I am looking for dual-battery setup ideas, perhaps a picture of actual configurations.

I am preparing to do the dual-battery setup on my 2005 Supercrew with 5.4L engine. I have one Optima Yellow Top battery installed, plus another one sitting in the garage. There is plenty of open space inside the engine compartment for a 150 lbs man to hide in, but can't find a good place for a second working battery.

(1) I have tried putting the two batteries side by side in the tray, but they do not fit by about 4 to 6". Even if I was able to "make it fit", then it would be at the expense of having access to surrounding components.

(2) I have tried placing the battery on the driver's side but it is encumbered by the cold air intake. I don't like the idea of eliminating any part of the cold air intake.

(3) The option of last resort is to place the battery in the truck bed, but that will require heavy gauge copper to run underneath the body of the truck. Besides, using the bed for a battery seems kind of silly.

I need an isolated 2nd battery to run the stereo amps, the power inverter, air up/down, etc.

 

i have seen people put to red tops in side by side in the engine bay by the stock battery. instead of putting it long ways with the fender try mounting it side ways and maybe you can get it to fit. you may have to build a bracket to hold them in place tho.

 

Maybe you can put it under the back seat.

 

i did a dual set up with yellow tops. i hooked them up together though. before i did this i did like your number three, i run 2ga to the back with the extra batteries being in a low profile tool box, so at that time i had three batteries, but those where just the 65 series, but advance was supprised i told them to check out my battery, meaning doing a load test and cold cranking amps. lol the guy only thought i had the one battery, it came back way over 3000ca, that guy was like wow i didnt know they made a battery that strong. i never told him.

not sure how to post up pictures but ill try. there in my gallery if this doesnt work. this is my 5or6th dual battery setup have any questions just ask.

 

any one got any tips on how i would set up dual batterys one for running my truck the other to run audio but be able to charge off the alt? when im out fishing i like to have my radio on but dont like having dead batterys.

 

You need to get an isolator kit.

 

I will be using a PAC SPR200 Battery Isolator. The basic function of the isolator is that it will allow charge to come in to both batteries at the same time when engine is running, but will only let charge to come out of the second battery when the engine is off.

The setup sounds simple, but it is not. For example, the stereo head unit, plus all the factory equipment such as the cigarette lighter, headlights, dome light, etc., will continue to draw power from battery #1, the way they always did, no change here. What is going to change is that the heavy gauge wire that supplies the stereo amps will be coming from battery #2, as well as the current to supply the power inverter. In other words, it is still possible to leave the dome light on accidentally, and become stranded. However, it is less likely that listening to the stereo will drain battery #1 before battery #2, because the current draw is like a thousand to one, or more.

 

did you have to make a bracket or anything for underneath both of those yellowtops or does it just fit right into there and stay there?

 

I ran a similar setup in my Expedition with two yellow tops. Option #3 behind the rear seat powering 4amps and capacitor. Never had any issues and always had plenty of power... That looks like a good setup to put in my KR...

 

i took out the factory tray.. there was enough room to set both on the fender/wheel well, but i just didnt think it was very stable. so i took a piece of 1" pressure treated plywood and cut it the way i wanted to, the plan was too build it out of wood use that as my blueprint for metal. but so far the wood has lasted so it stays. anyway what i did was took the wood and actually mounted it a few different places, two bolts went thru the wheel well, and got some angle iron, and ran it along the top of the wood plate, then put some screws thru that into the fender. now the wood plate its going anywhere and i made it a little longer then needed some the washer tank, could also mount to it and it not just hang there, i have modified it some since that pic was taken. you will see a ratchit strap going around it. i now have it where the batteries are screwed into the would, i dont have no kind of adapters on the bottom so that left holes already there for me to ran the screws thru. never had no problems.

i could see spending that kind of money for an batt iso. so i just 2ga everything also the alt wire. the only thing not 2ga is the two factory power wires(started and main fuse box) i also added a 4ga ground wire only to the body not the frame, have less ground loop problems.

hope this helps.

 

The below link is to a company that makes a really sweet setup, they are a bit pricey but the way it is setup is sweet and you can control it all from in the cab of the truck.

http://www.wranglerpower.com/

 

I think that is the key to this job, to remove the factory tray and build your own, and wood seems like a perfectly good material to work with. And I will do mine the same way in the future. But this afternoon I took the easy way out, and mounted my battery case to the bed of the truck.

Again, another reason to mount the two batteries in close proximity to each other, less ground loops. My battery #2 will be at least 8' of 2 awg copper distance from battery #1, and this could create ground loops problems and humming noise in the stereo. I will be continuing my installation next weekend and learn more.

 

I did the the same thing when i first did mine. I mounted two extra batteries in my tool box, hooked those together then run it form the front with true 2awg. Not 4" of coating on top of it. I know you know what im talking about. 2ga wire on ebay for $10 get it here and the actual copper might have been 8ga if that rest was cooper. Then I relized what the AWG actually meant lol.

When I did the above I never had much ground loop problem. I did almost the same thing you did, I took 4ga maybe 4-6' and right to the frame. I didn't body ground it. I never had no issue, but then again it only stayed like that for maybe two months and this ideal went thru my head.

I'll be around if you need any help.

 

Thanks for the quick response. Next mod for sure. Awesome.

 

Why not just throw an electric solenoid between + post A and B? This will be cheap and easy. All you have to do is run a toggle switch in the dash to open/close the solenoid.

So... you get to your fishing hole. You flip the switch on dash (opening the solenoid between + post A and B; disconnecting battery B from your primary battery A). Your secondary battery runs dead via stereo jamming. You get back in the truck and start it up. Then flip the switch back (closing the solenoid; reconnecting secondary batter B to the rest of your electrical system). You secondary battery will now equalize with the primary, and will be charged by the alt. once again.