Dual Battery Setups! Let's see them! Multiple Batteries Thread!

Very very true.

I may stick with one and see how I do as time goes on.

I have some property in NY and Vermont and slowly making a “road” through the woods so there is no rhyme or reason. Some days we only move 50 feet others more depends on how many trees we have to clear so there are times when I get stuck but it’s not all the time.

One thing that I thought was weird was the Adventure Ready website said they do not recommend or sell optima batteries and only sell Odyssey batteries.

Now I know about as much about batteries as I do qunatium mechanics so is an Odysseey a good battery? I have never heard of them but I see Optima mentioned everywear.

Thanks for the feed back

 

I've had Optimas and honestly never had an issue with them. But their quality is supposedly variable. Way back they were made in Aurora, Colorado (near Denver). We'd get factory seconds for next to nothing and they were great. They were bought out by Johnson Controls, moved production all over, eventually to Mexico. The advantage with them is they are everywhere so replacement is fairly easy and they aren't super expensive.

I have roughly 3 year old Odyssey batteries now. They are supposed to be awesome but they haven't started helping the hair on my head grow back, so time will tell.

Personally, I wouldn't get too hung up over it. Stick with a name brand that people mention, Northstar, Varta, Optima, Odyssey, X2Power, Duracell, West Marine, etc. Other than Optima most AGM are rebranded East Penn/Deka or EnerSys (Northstar, Odyssey).

 

There two reasons for dual batteries IMO. The first is redundancy and the second is to split loads. It mainly comes down to how far afield you go, too. If you're never alone and never far from a tow then having back up batteries isn't critical and need to be self reliant. If you never stay in one spot for more than a day then you probably can get by with one battery, since it gets charged.

Here in the U.S. we're not fortunate enough to have something like the Outback where you might literally be hundreds of miles from help. But it's still nice not to have to pay for a 4WD tow truck.

The reason I run dual batteries is to split the load. I have a fridge and when you're in camp it's drawing the aux battery down. I have a fairly small aux battery at the moment so I can only go about 2 days without charging (which with solar means I just need sun every other day) it but I'll never run the main battery down, which is the one that only runs the truck and starter.

Also you can tailor the battery to the use. The main battery is a starting type, the aux is a deep cycle. Using the right type means each lasts longer. Starting batteries don't like long, small loads like a fridge running for 2 days. OTOH deep cycle aren't designed for large, short loads like a starter or winch. This is less of an issue with hybrids AGMs that are OK at both now, though.

I ran one battery with the fridge for years and you just have to watch how far you draw it down and start the engine or run a charger once in a while. It's a pain is all and there is a risk that you forget. But it's not absolutely required, especially if you get a monster group 27 or something in there.

 

Didnt read the complete thread but am looking at making a overlanding vehicle. First time feeling with efi n all these electronic. If i do a stand alone system for my camping n recovery would that effect the ecm. My old rig had 2 4d batteries to power light fridge n freezer carman 3 camera 2 mapping tab. Had a 220 am alt that charges the system after the starting bettery was charged. All this was in a 85 blazer. Down sizing wanting to put this into my 93 pickup.

 

Kinda, I ran the heating element(300 watt in 16 gallon tank) for 3 days only when the truck was running and on the 4th once we made camp it kept water warm for about an hr with the truck off and the battery was dead flat.


Once I started the truck for a few mins on main battery it brought the secondary up enough for the pump for 2 warm showers.

 

Thank you for all the input guys, good stuff.

 

You know thats a valid point. Being somewhere miles and miles off the grid and making camp... Not gona run the truck the whole time so as to not waste fuel. So having a secondary deep cycle for the pump and such. I could see that. Very very extreme overlanding tho. And in such case id think solar on your secondary deep cycle should be mandatory. Why invest in all that juice and not properly maintain it.

 

Yea, solar is my next goal, not just for the battery but also for the water. My element has 2 coils and I’m only using 1 atm the other will be a dump load for solar. I made the jump to dual since I already had the 2nd battery laying around. But for a while I was debating between duals or single with a noco jump pack.

Ultmatly you don’t need dual for a fridge and water pump as long as you have a good battery and don’t stay in the same location Every night

 

I've drained a fairly new (year old) single battery a few times on long weekend camping trips running auxilary lighting and shit. I've also had jump packs fail on really cold (multiple 0* nights) trips.

A dual battery setup was a no brainer for me. I like the peace of mind of not being stranded in the middle of a national forest.

 

I have always admired your posts in this thread. They are always thoughtful and helpful. I do want to comment on part of this post tho. I am certain that Northstar is not part of the EnerSys group. Yes, Odyssey is, but not Northstar. What I read (somewhere) a couple of years ago when researching AGMs was that a group of former Odyssey engineers started Northstar. It is true, except for color, they are very, very similar in many ways.

Here is an interesting blog that touches on this topic:

http://www.impactbattery.com/blog/2017/01/the-best-agm-battery-no-one-knows-about/

 

@Digiratus, I'm not a mergers and acquisition expert. I remember seeing EnerSys owned Odyssey as well as Genesis, Hawker, Express and some others over the years.

And this thread appears to support what you're saying: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/battery-information.610857/

In the end I think the point might be that there aren't quite as many manufacturers as there are brands for batteries, so it's one of a handful of companies who made the battery in your truck and probably one of two or three making the AGM you're buying.

For example, this article lists these manufacturers (from a UPS perspective at least).

http://heraldanalyst.com/global-lea...ing-enersys-fiamm-exide-and-johnson-controls/

"Top leading manufacturers drives the Lead Acid UPS Battery market are Enersys, Trojan, Exide, Chaowei Power, C&D Technologies, EAST PENN Manufacturing, Johnson Controls, FIAMM, ACDelco and NorthStar Battery."

 

Electrical is one of our specialities. Give us a ring or shoot us a message and we can get you set up. We can go over all the particulars and get you into the correct dual battery kit for your needs.

Check out a couple of our recent blogs posts:
https://adventure-ready.com/2017-tacoma-receives-board-dual-batteries-alu-cab-canopy/

https://adventure-ready.com/shooters-truck-toyota-tacoma-becomes-photographers-base-camp/

Lance at Adventure Ready

 

Between my th

Will do, after reading this forum I have more questions than a penguin in a cactus factory.

 

Dido in the past i dan twin batteries just for auxilary items.

 

What are my options with vendors if I want to mount another 27F over the left fender in the engine bay of a 2010 double cab off road?
It'd be nice if I could just purchase the mounting hardware for the battery to sit in.

 

As long as you don’t have the abs modual there, I know of OGE ( off grid engineering). There may be others idk

 

DIY with a Wurthco battery tray

 

I've heard if the panel isn't properly reinforced it leads to a cracked panel. Can't remember where but it was on this forum. I don't think it'd crack the panel though personally.

 

That was happening on the factory battery location with those who were using a Group 31M battery..

 

If you wheel your truck, you are going to crack the inner fender/radiator support no matter what if any battery is up front. Just depends on how long it will take - a heavier battery is going to accelerate this.