Stand Alone Battery

[ce4460]

I recently put a deep cycle battery in my truck and run an inverted to the back of the truck. I was pondering whether I should my old standard battery, place it in a marine box, and run some power connectors off it ( USB, cigarette lighter, etc). I realize I'll be draining the battery with every use, potentially destroying it if I take the charge down to zero. That said, if I'm careful not to take it to zero and recharge it when I return home, does it make much sense. As I said I've already put an inverter in the back. A stand alone battery would simply be another source of power. What do you think? If you like, or have done this yourself, how did you configure the system in such a way as to keep it out of the way yet accessible? Thank You for your consideration.

 

[mmnorthdirections]

I considered and priced out a DIY dual battery setup for the FJ to run a fridge, winch, and 1200W inverter. What I found was, why should I try to reinvent the wheel, for the price and convenience of the Dirty Parts dual battery kit it made no sense. The kit comes with everything you need precut with terminals nicely installed to make a safe/clean install minus the battery. I have had mine in for about three years and it works well.
Good luck/research in your decision.

 

[ce4460]

Do you remember who made the kit?

 

[mmnorthdirections]

I just called Dirty Parts and they do not make a kit for your truck, But I did find these folks in Bend Or.
http://www.columbiaoverland.com/dual-battery-kits-for-off-road/
And
https://off-grid-engineering.myshopify.com/collections/all
I would give them a call and see what they can put together for you. I personally like the KIT idea.
Good hunting!!!

 

[ce4460]

Thank you very much. Sounds like a kit is the way to go for the 12v deficient like me.

 

[Luis Merlo]

I also am about to replace my main battery with a new one, and use my current battery in a battery box in the rear cargo are...people however have commented on the gasses released by batteries espacially inside the cabin...so i will be looking at a decent "jump-pack"...especially the low profile horizontal ones.....keep you posted

 

[Luis Merlo]

 

[Mademan925]

I did my own dual battery setup and it was a lot of work. I saved some money but in hind sight probably should have gone with off the grids setup. I also added solar to my truck setup. Ill be adding solar and a battery to my trailer soon so I can have my fridge in both the truck and trailer. Its great to have a good power source in the wild.

 

[4xFar Adventures]

If you can, stick with an AGM battery instead of a lead acid. The jumper battery pack might be a better option. It's a lot smaller, and weighs a lot less. Or consider getting something like a Goal Zero charger that sits on the dashboard and charges in the sun.

 

[ce4460]

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely go for the dual battery setup. Not worth the risks for such a small gain.

 

[justin marsh]

My second battery system is monitored by a DIY red arc kit. Have one deep cycle marine battery under the Bonnet and the second deep cycle battery is in the cargo bay in a marine battery box wired in series to the first deep cycle battery so the red arc sees a 12v 240 amp hour battery . It is wired in with a 175amp Anderson plug for quick connect removal from the vehicle.

 

[pl626]

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely go for the dual battery setup. Not worth the risks for such a small gain.

Did you do the dual battery? How did it work out?

I've been thinking about setting up a second deep cycle battery for the toys that could also be portable, like an Arkpak, but with a LiFePO4. OC, I could just get the Arkpak, drop a LiFePO4 in it and be done with it, but I think I could DIY for much less. Besides, I already have a fuse block and isolater kit from Blue Sea. I just need to work out the charge balancing and solar, and add a marine box.

BTW, if your old battery was a starter batter rather than a deep cycle, I wouldn't bother running accessories off of that, as you will kill the battery fairly quickly. You really want a deep cycle battery for the accessories.

 

[Scott]

I also am about to replace my main battery with a new one, and use my current battery in a battery box in the rear cargo are...people however have commented on the gasses released by batteries espacially inside the cabin...so i will be looking at a decent "jump-pack"...especially the low profile horizontal ones.....keep you postedView attachment 6341

@Luis Merlo take a look at the micro start xp10 battery pack. I absolutely love mine and it comes in a handy carrying case that fits right in the map pocket of my truck.

https://www.amazon.com/Antigravity-Batteries-AG-XP-10-Multi-Function-Starter/dp/B00MQ5Z5F2

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[pl626]

^^x2 on the Microstart. I've used mine to jump several cars and it holds a charge so much better than my old lead acid jump packs.


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[Scott]

^^x2 on the Microstart. I've used mine to jump several cars and it holds a charge so much better than my old lead acid jump packs.


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The xp10 is the biggest one they make and it's jumped my 5.9 dual battery powered diesel a couple of times.

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[Luis Merlo]

Thank you !....will have a look, cheers

 

[Ganja_Overland]

I do this when I go to music festivals. Just have a stand alone charged car battery, A 1000k watt inverter, with projector, laptop, cellphone, gopro all charging. Works great! It's just a spare battery I had lying around so I don't care about ruining it too much. I just bring it home and throw it on the charger.

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[Vyscera]

The xp10 is the biggest one they make and it's jumped my 5.9 dual battery powered diesel a couple of times.

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I've used my XP-1 (yes 1, not 10) to jump start a 6.9L 402. It cranked like mad!

 

[Justin Moss]

I setup a DIY dual battery setup in my 1991 Toyota pickup. The second battery is in the canopy. I wired in one of these 100% duty cycle solenoids to disconnect the positive lead from between the auxiliary from the starting battery when the vehicle isn't running. I tapped into the windshield wiper circuit to activate the solenoid so when I shut the key off the batteries are isolated. I've rewired everything (Stereo, Ham Radio's, Auxiliary lights, Inverter, etc) to run from the Auxiliary battery to try and minimize the draw from the starting battery.

The name of the item on Amazon was:
Db Electrical SPL6007 New Db Electrical Spl6007 Solenoid For Golf Cart Marine Winch 12 Volt Heavy Duty

For some reason I can get the link to the item to show up.

Justin