Dual Battery Installation Write-Up - Pics

[sbechtold]

sonof40 previously said:

Sol, Which of the three switch positions do you find that you use most and when?

I usually leave the switch in the normal mode where both batteries are being charged, but not combined. I have only had to switch it over to combine the batteries once when my starting battery went dead from sitting too long.

[cruiserlarry]

dukeiiixxx previously said:

Thanks SBECHTOLD for this great write-up

I’ve one silly question,
Is it possible to add another battery and connect it to the OEM battery without adding any other devices or fuse blocks, i.e. replacing the original fuses by higher Am fuses would not help here? .

Thanks again.

In theory, you could add as many batteries in parallel, as you'd like - you'd still have 12v, and a tremendous amount of reserve capacity and cranking amps available. In reality, however, the larger the load on the alternator, the more likely you are to damage the alternator. Most alternators are designed to handle a certain lad, and if you exceed that load consistantly, you will damage the alternator (or its control circuits on newer vehicles) and no batteries will charge. That is the purpose behind higher-output alternators - to allow more charging capability, in addition to running more accessories.

A dual battery system, if the batteries are reasonably close in style / size, should be no problem for most alternators. But if you ad a third, fourth, or even more batteries in parallel for the alternator to charge all the time, you are likely to experience premature charging system meltdown...

(And the rating of the fuses has nothing to do with this - fuses are to protect circuits from overload coming into them, not restrict current going out of them...)

[sonof40]

sbechtold previously said:

I usually leave the switch in the normal mode where both batteries are being charged, but not combined. I have only had to switch it over to combine the batteries once when my starting battery went dead from sitting too long.

Thanks for that.
If one wanted to monitor the activity of the aux battery would a simple volt meter wired between neg. and pos. aux. posts do the job? And would this indicate the same type status (charging, discharging) as the stock meter does for the stock battery?

[Prof T]

sonof40 previously said:

Thanks for that.
If one wanted to monitor the activity of the aux battery would a simple volt meter wired between neg. and pos. aux. posts do the job? And would this indicate the same type status (charging, discharging) as the stock meter does for the stock battery?

Yes. You can get a dual meter and just switch between the two as a dlb. check too.

Thanks for the excellent thread

[breauxtus]

Hey Sol, I've read this thread a couple of times. I love the write-up and the great input from a lot of contributors in terms of tech and questions and answers.

A couple more questions........I know I'm going to feel like a gumbie for this:

1. The BTF box lid clamp looks suspiciously close to the battery terminals. Have you experienced any type of side to side shake that could possibly throw the positive terminal into the metal lid?
   
2. Having your Warn winch control inside the hood, does this mean you have to have your hood open to operate your winch?

EDIT: Okay, I may have the answer to question 2: You're using a remote control. Yes?
Thanks for the write-up!


Mike

[sbechtold]

The BTF box lid clamp looks suspiciously close to the battery terminals. Have you experienced any type of side to side shake that could possibly throw the positive terminal into the metal lid?

The top plate fits into the recessed area on top of the optima battery. I've had no problems with it moving around at all.


Having your Warn winch control inside the hood, does this mean you have to have your hood open to operate your winch?

I run in-cab winch controls, so I never plug the hand held winch control into the solenoid. If you search for "in cab winch control" you should find a few threads with how to set them up.

[breauxtus]

sbechtold previously said:

The BTF box lid clamp looks suspiciously close to the battery terminals. Have you experienced any type of side to side shake that could possibly throw the positive terminal into the metal lid?

The top plate fits into the recessed area on top of the optima battery. I've had no problems with it moving around at all.


Having your Warn winch control inside the hood, does this mean you have to have your hood open to operate your winch?

I run in-cab winch controls, so I never plug the hand held winch control into the solenoid. If you search for "in cab winch control" you should find a few threads with how to set them up.

Thanks very much for the information Sol. Your SFA rig is what mine hopes to be in about 5 years. I love that thing more everytime I see it.