Dual Battery Setup

Jimmy_AU · 18th November 2020, 02:59 PM

Hi Guys,

Looking at installing a dual battery in my D2 and wanting to have it in the rear. It currently has the storage boxes on each side so was wondering if anyone out there has done this and if so could provide some pictures / ideas of the setup.

Cheers

**onebob** · 18th November 2020, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by Jimmy_AU

Hi Guys,

Looking at installing a dual battery in my D2 and wanting to have it in the rear. It currently has the storage boxes on each side so was wondering if anyone out there has done this and if so could provide some pictures / ideas of the setup.

Cheers

Ist post - welcome...
Someone who’s done it will chime in with advice but in the mean time “search” the forum because there’s s mountain of info on the subject generally and also on exactly what you are wanting to do

**Bohica** · 18th November 2020, 06:16 PM

Welcome.
And some smart arse will say "Put it on the air compressor shelf if you don't have SLS" I'd show you photos of my install, but its a bit hard to get the camera under the car.

**Blknight.aus** · 18th November 2020, 08:29 PM

get a traxide

**ozscott** · 18th November 2020, 09:02 PM

I used the rails and bolt holes for the third row seating (in the side) and a bolt through the floor (drilled a hole for that) and made my own battery tray. Used a 130amp Full River AGM and the trusty Red Arc BCDC 25 amp charger with solar input also. Worked very well running a fridge and camping lights at night etc. Always kept the big AGM well charged over touring and 4wd trips. If you search you should find threads on the build. I posted photos too. I removed that after some years of service and put it in my new vehicle and its working like a champ still. Cheers

**drivesafe** · 18th November 2020, 09:33 PM

Hi Jimmy and welcome to the forum.

What is your likely usage for your dual battery system?

Jimmy_AU · 19th November 2020, 08:59 AM

Thanks for the welcomes and response guys, will have a read through previous threads.

@drivesafe wanting to mostly run a fridge and camping lights with solar. Wanting to avoid having battery at the front

**Grahame Roberts** · 19th November 2020, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jimmy_AU

Thanks for the welcomes and response guys, will have a read through previous threads.

@drivesafe wanting to mostly run a fridge and camping lights with solar. Wanting to avoid having battery at the front

What about a thin lithium battery inside the storage box or remove that box and tie down a dedicated battery box that comes complete with Anderson plugs and wiring, fuses etc. Run a thick dual cable (to save power loss and abrasion) from the front battery through the chassis to the rear coming up under the rear light. Install fuse at the front battery together with an isolator and you’re good to go. Plenty of ‘how tos’ on YouTube.

**Tombie** · 19th November 2020, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Grahame Roberts

What about a thin lithium battery inside the storage box or remove that box and tie down a dedicated battery box that comes complete with Anderson plugs and wiring, fuses etc. Run a thick dual cable (to save power loss and abrasion) from the front battery through the chassis to the rear coming up under the rear light. Install fuse at the front battery together with an isolator and you’re good to go. Plenty of ‘how tos’ on YouTube.

There’s a $2k+ set up.

**drivesafe** · 19th November 2020, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by Jimmy_AU

@drivesafe wanting to mostly run a fridge and camping lights with solar. Wanting to avoid having battery at the front

Hi again jimmy, and this is just a suggestion based on what you want to achieve.

Start with an auxiliary battery that will take high current charging, that your alternator is capable of providing. This will usually be a cranking type battery of some form.

At the present, one of the best batteries I have come across is the SSB ( Super Charge Batteries ) HVT range of batteries.

These are cranking batteries with deep cycle capabilities and they can be safely discharged down to 0% capacity.

There are quite a few different sizes ( and capacity ) available, so you can select one that suits either the space available in the rear of your disco, or just a large one to suit your needs.

Next, if you match up this type of battery with one of my isolators, either the SC80, which would protect your cranking battery from being over discharged, or the DT90 which protects both your cranking battery and your auxiliary battery. You will have what is probably going to be the best system you can get.

You would need to run 6B&S ( 13.5mm2 ) twin cabling from the cranking battery to your auxiliary battery.

Then, unlike other isolator which most be mounted as close to your cranking battery as possible, for them to operate properly, my isolators can be mounted at the auxiliary battery, which usually makes the installation a lot easier and simpler.

With this setup, if you fitted say something like say around a 75Ah battery in the rear, with my isolator, you would have around 100Ah available to run your accessories while camping.

Then if while camping, you have used all the available capacity, with your alternator’s size, you could have the two batteries back over 95% in well under two hours driving and this is while you are still running your fridge at the same time.

There is no other system that gives you as much usable battery capacity and can recharge that used capacity as quick as one of my systems can, and my systems usually work out HEAPS CHEAPER than any other system.

Just a suggestion.

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