duct that came with the snorkle.
The D22 is fitted with an Ebay snorkle so it was no problem to make up the intake duct from 3 " poly pipe a peice of 3" silicon hose and the duct that came with the snorkle.
DesertHucker
Member
You realise a D23 and a D22 are very different setups!!!
bods
Member
Going by his username I'd say not hahaha
Navman d22
Member
Yeah robbo i did the same as nav newbie but i just bought a universal batt tray from supercheap and bolted staight in with couple of spacer to get in level.
Navman d22
Member
Ok you have np300 totally different
Yeah it's different mate.
I had a similar setup to you in my D22, but the battery tray was at the back and i bolyed the fuel filter bracket to the side of the battery tray. It leaves room for an 80 series aibox at the front if you ever want one.
The D23 has F all space under the bonnet though...
I had a similar setup to you in my D22, but the battery tray was at the back and i bolyed the fuel filter bracket to the side of the battery tray. It leaves room for an 80 series aibox at the front if you ever want one.
The D23 has F all space under the bonnet though...
I would suggest that it depends on the intended use, but keep the deep cycle away from the heat of the engine bay and as close as possible to the devices it'll power.
For most of us (fridge/tools in tub) that means in the tub. If it's inconvenient to have it there all the time, consider an Anderson plug as the termination of the power going into the tub, and an Arkpak or similar that straps to one side. This has other bonuses: if you decide to ditch the camper trailer and head over Big Red to camp at Poeppl's Corner (or any similar kind of thing), you have power inside the tent. It also means you can keep the battery secure when at home because it's in your garage and not exposed in the tub. It's also easier to hook up to mains power for a "refresher" charge.
Under the tub is a good idea for a more permanent installation but it does mean exposure to stuff thrown up by the wheels, and that's going to mean not only water, dust, sand and mud, but gravel, sticks, bitumen, fuel/oil and worst of all blood and guts from roadkill.
Mine sits on top of a wheel arch in the front right corner, because my fridge is on the left (so I can access the contents on the roadside safely). It's secured by the canopy on which I have a 130W solar panel to keep the battery going without worrying about it.
The rules to follow are simple.
* Battery should live in a moderate environment
* Battery should be as close as possible to the devices being powered
* Chargers should be as close as possible to the battery
* Any cable going away from any battery needs to have a fuse placed close to the battery
If you can fit a battery somewhere that suits you within those constraints then do it.
For most of us (fridge/tools in tub) that means in the tub. If it's inconvenient to have it there all the time, consider an Anderson plug as the termination of the power going into the tub, and an Arkpak or similar that straps to one side. This has other bonuses: if you decide to ditch the camper trailer and head over Big Red to camp at Poeppl's Corner (or any similar kind of thing), you have power inside the tent. It also means you can keep the battery secure when at home because it's in your garage and not exposed in the tub. It's also easier to hook up to mains power for a "refresher" charge.
Under the tub is a good idea for a more permanent installation but it does mean exposure to stuff thrown up by the wheels, and that's going to mean not only water, dust, sand and mud, but gravel, sticks, bitumen, fuel/oil and worst of all blood and guts from roadkill.
Mine sits on top of a wheel arch in the front right corner, because my fridge is on the left (so I can access the contents on the roadside safely). It's secured by the canopy on which I have a 130W solar panel to keep the battery going without worrying about it.
The rules to follow are simple.
* Battery should live in a moderate environment
* Battery should be as close as possible to the devices being powered
* Chargers should be as close as possible to the battery
* Any cable going away from any battery needs to have a fuse placed close to the battery
If you can fit a battery somewhere that suits you within those constraints then do it.
indio2010
Member
anyone have any pictures of where their battery is set up? no D22s please
MalteseMan
Member
Sorry no pictures but I saw an awesome setup in a D23 under the front of the back wheelarch. Nicely tucked up out of the way, without intruding on tray storage space. Thats where I would put the 2nd battery.
Edward.Hawkins
Member
Hi Tony,
I love your response.
As you rightly have said, placing the battery under the tub leaves the battery vulnerable to water, mud, etc.
There is a question though, that I would ask, regarding the battery.
Is it a standard wet cell battery or is the battery in question a gel type or lithium type battery?
A standard battery, no issues.
Gel or lithium deep cycle batteries are very different.
If these types of batteries are used then a DC / DC converter has to be placed between the ain't crank battery and alternator, and the deep cycle battery.
[Tony I know that you know this, but for the newbies].
Why the DC/DC converter, because the alternator is a variable charge alternator meaning the Deep Cycle battery will never fully charge and so reduce its life expectancy.
PS towing caravans with Deep Cycle batteries charging from the alternator have the same issue.
PS Happy New Year to you all from the tropical North of Australia.
For sure, and happy new year from the NSW mid coast as well.
In reality you could put any battery in there as long as the charging/monitoring system in place is suitable. Lead acid batteries are simpler because their voltage provides an indication of state-of-charge whereas lithium iron phosphate (not lithium ion, which is a different tech altogether) holds a steady voltage until the thing is empty. LiFePO4 requires a Coulomb meter (measures amps used) and while it will charge off an alternator, smart chargers designed for lead acid won't be as effective with them.
