best battery type for under the hood dual setup?

I am designing a dual battery setup and trying to maintain as much space in the cab and bed as possible. First I figured lithium would be the way to go, but I'm seeing a lot of c oncerns about heat in the engine compartment. Non lithium are all apparently too heavy. Would like to still be able to do some light offroading.

Are there any safe options for under the hood that won't damage the battery or the sheet metal?

2007 dcsb

 

What are your motivations for doing dual batteries?

 

Occasional boondocking

 

Multiple days at a time? or are you starting and driving the vehicle daily?

I'm not a big fan of dual batteries unless you plan on staying in one place more than a day. I've had plenty of luck with a ARB fridge run right off the stock battery overnight.

I've built campers with 100% solar and battery setups and it's surprising how little you need if you are a little bit frugal.

That said, the Odyssey batteries are both light and dont have the temperature sensitivity of lithium batteries.

 

I have 2 deep cycle marine batteries
2 North Star deep cycle marine agm, using a Ctek smartpass and Ctek DS250 to control and charge. Main is for winch and start, 2nd is for accessories and is connected to inverter and solar recharge
On my 3rd gen

 

we also run a single, although larger deep cycle, but the concept is the same as @ZColorado - we have a

$92 noco GB40 : 1000A ultrasafe jump starter – 12V lithium battery booster pack, portable jump box, power bank & jumper cables - for 6.0L gas and 3.0L diesel engines

noco GB40 as a back up to start the vehicle, just incase. depending on your style of camping you don't always need two. my buddy drove to Patagonia (8 months) on a single with solar had zero problems

some good battery info here :
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-northstar-agm-battery-voltage-booster-upgrade.604478/

 

I have never been a fan of more batteries. Each battery is equivalent to adding a 1/2 passenger to your truck, weight wise. And then when you start adding battery powered toys to your truck, that penalty to your performance, handling, and mileage stacks up faster than you would think.


My trailer runs dual group 24 batteries and even being on a trailer, I feel it. I'm currently looking to drop that down to a single battery system and rely more heavily on solar instead.

 

Great info, thanks. Love this place already.

I'm new to all of this, but I do envision multiple day stays at some point. I have an experienced buddy nterested in the challenge of the project and he's willing to help me weld/wire it all up once I've decided exactly what I want to do. If I regret something in the future, I would prefer it be that I spent too much on safety nets of the added battery, rather than that Im stuck somewhere because I don't know how to ration/monitor power usage yet. What I have in mind immediately is a 12v iceco fridge, camper lights, and laptop/phone charging (I can work from anywhere). I'm in the Midwest, so most places I'm going to go will be shaded (definitely not a dry heat here in the summer). Not thinking solar right now, but since I do want to be able to charge from a campsite if needed, I will probably get a solar capable charger anyway.

Other than the battery, I will set this up to all be removable, as this truck is still my daily driver.

 

‘that which is not measured, cannot be managed’ -some smart dude or dudette, (paraphrased)

there are so many devices available for exactly this purpose: monitoring battery life and health. I would suggest doing a little more research and seeing if you can’t get by with a single battery, before sinking a ton of energy and money into your custom dual battery setup (that could still possibly leave you stranded, if not set up properly).

I have a deep cycle marine installed in place of my starting battery. I use it to power a 12v pump for window cleaning, along with the electric hose reels. I just have to put a battery tender on it overnight every couple of weeks. The alternator doesn’t do a perfect job of keeping it topped off.

 

If I wanted to do things on a reasonable budget, I would get the following items and build a portable enclosure for them:

• 100 Ah lithium iron battery - can be had for under $500 these days.
• Battery monitor - I bought a renogy knockoff for 60 something bucks, and it does anything and everything I want. Its highly accurate and calculates remaining battery by measuring current instead of volts. You can get a very basic voltmeter and ammeter for as little as 15 bucks, however.
• Charge controller - can be had for as little as $20.
• Solar briefcase - These things are coming down in price. I picked up a 120 watt briefcase, charge controller, and all the adapters I would need to hook it into batteries, laptops, cell phones, whatever, for $170. The briefcase folds up small and is infinitely adjustable, so you can always find a sunny patch at camp.
• [Optional] Plug in charger - top off the battery from the house before trips. can be had for as little as $30.
• [Optional] AC Inverter - 100 bucks. I never found a need for one, all of my camp gear runs off of 12V DC.

Advantages over dual battery: portable. Can be moved around camp to suit, and can be removed from the truck when not in use. Lightweight. If you drain the battery, the truck still starts. More duty cycles. You can drain a LiFePO4 to a lower voltage than a marine battery without shortening the lifespan.

Disadvantages: Lithium is expensive. It almost has the capacity of a dual - 100Ah vs 2x 60Ah marine batteries. You loose about a suitcase's worth of space in the bed. Won't charge while driving.




Or you could go the easy route, buy a 50 Ah Jackery station with all monitors and outlets integrated in the box, for $800-900. Plus a solar briefcase.

 

Thanks again all. For this upcoming trip, another buddy loaned me a deep cycle marine battery that I will secure in a box in the bed somehow, and live off of that while i get a feel for what I would need ongoing. I'm sure it will be more than enough power, it's just the space I'll be trying to work around as the 5ft bed is also a living space as part of an AT overland habitat camper shell. I have no hesitation spending a couple hundred bucks to avoid touching the starting battery for any of this. I'll have a kid with me, so its worth it to me for the peace of mind until I understand all of this better.

Also, I wouldn't need it for this trip if ever, but is there such a thing as a combined charger/controller/monitor/inverter? If so, are they worth it? I'm sure some would feel better with different devices to spread out the failure points, just curious.

 

Yes and no. Most charge controllers do have built in monitors. They just aren't as informative as a stand alone unit. Understanding battery behavior is a hobby unto itself.

The short story is that voltage indicates charge, but it's only an accurate indicator if the battery has no current load and is sitting within a certain temperature range. So some monitors have fancy ways to compensate for that, while others just show a basic voltmeter and assume that you can guesstimate the rest.


That said, of you want it all integrated, the easiest is to get an all in one power station, like what renogy or jackery sells. And for what you're doing, those little units would be an ideal fit.

 

+1 for Lithium iron phosphate, or LiFePo4. They look expensive but supposedly are cheaper in the long run, that being 10 years later (expected life). Unlike lithium ion, heat does not bother them and they are noncorrosive and nonexplosive

 

Whole thread on dual battery setups over here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ts-see-them-multiple-batteries-thread.295653/