2nd Battery

I have a removable 80 amp/hr 2nd battery - it sits in a heavy canvas tool bag in the rear passenger foot well and connects via an anderson plug. I use the shoulder strap to secure it around the base of the passenger seat. The controller is under the bonnet and I ran the active cable through the firewall and inside the centre console and it exits under the passenger seat. The earth is attached to the inside rear fixture of the passenger seat. (if anything goes wrong, the passenger goes up in flames - not me :biggrin: )
 
Hi
I have a second battery mounted in the spare wheel well. As I am running larger tyres the spare is mounted on a Suba-extreme rear bar and wheel carrier. The battery is an Optimax Dry Cell deep cycle. It will run my (old) 40lt Engel for about two days in moderate temperatures (without starting the car). Battery World will be able to advise which battery is the best for your needs. The batteries are charged via a switching unit that controls the charging. The start battery is always 'topped' up for 5 minutes after starting, then the battery that is the flatter of the pair will be charged. Units like these can be purchased at good auto-electricians or places like ARB. I had mine installed and wired by an auto electrician. The fridge runs off the accessory socket in the rear which is now connected directly to the second battery. I ran this very system in a Hilux for about 10 years with no problems before transplanting it into the Subie.
Hope this helps.
Gibbo
 
05redx said:
Any chance of a photo of your setup Kevin?

Cheers

Grant
Click to expand...

OK - I'll see what I can find or generate.

Here ya go.

Anderson plugs - large to connect battery; individuals to connect circuit to fridge
Controller under bonnet
Cables across engine bay to the battery and down thru the firewall
The "Battery in a Bag" - 2 pics (there's a piece of marine ply at the bottom of the bag and the battery is glued to it)
 

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Thanks - but the credit must go to Dennis ("Ivan" the Iveco) Subie club member for this setup.
 
Hi All,
This is a topic close to my heart at the moment as I'm looking at powering my new evakool fridge. There's not much room under the Fozzies bonnet for a second battery and, as others have noted, that's a lot of weight to keep hauling around. With the fridge in the back, there's not much room for luggage or camping gear either, but at least I'll have a cold steak and a warm beer (Hey! There's something wrong here...) at the end of the day.

I've been looking at a battery box from the marine supplier ($50) and an 80amp AGM battery ($280 online). Seems like the best way to go for something I won't be using every day. Any thoughts?
 
This is what I use

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https://www.waeco.com.au/products.asp?id=259&catId=57&subCatId=60&subCatId2=71

It's only 36Ahr but it does have some built in smarts so it won't run your battery flat. I actually have two, which work in tandem (only need one charging cable), so combined is 72Ahr. Each one has 1x cigarette and 1x Hella socket. Being AGM batteries they work in any position so you can fit them anywhere, kinda.

I got mine from the Waeco Seconds store & saved maybe $50-60 off each (they retail at $329) and they came with a 6month warranty.

Not for everybody, I know, but I have 2 cars and I need the flexibility of being able to easily transfer between both cars and it's handy being able to put them next to a picnic bench.
 
Hopefully when the old forum is restored, I can point to the piccies there of my setup (and retrieve my ID with any luck - I'm now a Newbie with only 1 post, gah!!!)

Like some others, I have a sealed Gel battery in a plastic battery case, with an Anderson plug. This gets strapped into the cargo area. I have a Piranha dual battery kit, the auto-switcher sits under the bonnet, and the cable runs to the battery at the back.

Works well, and I can easily remove the battery when i don't need it.
 
2nd battery

Here is what I have done with my 55 amp hour auxiliary battery for the fridge. First I fitted a Redarc smart start relay under the bonnet. I found that this fitted exactly on the existing holes (with captive nuts) on the L/H forward strut by the fuel filter. I have a self resetting circuit breaker on the vertical bracket that is just behind the battery, Again this was an exact fit on the existing holes.
The lead runs through the seal on the firewall with all the other wiring.
I have placed an Anderson plug up at the top of the front passengers left leg plastic kick plate, and another in the storage compartment on the R/H/S of the cargo compartment.
The auxiliary battery initially was placed in a standard battery box, but this was to big for my liking so I found a plastic tool box that is just the right size and placed it in there, with a self resetting circuit breaker, cigarette socket and Waeco style socket.
The battery box sits on the floor in front of the front passenger seat and is strapped to the seat support rails if the back seat is being used, or normally it sits on a little shelf that fits over the transmission tunnel in between the rear seats. This has a wooden top and sides, with some slotted metal angle bolted to it on the top along the front edge and back down the two sides. This attaches to two studs that are under the front of the rear seat base (I just had to use them for something) to stop it moving around. The battery box is strapped down to the angle and also to a couple of shackles that fit into the rear of the front seat support rails.
 
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That looks great! Do the front seat passengers mind having it by thier legs, or do you only put it up front if travelling solo?
 
I only put it in the front when I have my son & nephew using the rear seat, but even then because of the small size of the battery (tool) box it is possible to sit in the front seat.
The position I normaly have the battery in is on its shelf above the transmission hump in the back, this is wasted space otherwise.
 
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How to choose - 100A or 150A model?

The current Repco catalogue has got the Projecta Dual Battery System on sale.

Can anyone tell under what criteria to choose 100A or the 150A ones?
 
100amp is heaps for a 4wd. 150-200amp is the domain of truck/agriculture/mining/motor homes with large battery banks and high energy demand applications.
 
Eastie said:
100amp is heaps for a 4wd. 150-200amp is the domain of truck/agriculture/mining/motor homes with large battery banks and high energy demand applications.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate!
 
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