Dual battery

I don’t think I’ll need it but at what point would you need a dual battery setup? Right now I have hooked up some spot lights and some grill light but sometime in a few weeks I’ll add an on board air compressor and after that a winch. I guess my question would be would the winch be the maximum I can add to the single battery?

 

Don’t think that matters unless you decide to run everything at the same time with the truck not running.
Mostly the secondary is a “house” battery, runs things like camp lights, fridges, water pumps.

 

I'm installing my dual battery set up tomorrow. The secondary battery will be for my winch, on board air compressor, 12v cooler and power inverter.

 

Here is a little of what I have going on…andi have cascadia 4x4 solar panel on the hood, single arb compressor under the passenger seat, warn winch, constant wiring to the cigarette lighter in the cab, and in the bed for a fridge. Oh and a Bunch of leds from vleds, 30” light bar, 2 6” light bars. But I really got the batteries and panel after I got a fridge.

 

The on-board air compressor will be fine with the engine running. You may not even hear the engine running when the air compressor is working.

A Warn winch at full power will draw ~500Amps from somewhere. The stock alternator at ~full engine speed, not at idle, only produces 130Amps. Those 370Amps have to come from somewhere - your batteries. How long can one battery supply that current? That depend upon how good you are at getting yourself into and out of trouble.

I run multiple batteries for safety, for backup starting and not having to worry about electronics while out on the trail.

I'm often winching downed trees out of the trail or moving rocks or myself and other vehicles.

 

Why are the two RED cables descending into the engine compartment where they are?

 

Looks like he has a loop of extra cable - personally I’d cut one end and shorten it to make it neater but also to get less resistance in the run.

This is one of my favorite tools for cable making mods- I can also custom make my own steel cable eyes with it for making cable locks.

$40 YUZES Hydraulic Crimping Tool 10 Tons, 12 AWG to 2/0 Battery Cable Crimper Tool with 9 Dies, Easy to Operate Hydraulic Wire Crimping Tool Kit for Wire Rope, Battery Cable Ends Ring Terminals

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFV249X3

 

Goes to the charge controller.

 

It’s a kit from sdhq, it fits in there pretty nice. Not cheap though.

 

So they put the charge controller down below? Oh! I put mine next to the main battery- sorry, I just assumed yours was in the same location.

As for neatness, I shouldn’t talk. I made a custom battery mount for the auxiliary battery using angle iron, and built my own cables for it. I have a couple extra fuses on that battery, one for the charger (red one) and the other is a switchable relay for the line running to the back of the truck for my refrigerator, and one also to my solar charger. I have a Cascadia solar panel on the hood and one in back so there’s a switch for that, and I have an auxiliary switch on the driver side for a winch set up. the battery charging relay/controller is right next to the winch switch on the driver side on top of the fuse box, and that’s a high amperage fuse in the long rectangular case for the winch.

** And upon opening my hood to take these photos, I noticed that there was a small cat or something (based on those prints) that was running around the top of my engine - so glad I didn’t find chewed wires!!

 

That was weird until I looked at the install instructions which show some pictures - the charge controller is mounted to the driver's side of the added battery, thus the cables.
50-3002-U1_Install_Instructions.pdf (shopify.com)

 

I've considered a crimper like the one you linked to but...
Too small for the cabling I'm using on the truck - 4/0.
I borrow a crimper that is capable of 8 AWG to 500 kcmil Copper.

 

The one I posted will do down to 2/0 AWG- my winch cable is also 4/0 - you can see the size difference between the two in the second picture.

 

I'm unsure of what you are trying to say here? Are you crimping 4/0 terminals with the 2/0 die crimper you linked? The specs say it only goes up to 2/0 cable.

 

No, you are right, it goes to 2/0, I used that for all the other 2/0 cables I crimped myself. My 4/0 winch cable was purchased separately.

 

Now I understand.

 

With the right wire upgrades and, maybe, a higher output alternator, you can run all electrical component add-ons with one battery. Remember, once the vehicle is running, it is the alternator providing the current.

I see two main reasons to add a second battery. One, to run electrical components with the vehicle turned off. A deep cycle battery is preferred for the second battery. And two, to back up the primary battery should it die on you. This is why I put one in my truck. I off-road solo and got tired of lugging around a battery pack. After my pack stopped holding a charge, I added a second battery.

 

Just got my setup done. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...3rd-gen-today.399305/page-14079#post-29878451.

 

Wow, it’s so pretty and clean enough to eat off of! Mine looks like poop and dirt, but if I tried to keep it clean like that, I’d be outside washing my truck all the time.

Just waiting for the next rainstorm to give it a bath!

 

You made me realize my charge controller was just dangling. 2 out of 4 screws and no bolts. Gotta use loctite more often. Sheesh.

Thanks.