2nd battery under pax seat - Defender ?

[VladTepes]

I have two batteries (labelled cranking/deep cycle) the name of which escapes me at the moment.
Anyway they do both fit (just) in the box under the passenger seat in my 1995 Defender

As the floor of that box is not flat, whoever installed the batteries has used a square piece of old alloy to hold up one end of the battery - keeping it level.

Further, the means by which the batteries are secured is... horrible and difficult t work with, Essentially a couple of threaded rods with hooks at one end, hooked into holes/slots in the bottom of the box, and with a flat piece of alloy bolted across the top of the battery. Once out it has proven near impossible to put back in.

Question
If you have 2 batteries under the passenger seat -
How have you installed them / secured them ?

Photos would also be very helpful, if available.

Thank You

[JamesH]

I know someone who removed the base and inserted a baking dish in its place. This gave him extra room and depth. I'm not sure how he secured it but a lot of the problem with the normal hook system is really the lack of room to manouvre.

My set up is just like yours, it's a real mess and I have placed some sleeping mat rubber over the top in case of shorting on the lid.

I'll be interested in the replies to your question.

[austastar]

Hi,
not in a defender, but had a similar problem under a seat in my camper for the 'house' battery.
I ended up using pieces of wood that locked into place as packing after I bought a battery that was too big for the battery box that used to just fit in there.
Will probably do the same with the defender when I get around to putting in the dual battery set-up.
cheers

[lardy]

This is my pet hate about Defenders ...how it annoys the crap out of me.
Having a 130 the plan is to remove the batteries from under the passenger seat (I mean if we were to survive a crash in the old girl it would nice if the missus or the dogs or even me come to think about it were spare a gallon of battery acid flying round the cab) consequently they are going to get re-housed the batteries in the tub stored in custom built boxes under a false floor.
On a 110 take out the centre rear seat and built a battery box in it's place and strap a fridge on top ???
It's harder in a 110 i guess

[Frenchie]

I trimmed one edge of the seat box hole to make it easier to get the batteries in and out. They have a block of wood to level up the bottom and fit so snugly that they are held down by the seat box lid....:eek:

Which has a really thick layer of heavy duty rubber underneath to prevent shorting.

[PRDS]

Have a look at the deep cycle batteries they use for electric wheel chairs etc. I have two of these which fit in easily beside the main battery. Not quit the total amps as a car battery but have not had a problem keeping the batteries in the camper trailer charged, but I supplement with solar when camped. Also is more expensive than one care battery but a lot less stuffing around.

[Vin Rouge]

Had a similar problem fitting my dual battery arrangement. RFM and ARB sell battery trays that take the two batteries which is what I fitted. Having fitted one of these, I would not do it again and would certainly not spend the money on the tray but simply fabricate something to hold the two batteries in place.

The hooked rod is pretty standard but not very pretty.

Rubber sheet is good. Stick some under the metal slide out tray to avoid shorting. With the tray, the battery terminals in my 95 Defender are very close to the top.

Here's a pic of my arrangement if it's of any help. The 'second' battery is a dual type with four terminals. One pair doubles up with the main car battery, the other is the deep cycle for the fridge. The battery management box is tucked away just out of sight in the bottom right pf the pic.

[Bushie]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/06/1547.jpg

A bit more room than you probably have but I agree the retaining 'rods' are a bit of a pain but this is still using the original retaining system. As with others I've used a sheet of rubber on the underside of the box cover.


Martyn

[Allan]

If I get a chance over the weekend I will take photoes of the Pumas set up as done by ARB Midland,its tight but a very tidy setup

Allan

[Lightweight]

I have an SC80, 1x N70 Cranking Battery, and a Lifeline AGM next to it, i also have a third Lifeline in the cargo area for trips, connected to a 50a Anderson plug, that runs in parallel to the 2nd battery under the passenger seat. It is a tight fit, but once in the system is fantastic.

The photo below is before i had finished, i have terminal protectors and a rubber mat between the battery box lid and the batteries. All of the wiring is 6 B&S, and I also run a ganged fuse box in the back for accessories.

[bond]

I've got a 130, and am about to try and squeeze two batteries under the seat.

One thing I've been wondering, am I able to cut out the elevated sections? are they an integral part of the structure or strength of the seatbox?

also, everyone has turned their batteries 90 degrees to fit them in, won't they fit in the standard direction? (although you do have to take out the 1st battery to get to the 2nd)

[granno]

I have a Trojan 225 (http://www.batteriesplus.com.au/pd/584/239/trojan-scs225/) for my fridge/accessories and a Oddessy PC2150 (http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc2150sae.htm) as my starter. They are both pretty big and there is not a lot of room. I cut a hole in the floor from the chassie to the outside and almost all the way front to back. I made up a new base plate to mount both batteries that is a lot lower to allow for the extra height. The base plate is mounted to the chassie. The batteries are 90deg to the std 1 battery layout.

[VladTepes]

granno -pics ?

[Allan]

If I get a chance over the weekend I will take photoes of the Pumas set up as done by ARB Midland,its tight but a very tidy setup

Allan

Sorry I forgot to post the photo's, my other half just joged my memory.

Allan

[4wheeler]

Hi Allan,
I was interested to see that ARB have fitted a standard lead acid battery - not a sealed type. I was under the impression that a battery located in the passenger compartment (which I am assuming the Defender battery compartment set up is) or confined space it had to be a sealed battery of some type. I know there is a breather tube in the Defender box but the standard battery is a sealed type.

