Where to put extra large battery in 90

[Sandgroper]

G'day all,
I have a bit of a problem and wondered if anyone else had ever found a solution to this same drama. I have a large deep cycle battery that I want to permanently mount somewhere onto my Defender 90, the battery measures 550mm long, 220mm deep and 220mm wide and if possible I'd like to mount it somewhere other than inside the 90. I've spent an hour crawling over, under and inside the Landie and I'm all out of ideas. The battery is from a solar generator I built last year but I've since changed my mind about the setup and would now like to have it permanently fitted to the Landie somewhere. The main problem is that I need to keep the rear seats in place as I have a young daughter and often need to drive her and her mates to various events etc....which is the main problem. If I didn't have to do this I could remove one or both rear seats and have all the room in the world but that's not an option unfortunately. Any ideas, advice or thoughts will be greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Dave.

[loneranger]

I've just completed my dual battery set-up and when i was posting about how to fit a 120aH battery the common answer was why did I need a battery that big. Once I looked into it and worked out my requirements I ended up taking out the original battery and fitting to Optimas.

So, the question is what are you running that requires a battery that big? A more efficient charging system will reduce the need for a big battery.

[Sandgroper]

I'm running a freezer, lights and charging cameras and various other small appliances but on occasions it runs a second fridge. It is a 160ah battery but as it is a battery I already have that is only one year old I'd like to use it.

[Toxic_Avenger]

What type of battery is it? If it's a sealed type that can be used in any orientation, you might have more options.
Not sure if the available space would allow some kind of battery tray arrangement beside the chassis rail? Depends if you are concerned about lost ground clearance though.

[Sandgroper]

Yes, it is a sealed battery so can be mounted on any angle. I'll have another play this afternoon and see what I can think of.

[Toxic_Avenger]

When working these kinds of things out, sometimes it can help to make a scale model out of Wood or cardboard.
For that size battery it is too long for the under seat battery box, so options are rather limited, unless you want to modify the under seat box somehow.

[ramblingboy42]

It must weigh a fair bit too.

Keeping it in between the wheelbase might be a good idea.

[PAT303]

How much room is under the rear body work in a 90?,I put my second battery in their.Can you fit a Mulgo X box and put the ECU in that and put the battery under the drivers seat?. Pat

[Toxic_Avenger]

IIRC the drivers side box is shallower than the battery box.
My measurements of the battery box estimated approx 480mm long.
I guess it comes down to how creative the OP wants to get. I dare say if you were to change the passenger seat box there might be implications with engineering or the finished work as the seat rail integrity and seat belt mounts might be compromised?
Then again if you go to those lengths then you might be better off getting a more suitably sized battery at step 1.

[jimr1]

Hi Dave , this is just a thought , on older model Land Rovers , they used to put a tool box that was made in the rear back section , I've got one on my 110 county , they sit on the passenger side behind the rear wheel . I know that Land Rover have changed the profile of the seat box section . " not sure what that is called " The point is that is an area that could have the space you need , maybe fix to chassis , with lid made to access from the top ??? jut a thought !!.. Jim :)

[DiscoMick]

One option might be to fit drawers in the rear and ensure they are high enough to fit a battery under the top shelf. I plan to do this with the Off Road Systems drawers I have just fitted to our 110. However, 220 for the battery you have is taller than the standard drawer height so you would have to ensure your drawers were specially designed, or else get a lower battery.
Another option might be to fit a battery box behind the rear passenger's wheel where some people fit water tanks.
A third option would be to put the battery in a battery box such as an Ark box, strap it down and connect it. That way the battery box can be removed when not needed.


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[PAT303]

IIRC the drivers side box is shallower than the battery box.
My measurements of the battery box estimated approx 480mm long.
I guess it comes down to how creative the OP wants to get. I dare say if you were to change the passenger seat box there might be implications with engineering or the finished work as the seat rail integrity and seat belt mounts might be compromised?
Then again if you go to those lengths then you might be better off getting a more suitably sized battery at step 1.

You cut a whole in the floor an 1'' larger than the battery and get a sheet metal shop to make a drop box to suit,a couple of 10mm nuts welded underneath for the clamp and it's done. Pat

[Toxic_Avenger]

Still doesn't help that the battery is longer than the available space in the battery box by 50mm. No drop box will work in this situation.

[Sandgroper]

Thanks for all the help and advice, much appreciated. Having had another look I think I'll make it so I can remove one of the rear seats and have the battery mounted there, I'll set it up so that I can easily remove the battery and replace the second seat if it is needed. The battery is heavy, it weighs around 60kg. I took a run out to the 12volt shop over the weekend and got a few ideas from them, they were really helpful and knew their stuff. Thanks once again for the help, I'll let you all know how it goes.

[loneranger]

I took a run out to the 12volt shop over the weekend and got a few ideas from them, they were really helpful and knew their stuff. Thanks once again for the help, I'll let you all know how it goes.

We've been regulars out there the last few months. We find them very good as well.