Fitting Dual Battery

[Trout]

Bought a dual battery tray for the 90 PUMA from a well known supplier of off-road electrical products. What should have been an hour job according to instructions became 4 hours and involved much modification with a large hammer and hacksaw. Firstly the mounting holes are drilled incorrectly so that the battery tray is too far over to centre of car so the battery tray is pushed hard against the side of the battery box. Bid of bending and hacksaw off a bit off the hold down - no probs. Fit everything put the undertrays back on after tightening all up........then go to fit original battery.... it does not fit as its too big for tray. Pull all apart again. Get big hammer flatten out 1 side of tray which stops the battery from sliding forward. Now its all fitted but I have to use a block of wood to hold the battery from sliding forward.

Could be down to landrover build variation and perhaps a new battery type being used since they designed the tray. Perhaps also tray is for a 110 and the 90 is slightly different but still annoying what ever the cause. So I recommend that anyone who has a 2010 PUMA double check that the original battery will actually fit the tray before starting out.

[VladTepes]

Hmm it would depend on which "well knwon supplier" it was hever for the record I have a TJM / Piranha one that I got for the Tdi 130. Seems to fit in OK, within the limitations of what's possible.

if I wasn't so useless though, I would have made my own.

[pbroz]

I experienced a similar thing in the last two weeks, although I bought my spare battery first without fully checking the existing.

The battery I bought, I was told was for the 07 onwards Defender and based the design of the battery trays on this, only to discover that the Defender used an oversized Varta battery (longer, skinner)... back to the drawing board with the grinder.

and only just got it completed on weekend...

Traps for new players I think...

[Trout]

Hmm it would depend on which "well knwon supplier" it was hever for the record I have a TJM / Piranha one that I got for the Tdi 130. Seems to fit in OK, within the limitations of what's possible.

if I wasn't so useless though, I would have made my own.

It was Piranha. The tray was not even close to fitting the original battery. I note the genuine Landrover battery (Varta) has additional hold down lugs around the base on all sides. If they were not there it would probably fit. I contemplated cutting them off the battery but they looked pretty integral and I did not fancy the prospect of damaging the case. Also the battery lugs on the landrover are a strange design (at least to me) that don't enable you to fit another battery cable to the lug bolt as the nut acts as a compression fitting. This makes fitting the dual battery controller leads a problem. I ended up fitting the original landrover battery earth lead to the second battery which has two terminals and then running an earth lead to to the original battery. Only problem with that is that the landrover lugs are also quite tall and now they hit the battery box cover when on the second battery terminal. As it is only the earth lead I am not too worried but still it is not ideal. Only other solution would be to cut the original landrover battery lugs off and fit conventional ones.

[VladTepes]

drivesafe (traxide tronics) has a good range of different battery terminals etc available at good prices.