I had a Hilux with a canopy and as there was no space in the engine bay for a second battery the fitment was in the tray. As it was considered "sealed space" it had to be a sealed battery and could not be a normal lead acid as found under the bonnet. I was told this was a legal requirement. While the tray and canpoy leaked dust badly and would not be considered sealed in my opinion, all I spoke to here in Victoria insisted it had to be a sealed battery with the added cost. Have you got any thoughts on this or been told differently for the Defender installation?

[Allan]

Hi Allan,
I was interested to see that ARB have fitted a standard lead acid battery - not a sealed type. I was under the impression that a battery located in the passenger compartment (which I am assuming the Defender battery compartment set up is) or confined space it had to be a sealed battery of some type. I know there is a breather tube in the Defender box but the standard battery is a sealed type.

I had a Hilux with a canopy and as there was no space in the engine bay for a second battery the fitment was in the tray. As it was considered "sealed space" it had to be a sealed battery and could not be a normal lead acid as found under the bonnet. I was told this was a legal requirement. While the tray and canpoy leaked dust badly and would not be considered sealed in my opinion, all I spoke to here in Victoria insisted it had to be a sealed battery with the added cost. Have you got any thoughts on this or been told differently for the Defender installation?

No I've not been told off any legal requirement here in W.A. My other halfs 90 also has standard lead acid type battery. I think next time I will go dry but thus far have had no fumes in cab on either vehicle. I do know Victoria and W.A laws re vehicle modifications differ.

Allan

[4wheeler]

Was looking at the Defender workshop MY07 manual today. It describes the OEM battery as a semi-sealed vented battery. So it seems even the OEM battery is not fully sealed so it might not be an issue fitting the standard style battery in the battery box. Certainly would make it cheaper to intall a dual battery set up if this is the case. Looking at the battery, there is a vent tube which exits the battery box at the bottom to the atmosphere.

[DeeJay]

When I had my seat box out I got to work with the angle grinder & basically cut the bum out of it. I then welded up a deeper box that went straight down from all sides. Re-inforced the base with angle steel turned side on.
Plenty of room now :)

Looking from below up to the passenger door.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/07/1330.jpg

These batteries sit deep enough to have a plastic bin for maps etc to sit on top

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/07/1331.jpg

[VladTepes]

Doesn;t that hit things when you go 4wd'ing ?!

[DeeJay]

Doesn;t that hit things when you go 4wd'ing ?!
The plastic bin?
It's held tight down on the batteries by bubble wrap :)

[landy]

I fitted a battery carrier from TJM. It was the only one I could find. They are a tight fit but really neat. Everything comes in the kit and cost $115.

The relay fits nicely at the rear. There is loads of room at the back and at the side closest the door.

Nino

[miky]

And the pics look like ????

:rulez:

[VladTepes]

The plastic bin?
It's held tight down on the batteries by bubble wrap :)

Not the bin... thebottom of the (now deeper) battery box (pax underseat box).

[BlueWagon]

I have 2 Optima dual cranking/deep cycle (D31M and D27M) under the pax seat. Both easily start the vehicle and both work well at running fridge and accessories when camping. I have a manual marine switch which selects which battery is idle and which one is connected to the vehicle's electrics. A dual battery gauge is mounted on the cubby box.

All of the original brackets, bolts etc were removed from the box under the passenger seat. I originally had one D31M (900A CCA) and wanted to fit a pair of them under the seat. However they wouldn't fit without doing some alterations to the metalwork or at least leaving off the sliding lid to the box. I settled for the smaller D27M (800 CCA) which has worked really well. If I was doing it again and didn't already have a D31 I would just use two D27Ms in which case there would have been a lot more room to play with and possibly not the need to remove the original brackets and stuff.

The batteries are held in place by some strategically placed pieces of timber, which were then screwed and bolted to the box. Some pieces of rubber sheeting have been jammed between the 2 batteries and between the sides of the batteries and the metal box. Although these are marine glass mat batteries and designed to be bounced around, I preferred to prevent any movement of them in the underseat box.
I have since given them a good thrashing with cold weather starts and short runs, long hot weather runs, running them flat and bouncing the crap out of them on corrugations and potholes. They haven't suffered like other parts of the vehicle and have now performed faultlessly for 13months.

Disadvantages
1. Have the perfectly good (used for 3 months only) original Landrover battery leftover and looking for work to do.
2. Optima batteries are expensive. (although I guess I already had one)


Cheers
Mark

[VladTepes]

Would a ratchet strap / seat belt type arrangement be suitable / strong enough for a battery hold down ? Looking for a neat, effective solution to this - the standard mtal set up is rubbish.

[VladTepes]

Anotehr relatedthread with a tidy battery tray setup
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/107418-job-1-dual-batteries.html

[5teve]

Would a ratchet strap / seat belt type arrangement be suitable / strong enough for a battery hold down ? Looking for a neat, effective solution to this - the standard mtal set up is rubbish.

On my boat i have 2 x 1000cca batteries in the plastic boxes held in place with the straps you pull to tighten rather than ratchet straps.. they work fine in that instance... and they just sit on an ally shelf...

In the deefer box they should be fine...

Steve

[VladTepes]

Did youi get the straps made or are they availble for that purpose from somewhere ?

[DeeJay]

Not the bin... thebottom of the (now deeper) battery box (pax underseat box).

Its about 20 higher than the fuel tank on the other side - which is dented, but this box is stronger with those skid plates ( 25mm angle steel making a "V") so it should take a beating OK.

[5teve]

Did youi get the straps made or are they availble for that purpose from somewhere ?

i think they are just ones from bunnings.. they have a metal catch mechanism that you have to open to release. The locking mechanism is like a knurled finish on the lever.. i use similar from rola to hold the kayak to the roof too.

something like this maybe? Whitworths Marine: Stainless Steel Battery Hold Down Strap (http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?item=4228&search123=strap&intAbsolutePage=2)

Steve