Position of a second battery

[jasonedu]

I know these can fit under the seats but it is not the easiest position to access and as I have a 130 I have plenty of room in the back.

Are there any problems fitting the second battery away from the main battery or things I need to watch out for if I do?

thanks

[weeds]

I have my aux in the cargo area (110).......you just need to make sure the cable doesn't rub through.

[ezyrama]

I have an auxillary deep cycle in the cargo area to run the fridge. It is charged from the main battery via a solenoid(mounted next to the main battery) that is only energised when the engine starts. I picked up a feed for the coil on the solenoid from the rear of the lighter socket. I ran a 10mm cable between the two batteries behind the passenger seat, under the carpet ( I installed) under the rear seat, up to the storage box in the rear. It's a sealed battery and runs the fridge for about 3 days, but I also have a solar panel set up that I can sit on the roof rack when parked up enjoying a beverage, that trickle charges the deep cycle via a charge regulator. The battery is the ones they use for the stop/go trucks at road works that have the large flashing arrows on them. My auto elec. repairs a lot of these vehicles and recommended this battery. I find it only takes about 20-30 mins to fully recharge once the car is running.

[Michael2]

Your battery already has over a meter of cable to get to the alternator, so distance is not the issue as long as the cable used is adequate.

If the battery is to be used for auxiliary equipment only, then running a 6mm charge wire from your front battery via your dual battery system would suffice. Then run all those accessories from the 2nd battery (or a fuse box from it)

However to get the most out of it, run some heavy cable. Make sure it's well insulated to prevent rubbing and a fire. You can even fit a 50amp or 100amp circuit breaker at each end to prevent arcing / fire in the event of a short.

You can still use your dual battery management system here, but instead of the system carrying the electrical load, it will just trip a solenoid / relay that will make the cable connection between the batteries.

The latter set up allows you to jump start off your auxiliary battery, or kick it in for winching. The traxide website shows the wiring diagrams well.

On a 130, you can conveniently put a battery box under the tray behind the cab. This also makes an easier jump starting position.