Under seat storage

[Steve P]

Hi Guys and Gals,

I am in the process of thinking through a dual battery setup in my 2014 Defender 110. I was wondering if anyone has put the Aux battery( or 2) in under the drivers seat?
I believe from some posts i managed to find while searching that the drivers side box is not as deep as the drivers side?
Does anyone have some pictures they could share of the space in the drivers side box? And/or pictures of a battery install done in this way?

I would go and have a look at my own one but I am away at work for a month so no can do.

Thanks
Steve

[Dopey]

G'day Steve, here's a pic showing an Optima blue top battery standing up in the drivers seat box.
They are to high to fit standing up....
N.B, electrics have been moved to an Mulgo Xbox.
Mike.

[Dopey]

And here's a pic showing it on its side, (still making up mounting brackets for it) just enough room to put the lid of the seat box on.
When I have finished making a mounting bracket, it will be mounted further forward than in the picture where there is a little more room, at the back of the compartment I will have a small ARB air compressor mounted as well.
N.B, the optima batteries can be mounted in pretty much any position/angle.
Also the optima battery that I have (blue top) is also to high to fit standing up in the passenger seat box which as you say is deeper than the drivers side one.

Mike.

[Doc130]

You can fit another battery under the passenger seat.

[Steve P]

Cheers Mike, I have just ordered an exbox and was reading I may have to get a deeper floor mate for the drivers side, nice to know I can get one in.

Cheers Doc I was aware of this but as I am moving the stuff from drivers side would rather put them in there.

[Doc130]

Fair enough moving stuff out of there, I've done the same. Good spot to mount a compressor though !!!

[Steve223]

Also have 2 batteries under passenger seat without issues though it is tight. Second one is 110 amp from memory.

[Drover]

Dual battery set is much better to keep both batteries as close together as possible. So that end it's better and easier to put them both under the passengers seat.

Use this -

Battery Trays | Piranha Offroad 4WD Products (http://www.piranhaoffroad.com.au/product/battery-tray/index/make/landrover)

[87County]

Two N70s fit in the unaltered space if you're neat

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/09/722.jpg (http://s708.photobucket.com/user/87county/media/004.jpg.html)

[dero]

Do yourself a favor and make the under seat box bigger , there is plenty of room to go deeper , & you will smile instead of curse whenever you have cause to do any thing in there .

[Steve P]

Do yourself a favor and make the under seat box bigger , there is plenty of room to go deeper , & you will smile instead of curse whenever you have cause to do any thing in there .

Have you done this Dero? Do you have any pics or dimensions of the box that has been made that you could PM me or post here?

[Steve P]

Thanks for the replies guys, I was thinking about putting 2 batteries in to run my auxiliaries, that is the reason I was looking to the drivers side(after I install an exbox to remove what is already there) over the passenger side.

I suppose I'll wait till I get home and fit the exbox and see what I have to play with. I will try and do the install as a post/project so folk can use it for info in future.

[Leroy_Riding]

I run an Optima D34 Yellow top and the factory battery with no modifications under the passenger seat, my ARB compressor is in the rear draw system (as is a 300w inverter, 150W mono-block to run the 8" woofer [also int he draws] and dual 12V sockets and USB outlets at the rear of the defender)

When I can afford it I will too be getting an ExBox, and will be considering running a third battery under the drivers seat, so am interested to see how you go. was also thinking it would be a good spot for my winch solenoid (once i finaly get a bar bolted to the car to fit my winch too!)

so please post photos of your ExBox install and battery under drivers seat install for the rest of us to check out :)

Leroy.

[dero]

I am not much of a wizz on the computer , so no pics .
All I did was cut the bottom out of the box & replace it with another one I had made , 50 mm deeper , plenty of room underneath & I wish I had gone a bit deeper . Cheap & easy to do , and makes life so much easier for things like jumper leads or undoing the terminals to weld on the car etc .

[nealo]

I did some major mods to both seat boxes. best one was making the drivers side bigger

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/1888476-post26.html

[Steve P]

Nealo, that looks the business mate! Thanks for the link. Bit more work than I am planning though ha ha don't really want to be removing the whole thing if possible. Good to know there is plenty of space to go down though.

Leroy, will take pics of both the exbox install and what i finally decide to do with the battery install and will either post or can PM them to you. May even get the old go pro out an do a wee video though i reckon it will have an explicit content warning! Hoping to get the exbox fitted in my next four weeks off but my folks are coming out from the UK for 5 weeks holiday so time may be at a premium.

Dero, think I will most probably be going down the same route as yourself, will make a template up when i get the measurements and either fab it myself at work or get someone to do it dependant on cost. Thanks for the info.

[Ancient Mariner]

Tight but do able 2x130 ah batteries, isolator ,dual battery controller 30 amp circuit breaker for fridge lights ect and winch breakers in passenger side