Gel batteries - well, to be honest, I hate them - are just too delicate. Every bubble formed in the gel is another nail in its coffin. They function similarly to ordinary lead acid (wet cell or AGM) batteries but can't do charging at the same rates (C/10 is preferred). Gels are best suited to long-term low current devices like fridges and camping lights.
The problem with charging over distances is the loss of voltage, which affects the charger's ability to see how the battery is doing. Smaller cables carrying moderate current loads tend to warm up which increases their resistance and lowers the voltage on the end of the cable, so batteries being charged over long cables tend to charge more slowly and maybe not even to full, which is why I suggested the charger be as close as possible to the battery. It's also why I recommend heavier cabling.
As for using a winch, a decent winch like a Warne 9,000lb unit will draw 3.4kW (around 280 amps) so there's some very special considerations involved. First, the battery must be capable of delivering that sort of power with ease, so smaller CCA batteries will destroy themselves trying to deliver that much power over extended periods - so you'll need double or better CCA to provide longevity. Second, the alternator can't do that sort of power on its own. I replaced my 120A alternator with a 150A unit, but neither would supply enough power and peak power delivery isn't available at low engine RPM anyway - so it's the battery or forget it.
Finally, the cables - the provided cables are JUST large enough to deliver the power and these must be directly connected to the battery, so if there's no means of connecting another battery up front, the starter battery is the only option available without using a good CCA battery in an external box that is temporarily mounted up front.
Another issue with caravans is substandard wiring in the caravan, making the DC/DC charger even more valuable. A good DC/DC charger will boost the incoming voltage so that it can provide the battery with the right voltage no matter what is coming in. This also isn't so important for the 3-way fridges which use a simple resistor as a heating element, but a compressor fridge may have a circuit that detects low battery voltage and shuts the compressor off (we had a Waeco that did this). Our fridge sits 12 metres behind the battery - electrically, a significant distance - so if we were to change to a compressor-based fridge (eg Bushman fridge) we'd be better served by placing a deep cycle near the fridge with a DC/DC charger attached to the incoming power from the car.
In reality you could put any battery in there as long as the charging/monitoring system in place is suitable. Lead acid batteries are simpler because their voltage provides an indication of state-of-charge whereas lithium iron phosphate (not lithium ion, which is a different tech altogether) holds a steady voltage until the thing is empty. LiFePO4 requires a Coulomb meter (measures amps used) and while it will charge off an alternator, smart chargers designed for lead acid won't be as effective with them.
Gel batteries - well, to be honest, I hate them - are just too delicate. Every bubble formed in the gel is another nail in its coffin. They function similarly to ordinary lead acid (wet cell or AGM) batteries but can't do charging at the same rates (C/10 is preferred). Gels are best suited to long-term low current devices like fridges and camping lights.
The problem with charging over distances is the loss of voltage, which affects the charger's ability to see how the battery is doing. Smaller cables carrying moderate current loads tend to warm up which increases their resistance and lowers the voltage on the end of the cable, so batteries being charged over long cables tend to charge more slowly and maybe not even to full, which is why I suggested the charger be as close as possible to the battery. It's also why I recommend heavier cabling.
As for using a winch, a decent winch like a Warne 9,000lb unit will draw 3.4kW (around 280 amps) so there's some very special considerations involved. First, the battery must be capable of delivering that sort of power with ease, so smaller CCA batteries will destroy themselves trying to deliver that much power over extended periods - so you'll need double or better CCA to provide longevity. Second, the alternator can't do that sort of power on its own. I replaced my 120A alternator with a 150A unit, but neither would supply enough power and peak power delivery isn't available at low engine RPM anyway - so it's the battery or forget it.
Finally, the cables - the provided cables are JUST large enough to deliver the power and these must be directly connected to the battery, so if there's no means of connecting another battery up front, the starter battery is the only option available without using a good CCA battery in an external box that is temporarily mounted up front.
Another issue with caravans is substandard wiring in the caravan, making the DC/DC charger even more valuable. A good DC/DC charger will boost the incoming voltage so that it can provide the battery with the right voltage no matter what is coming in. This also isn't so important for the 3-way fridges which use a simple resistor as a heating element, but a compressor fridge may have a circuit that detects low battery voltage and shuts the compressor off (we had a Waeco that did this). Our fridge sits 12 metres behind the battery - electrically, a significant distance - so if we were to change to a compressor-based fridge (eg Bushman fridge) we'd be better served by placing a deep cycle near the fridge with a DC/DC charger attached to the incoming power from the car.
Latemodeldatsun
Member
Howdy, i have a d23 with canopy and i just put a titan 1300mm rear drawer in and there is the perfect amount of room to put a 100ah lithium slimline battery between the drawer and front of canopy, i have a redarc bcdc charger for charging it but can use whatever you like. kings battery was $400 on sale pretty good for lithium, and i have a few mates that have had those exactly battery with no problems for 4 years and counting.
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