Ford Dual Battery Setup

[Viva]

Originally Posted by 1der

This provides for a 210aH house system using a couple of group 31 AGM's.

Just in case anyone wants to squeeze a few more amp hours in the same space, Lifeline makes what they call 31 "XTs." These are AGM batteries in the Group 31 case (dimensions) but with 125 amp hours each. I asked them how they stuffed the extra amp hours in, and they explained (this may not be exact, but its the gist) that the plates have two sides, and match up sort of "nose to tail" inside. Well, that leaves an extra "nose" at the end in the form of half a plate without a "tail" to match up to. They cut an extra plate in half and put it in to make it so they are all complete sets inside the battery. So they are the same size as their other Group 31's, but weigh a bit more and have 125 amp hours each.

I wanted more amp hours than I (theoretically) had space for, so I went for the GPL 31XTs for my own setup.

PS: 1der, I'm with you in that I like having a switch (although I have an ACR in a different setup, so nothing in particular against them, but I like a simple, robust switch in the van).

[Wbp]

Hey 1der I am interested in you battery setup I got two of the boxes to install on the frame but am concerned that the box will not hold a very large battery. I see you came up with a great idea to get the larger batteries in the boxes. I assume you added some metal between the boxes to spread them but how did you mount them to the frame did you just use the existing mounting holes on each end? Or did you add some other mounting holes? How long have you had this setup?

[1der]

Hey Wpb,

Yes, I added some metal to spread the boxes out a bit:


The front angle piece would have been optimally welded in place to provide even more reinforcement but I do not have a welder so I bolted it in place. This, along wth some battery straps, keep the batteries secured in the tray.

I could have drilled the frame to match the mounting tab holes but decided to drill the mounting tabs instead. Easier and everything was actually pretty close. I had to elongate the slots in the mounts a bit.


I wanted this mounted as far forward as possible, this results in te positive terminal of the front battery being close to the frame. I was okay with this, but others may want to scoot the batter bank aft to provide more clearance before the body curve begins.


I have been running with this setup for over year including the Leavitt Lake trip which had me pretty articulated. No issues at all and I am super happy with the way it came out. I really did not wnat the batteries hanging down on the pass side rail. You almost have to knee down to see them. The AGM's ability to mount side ways allowed this. I used Deka's 31's which had a the dimensions that would work for my set up.

[1der]

Couple of other things:

The battery bank is heavy and awkward to deal with. I do not have a transmission jack so I modified my floor jack by adding a pc of 3/4" ply to teh saddle and secured it with some metal strapping. It worked like a charm.


Couple of other shots of the install:
Used some ply as a jig to hold everything together prior to welding as the mounting holes needed to be right on dimensionally.



Blue Sea Switch and 140 amp fuse, shot from below. The switch is mounted at the forward edge of the side cargo door step facing out. Used a hole saw to cut through the plastic and the metal. Hand, out of the way and always visible when in camp getting in and out so I do not forget to switch to house only :

[MarlanaBeth]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

The relay energizes when the key is ON. That allows it to charge when the engine is running. And you can put a load on it (lights, camper, whatever) and not run down the starting battery.
Mike

Hi. Because I understood what you wrote, I am posing my newbie question to you. I am reading used SMB ads; many mention having house (or reserve) batteries. Do all SMBs with house batteries have them set up as you describe above: they're being charged when driving and when they are being used, they are not drawing from the car battery?

If the answer to my question is "No, not all SMBs with reserve batteries are set up like this", then how do I discover/inquire about this feature when asking for info about a particular SMB? Is there a shorthand term for this feature?

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by MarlanaBeth

Hi. Because I understood what you wrote, I am posing my newbie question to you. I am reading used SMB ads; many mention having house (or reserve) batteries. Do all SMBs with house batteries have them set up as you describe above: they're being charged when driving and when they are being used, they are not drawing from the car battery?

If the answer to my question is "No, not all SMBs with reserve batteries are set up like this", then how do I discover/inquire about this feature when asking for info about a particular SMB? Is there a shorthand term for this feature?

Probably not all.. but the vast majority of used SMBs will have this setup.

[Wbp]

Thanks 1der that was a very helpful discription of your battery installation and gives me another option for the larger batteries.

[FarmerFrederico]

OK - I'm finally at a place where I can start working on this battery set-up and thanks for all of the replies, everyone.

I do have the auxiliary battery on my 2010 V10 and it came that way from the factory with a factory installed hitch. All of my DC sockets are up at the dash of the van.

• Could I wire an outlet in to the harness behind the panelling running up the pillar behind the driver's seat?

• If I want to use it as a house battery with no solar right now, can I plug things into 12v sockets with the key in ignition turned backwards and just run a fan and fridge off that battery?

• Or do I need to run a separate line inside the van to run a fridge and fan?

• Am I correct that it is isolated from the main battery with a relay?

• How do I test everything to see if it set up correctly?

The only thing I want to run at night is a Stand Alone Fantastic Fan and an ARB fridge and we move frequently enough on the road that I think I can get away without solar for now. With both of those I'll probably have to add a second auxiliary battery.

• Should I match the two batteries under the van and get some AGM batteries?

• Or should I just get a matching battery to what is already there?

We leave on July 30th for a 10 day trip and I'd like to be set up by then. We also have several interior changes and a pop-top to add this fall so I'm tempted to just get a Goal Zero for the time being.

[mikracer]

I have an 05 with the factory aux battery and the way I understand it, is it is an isolated battery that does not help with starting the van or powering the 12v outlets at all.

I bought an 8ga amp wiring kit and a 6 fuse block. I ran the wire (fused) from the aux battery to the 6 fuse block in the back of my van (where the jack is). I then installed a 12v aux outlet in the back to be able to run a fridge or charge my phone when camping in the back of my van. I will install a couple more of the 12v outlets and possibly some lights, all of which will run off the aux battery. I can post pictures when I get a chance.

Since your battery is mounted outside, you don't HAVE to get an AGM battery. You could get a wet cell deep cycle battery which is probably less expensive. The only hassle would be that you would have to occasionally add water to it. If you've dropped the battery from the frame rail, you'll understand why this is a hassle.

[daveb]

My guess is you can just rig off the Aux battery you have. As long as the relay opens up when the key is off you should be in good shape. I'd be temped to stick some type of deep cycle battery in there though but what you have might work OK.

The goal zero stuff is nice but pricy. This might not be up your alley but I made portable power supplies for dirt cheap that I use for my telescopes and here is a link to something similar. Set up something like this until you're ready to do a full house battery install.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tf3fngKA-c

On mine I got a cheap analog volt meter with a switch and installed it in one of the boxes I made and used a LED battery push button monitor on the other. Both have 2 to 3 12vDC outlets on them. You can get a box minus the outlets and battery from Cabela's:

Purchase a AGM battery if you wish just make sure it will fit. If you want a good battery look at an Odyssey or Sears Platinum battery (the Platinum is a re-badged Odyssey). That is what I use for my starting batteries. Unlike most AGM batteries, they can be taken down to about 80% of DOD for 800 cycles IIRC. They are expensive (about 250.00) but are made really well. To charge back up you'd be better off rigging a inverter and charger off the vans battery system but you could probably charge directly from the alternator if need be.

Then there is this:


http://www.arkportablepower.com/collections/all

I'd rather have this than the Goal Zero...JMO, each have their pros and cons. They now sell the USA models.