Group 35 DieHard Platinum/Odyssey PC1400, Battery Tray/Winch Control Mount

This size battery only "kinda fits" in the OEM location. The terminals are correct but the stock hold down is just a little off and will not prevent lateral or twisting movement.
Additionally I needed to have the winch control box mounted on the engine side of the battery. My dying Optima Orange Top had T-slots of sorts on each end that readily held the box along with a long hose clamp. All the cables were already cut and trained for this location so it had to remain.
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Old Optima and winch control, RIP after 12 years. Most folks say "they don't make em like they used to".




Requirements for the new tray.
It had to be non invasive/removable, prevent any possible movement of the battery and provide 100% support of the battery bottom along with providing a spot for the winch control.
The solution was to mimic the way the OEM plastic tray was located. It has 2 nipples (white arrows, pic 3), so to speak, that fit into corresponding holes in the battery shelf on the fender. The new tray would end up as more of a box, preventing any sideways movement. The OEM hold down would be used for nothing more than to hold the battery down. I did add 3/4" x3/4" x1/8" angle with 1/8" rubber strips to the inside of the stock brackets on the hold down due to the new battery being not quite as deep.


14g steel parts cut and bent, fresh from the acid bath (I hate mill scale).



All welded up with 4 "heavy pattern" nuts tacked on for the control box mount and 2 short pieces of pipe on the bottom to "key" the tray to the fender shelf.



All painted with a couple lengths of door edge trim to prevent any chafing of the battery case. The battery has lugs (pic above) at the base on the front and back eliminating any front to back movement. Thin rubber sheet was used between the box/battery and box/fender shelf.



Installed with Mil. Spec. connectors.



Now with dual quick disconnects.

 

Very Very Nice!!!!!!!

 

Nicely done!

 

Nice. Very, very nice indeed. This is exactly what I am needing. Want to make another one?

 

I put a constant duty solinoid on the feed line from the battery to disconnect the power and control that with a relay. I had a winch many years ago that was direct wired and the contacts in the control box stuck durring a pull. Scarry as hell losing control of the pull.

 

Cool, that issue was the main reason for the quick disconnects. Takes a few seconds to do the "half turn" and you must be out of the cab but better than nothing.
I wanted the control under the hood to prevent an ahole from "hot wiring" the winch with a paper clip. Haven't heard of it happening for quite a while but it once was a thing.

 

99% of my winching is moving things, trees, tree stumps, sheds etc. I always open the hood in case the cable or the purchase lets loose and I never use a chain, those things send shrapnel when they break. I was attempting to pull the trunk of a large Pepper tree last week and I had 4 X 6 blocks in front of each wheel and the winch just pulled the truck over the blocks, I over winch my vehicles, I figure for a few dollars more, why not.