Thread: Third Battery in Disco 2

Here's a shot of that heavy duty relay! It turns the inverter on only when the engine is running.



I have also put a three way switch in to make it run when the engine isn't on but you have to be careful because the Ol' D2 DOES NOT LIKE having voltage running back into the cigarette lighter circuit hence the three way (Actually 2 way ON and ON but same same).

Cheers.

Nice write up, your engine bay is a lot neater than mine I have to say, will try to get my hands on some conduit to neaten things up a little bit, the Td5 engine loom can do with some new conduit too. I will be interested to see how you mount the battery in the SLS cradle. I currently run a 70AH battery in the sls cradle, a fully sealed deep cycle that is mounted on its side. I cut up an old 20L chemical can and placed it around the battery to protect it offroad, but will be making a proper steel box for it that is fully bolted to the chassis. So far I have had no dramas with the current set up, but I do think it can be protected a lot better and also look less dodgy.
It is a bit fiddly to get the battery in the sls cradle, mine fits with about 20mm to spare, try to get an assistant to help, and yeah keep your head out of the way to prevent a battery falling on it.

Hi mrapocalypse, I understand why you needed to replace the SC40 but why did you go with a solenoid type isolator instead of going with an SC80, was there any specific reason?

It's got big nuts, and is easy to use with HT leads, and it was only $90! It also has a push button bypass so you can connect all three batteries up from inside the cab! And I also didn't really think about it! And I have friends who use them and they say they are pretty good!

Hi mrapocalypse, and I wish you had rung me before you started planning your additions as I could have set you up with a system that would have cost maybe $50 more, at most, than what you would have spent but would have given you double the additional stored capacity you now have and depending on how often you use your set up, would probably saved you hundreds of dollars in the future.

My guess is that you spent around $400 to $500 and between the set up you had with the SC40 and the one you have now, all you gained is push button bypass switch and about 30 to maybe 40 A/H of extra stored capacity by using a standard VSR.

If on the other hand you had used an SC80, you would have gained around 60 to 80 A/H extra capacity, depending on the size of the third battery.

Not only that but because of the way the the SC80 shears the load, if you use that inverter for any length of time each time you use it, you would have been placing 1/3 less load on each battery which in turn, because of the high currents required, an SC80 would have not only helped extend the operating time between recharging but more importantly, dramatically increase the operating life span of ALL your batteries, so it would have actually worked out a lot cheaper to fit an SC80.

I am curious at one thing though, lots of people fit set ups with bypass features but how often do you expect to actually need it.

I’ve asked this question on other forums and it’s not surprising how many people who already have them or have had them in the past and either never used them or at most used them once and now find them a waste of time and effort.

If, with neither the SC40 or the SC80 fitted and you did need to do a jump start, all you need is a single jumper lead and the job is done.

Oh well, next time!

Thanks for the put down Drivesafe. Pretty much slammed the door on any further dealings I might have had with traxide.

System installed and working fine. More images to follow for those who aren't trying to sell me something.

Originally Posted by mrapocalypse

Thanks for the put down Drivesafe. Pretty much slammed the door on any further dealings I might have had with traxide.

System installed and working fine. More images to follow for those who aren't trying to sell me something.

I think you need to read back through your thread, you state “First thing I wanted to do was go up to very high tension leads so out came the Traxide and in went a redark.”

All I was pointing out is that you spent a lot of money for very little gain and if you had rung me, I could have saved you a bundle, and as you have already bought you gear, how do you work out I was trying to sell you something.

I was making sure no body else made the same mistake.

Furthermore, your thread indicated that the SC40 was not suitable for high CURRENT cables, not so.