Thread: 1st Traxide Discovery 4 specific dual battery kit

The quality looks great, but i dont like the fact i have a a battery floating in the back.... but i guess i could live with it...

With this kit, does the car charge the main battery first, before charging the second battery?

Thank you for the replies so far

Dorko

Originally Posted by Dorko

With this kit, does the car charge the main battery first, before charging the second battery?

No, with the 180 amp alternator the D4s come with, you could easily charge 5 or more low batteries at the same time, so it’s quicker to be charging both the cranking and auxiliary batteries at the same time.

As to the battery in the rear cargo area, the battery box is secured to one of the 4 anchor points in the floor of the D4, so the battery box is quite safe.

Hi Tim,

Just for anyone querying quality and value for money, I've had dual battery systems from ARB and Rotronics in the past and I've got to admit yours is tops for value and quality. (PS I expect that cheque in the mail anyday! Only kidding)

Three questions though. What would you recommend for a battery to keep a Waeco 60litre humming along for about 2-3 days? You save you've secured your battery box to an achor point - did you use a strap for this? Finally, do you have any recommendations for a battery box or have you just gone for one of those standard plastic jobs sold at boat dealers and the like?

Thanks mate, sorry for being a pest. Ron

Hi Ron, I’m developing a battery box which will have a few different types of plugs fitted and a low voltage shut down to protect he battery from over discharging, but it’s all on back burner for the time being as I’m flat out.

But, the box I have is a standard plastic battery box, just that I source mine through a company that brings them in from the USA. These are US Coast Guard and ABYC approved.

This may be going a bit over the top but their not that much dearer than the ordinary ones available here.

The box comes with a Tiedown belt and thats what I have been using to secure the battery box in the back of the D4.

As to the battery, well I’ve been running three batteries at the same time, in the back of the D4, to check the load capacity of the new kits, once installed.

I have a D34 Optima AGM, a sealed maintenance free and a flooded wet cell deep cycle Allrounder all paralleled together and they all work and charge well.

So, use what ever battery that meets your needs.

I personally still prefer flooded wet cell batteries, but thats just my choice.

BTW, when my new battery box set up is ready, the box will be available in Black or White and I strongly recommend AGAINST the White. What a pain to keep clean.

Wow Tim sounds like you're carrying a bit of weight on board with all of those batteries!

Thanks for the info. I assume you'll post here when the box is available so I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Regards, Ron

I've been reading up on batteries a little and found out some interesting things about charging, and have been reading the bit in 4x4 about them too.

I never knew that you needed different voltages for different battery types. Does your kit have a voltage regulator that can be set for different battery types? I was surprised to read (in several locations) that the gel batteries can be damaged by 14.7v as they 'like' 14.1 or 14.2 (can't remember off the top of my head).

Could explain why my expensive battery died in my last Disco - I bought a gel to replace the wet cell that lasted 7yrs and it died in 2! So much for lasting longer, but I now may have an explanation as to why.

Hi Discomania, first off, I’m still a big fan of good old fashion Flooded Wet Cell batteries.

Contrary to much of the hype out there about how good AGMs are and how SUPPOSEDLY bad Flooded Wet Cells are ( crap put out by the sellers of AGM batteries I suspect ), Flooded Wet Cell batteries are far more robust in a number of key areas.

They tolerate higher charge voltages, they are self current regulating, they withstand rough driving conditions far better than most other types of batteries, and best of all, they are usually heaps cheaper than other types of batteries.

Now to the charge voltages of different batteries.

While any of my controllers can charge any type of auxiliary battery but if that battery happens to be a non automotive specific AGM, most AGM batteries used in RV set ups are not automotive specific. In other words, they were NOT made for automotive use, then my controller offer no over voltage protection for these types of batteries.

Problem is that it does not matter what type of isolator you use, if over voltage by itself does not destroy these types of batteries, a combination of over voltage, over charge current and heat will.

The instant you move any battery into the cab of a vehicle or to a camper trailer or caravan, the battery‘s life expectancy improves dramatically.

This improvement is brought about by a number of factors.

Because the batteries are now in a low temperature climate, they can actually tolerate slightly higher voltages.

Because there is now a much longer cable run, this will reduce the charging voltage and the charging current levels which in turn helps to protect the battery(s) and this means my controllers don’t need to regulate the charge voltages.

Hope this answers your question for you.

I used to think I knew a thing or two about batteries, but the more I think I've learned, the less I really do know!

Thanks for the info, most useful