Thread: Dual battery tray ARB

The SLS tray is a good spot... and they don't get cooked.... if you don't have SLS.

A gel battery of 80-100AH will sit on its' side in there quite nicely.

It is quite a long wire run so always use the fattest you can.

I could only get a reasonably priced 50ah in the ARB tray.

I think you can also fit 2 optimas in the original tray, with a little fettling. .

Originally Posted by kelvo

I was always under the impression the Td5 left the factory with a calcium battery, hence the 14v alternator.

Ive been using a calcium CAT battery as my main/starter battery for the last 3+ years without using any special chargers. In fact I've never had to connect an external charger to it at all.

Ive been using a calcium CAT battery as my main/starter battery for the last 3+ years without using any special chargers. In fact I've never had to connect an external charger to it at all.[/QUOTE]

Ditto - actually my CAT calcium battery is coming up to its 5th birthday.... the best $245 I've spent on the D2

I wanted an Optima but would not fit in the tray and was too high

I was thinking about this and can assure you that an Optima D34 is not too high or too big. I have a D34 Blue top which I like as it has additional terminals. I use the screw down terminal for neg and both for pos.

You have to modify the tray by taking out the end piece which is designed to clamp on the bottom of an Exide 42AH battery. I fabricated a stainless steel sheet as a new end and bolted it to the end flange.

To restrain the battery I bought a cheapo battery hold down and then made up a new bridge out of steel strap which I then covered with liquid plastic, which runs lengthways. I drilled holes in the flange of the tray for the hooks of the hold down bolts.

The battery is not too high but everything fits very snugly without touching the insulation. I doubted this at first and tested it with plasticine. After 4 years it has never touched the insulation which I figure is non conductive anyway. The most likely end to touch is the earth end which doesn't matter anyway.

The biggest hassle I found is undoing the bulkhead bolts when I want to remove the tray to work on the turbo or other stuff, as the aircon pipes sit right over the top of the bolt holes. So I replaced the supplied bolts with allen head bolts so much less hassle.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by rangieman

Your running your winch off the Aux Battery ?

Occasional only, as it's a Ca multipurpose battery. Is there a reason not to do this?

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I was thinking about this and can assure you that an Optima D34 is not too high or too big.
Regards Philip A

For some reason, the Optima D34 didn't fit. It was 25mm too tall and wouldn't fit on its side either. I looked at adjusting the tray but it was already as low as it would go.

Originally Posted by mrapocalypse

The SLS tray is a good spot... and they don't get cooked.... if you don't have SLS.

Easy enough to widen the SLS tray too

Carl makes a good one if you are happy with two optimas. Eliminates the heat issue.

Discovery 2 Dual Battery Tray