Dual Odyssey 1200 batteries going to bulkhead fittings (2 pair), one pair for winch power, one pair for main vehicle power. Hooked up in parallel, no isolator.

Batteries are mounted in forward right corner of CrewCab box section. Bulkhead fittings are necessary to get power out of the box.

Rear bulkhead of cab section was chuck full of random holes. Rather than filling them with rivits or bolts I decided to completely remove the center section, have a new center section cut at my local sheet metal shop. 10 minutes and 5 bucks later I'm walking out the door whistling a happy little tune. :)

When I cut out the center panel I left an inch and a half lip to install riv-nuts into. The center panel I had made fit *perfectly* (finally something does) and I started the drillin' process.

Close up of the bulkhead fittings I used to get power into the cab section, additional fuse-block, and inverter. The additional benefit of making a removable rear panel is that I can now get to the fuel tank fittings, and also the rear box mounting brackets a LOT easier.

Now...to figure out what fun things I can run from that fuse block. :)

The tables must have been cold today for you to actually work on your truck!

I myself removed the front axle form my parts truck (the white one....on blocks in the driveway).

-Jeff

Mike - how you chargin all those batteries???

And...

what sort of distance are you running cables to the winch?

the batteries are getting a good kick in the pants from a high-output alternator from WranglerNW (www.wranglernw.com).

Once the power is outside of the box it's a straight shot about 10 feet to the winch.

I also have a similar set-up with dual-Optimas in my cooking trailer. They also get charged from the vehicle alternator. When the cooking trailer is connected via a quick-connect cable to the tow vehicle, I'll essentially have 4 batteries hooked up in parallel.

Any suggestions???

Originally posted by Serious One
the batteries are getting a good kick in the pants from a high-output alternator from WranglerNW (www.wranglernw.com).

Once the power is outside of the box it's a straight shot about 10 feet to the winch.

I also have a similar set-up with dual-Optimas in my cooking trailer. They also get charged from the vehicle alternator. When the cooking trailer is connected via a quick-connect cable to the tow vehicle, I'll essentially have 4 batteries hooked up in parallel.

Any suggestions???

If you intend doing long trips in that thing (which I assume is the idea) you could invest in a solar panel to help heel tha batteries topped up. Just bolt it to the roof/roofrack. It will keep the batteries topped up when the car is parked out in the open, even if you are running an electric fridge full time.

[i]

I also have a similar set-up with dual-Optimas in my cooking trailer. They also get charged from the vehicle alternator. When the cooking trailer is connected via a quick-connect cable to the tow vehicle, I'll essentially have 4 batteries hooked up in parallel.

Any suggestions??? [/B]

Any kind of isolation between trailer and vehicle batteries ?

Otherwise if you flatten the trailer batteries, and then reconnect to the vehicle, aren't you going to have a massive current rush as all four batteries try and equalise themselves ?

hmm, hadn't thought of it like that.

But...to answer the question.

Typically the trailer will be hooked up to the tow vehicle, utilizing all 4 batteries for the operation of two of the large ARB Freezer-Fridges. If I have to leave the trailer as a stand-alone then yeah, there's a quick-disconnect cable that I have rigged to disconnect from the tow vehicle as wel as the trailer.

I figure that the 'massive current rush' when re-connected would be similar to jump starting a car with a dead battery. Otherwise I'd have to devise a completely new charging system, and frankly I'm not in the mood.

One thing that was suggested was to run an alternator from an axle equipped with a third member and some sort of drive pully to the alternator off of the pinion. When we built the trailer we actually had thought of that, but thought it was a little booty-fab, plus we have the issue of dunking the alternator on a regular basis. Maybe solar panels are the way to go on the trailer to keep those batteries topped up.

One question I do have, that I'm not quite sure of is regarding running a pair of Odessy batteries in parallel along with a pair of Optimas in parallel.

I'm wondering if there will be some 'issues' with them not being the same type, but of similar age.

Where's my battery expert Lou when I need him!!! :)

Here's what my friend Lou wrote back. BTW, Lou is an electrical genius, has run electric dragsters for many years, has a yellow Renault LeCar running on Yellow-Top Optima's. He can do a wheelstand in that car and light them up w/out even trying. He's my man I turn to when talking about things electric. Here's what he had to say:

"You are right, in that if you connect two batteries that are in parallel, in parallel with two other batteries that are in parallel, it's similar to jump starting one battery to another. You really shouldn't connect all the batteries in parallel unless they are all the same capacity and type, i.e. flooded cell versus an absorbed mat or spiral cell like an Optima. When connected in parallel, the stronger batteries will be brought down to the lesser capacity battery. If the imbalance is strong enough, the current draw could be significant. As an example, the short circuit current of an Optima is upwards of 1500 amps. If you parallel a dead gel cell with an Optima and hook them up, you may draw enough to melt the connecting wires, the posts of the batteries, or have a nice little explosion on your hands. Even if the batteries are more similar, like the Odyssey and Optimas, paralleling them is just bad practice. You might be able to get away with it for a short time, but the end result will be reducing your battery life, or eliminating an eye or two if the current gets out of hand. If you look at it this way, $200 to $300 for a couple of batteries is much cheaper than a trip to the hospital and a cornea transplant! Lastly, ALWAYS use safety glasses when you're hooking up batteries. It's very cheap insurance and like the return on investment when compared to new corneas, it's a no brainer!

On solar panels - yes indeed - it's like getting free power, except for the following: A standard solar panel will give you about 1/2 amp in direct sunlight. There are some that are much more efficient, but they will set you back some serious change. If you put two together, that will give you 1 amp. An Optima is 55 AH if memory serves me right. If you drive that battery down to 30 amp hours during use, that means that you'll need to run the solar panel for 30 hours at full sun light. If you get full light for 10 hours per day, you might get full charges in three days if you don't draw any more on those batteries! And that's only for one battery. If you parallel them together, double that time.

Food for thought.
Lou"

In other words....don't try this at home: