extra battery

I am getting my 2017 Tacoma very soon. I am putting a mobility scooter lift on it. I want to power the lift with a small deep cycle battery mounted in the bed, ease of wiring the lift and to save my main battery.
My questions are how to mount it and charging. I would like to use a solar charger. Would the solar charger need to be connected all the time? If so the best place to mount the solar cell that looks good?

 

Save your main battery from what? A good deep cycle battery in place of your current battery might be all you need. If you really do need another battery, getting a pre designed dual battery kit is going to be simplest, as all the design and guess work is taken outta it. Then you would just run cable to your lift. No solar would be needed as your alternator would charge the battery much faster.

What kind of amperage does the lift take? Do you have a link that might include specs? A "small battery" might not have enough amperage to keep up. My OEM battery, my air compressor struggled hard without the engine running. Going to a large AGM battery, the compressor sounds the same whether or not the engine is running.

The best looking solar panel for a 3rd gen is:

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/product...WjsI-wQhd8MgqlxChjqunsXrvJqEVcmOyixaGMQqcDLpf

Goes right on your hood and fits well with the lines.

 

thanks for the reply
If I go with 1 main battery what is the largest that will fit?

 

Per this thread linked below, the X2 group 27 fits, if you get the 2nd gen battery tray for underneath it. This is the same battery I use in my 2nd gen, and have had great luck with it. It's a deep cycle battery with 92 amp hours.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...for-3rd-gen-sport.552486/page-2#post-20104227


I will note a couple things though. The X2, when I purchased, had two options in group 27 sizing. One had the terminals swapped, so the positive and negative were on opposite ends, meaning the cables would not have reached. Luckily I knew this before hand when the guy at batteries plus was trying to give me the wrong one.

2nd note, an AGM battery will require a "tune" be installed on your truck to charge the battery fully. Toyota smart alternators put out lower voltage, and an AGM needs higher voltage for you to be able to use 100% of the battery's designed capacity. I had to physically install a voltage booster that tells the truck the alternator is putting out less voltage than it actually is, thus tricking the alternator to work a little harder to get to the higher voltage I need. On a 3rd gen, there is a setting in the computer that can be changed, not something you can do without special equipment, but many shops offer this type of service. Without this, the battery will still be a deep cycle that performs much better than your OEM battery, but simply won't have as much usable capacity as it would if it were charged at higher voltage. It's possible a solar panel could push it the rest of the way to full, but not positive. Would depend on it's spec.

 

I have one of these on each side of my bed. Pricey, a bit of a PITA to install, but super solid.

https://jdfabrication.com/collectio...ug/products/copy-of-secondary-shocks-for-4-lt

 

I run an Odyssey Extreme AMG battery and a RedArc 40amp DC-DC charger. I also run a battery isolator under the hood so that I can jumpstart myself. The charger works great and can charge the battery from 70% to 100% in about 30 min. I found a couple of bulkhead passthrough terminals on Amazon since I run 4/0 cable for my RedArc 2000w inverter and winching. On top of the battery on the left is a RedArc bluetooth battery monitor and next to it is a 500amp fuse. I chose this fuse for winching. The charger will also accept solar (yellow wire) and you don't need a solar regulator with it.

 

Without any numbers to go on, I’m going to guess the stock battery is up to the challenge. People run 9000 lb winches off the stock battery. Replacing the stock battery with a deep cycle might give improved piece of mind.

 

All great suggestions. How much trpouble is a group 31 as the main bayttery

 

More than it's usually worth. Also we should mention that the heavier the battery, the more likely you'll eventually tear the sheet metal that supports the battery. not horribly uncommon with the Tacoma. If you need maximum power, a second battery elsewhere is safer.

As i and others have asked, knowing the specs of the lift you are installing would really help. A link to the product you are thinking of getting might be enough. It might not have much power needs and you wouldn't need to do ANYTHING.

 

Here’s a napkin estimate of the energy needed to lift the scooter.

Assumptions:

scooter: 100 kg
Lift: 100 kg
Motor: 12v and 75% efficiency
Battery: 12v and 75 amp-hours

Calculation:

energy = mgh = 200 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 * 1 m ~= 2000 joules

2000 / .75 ~=2600 joules

2600 joules ~= 0.06 amp-hours

0.06 / 75 ~= 0.08% of battery capacity

Conclusion:

It can do it!

 

@Sierra_Taco

Very nice job- where did you get the shelf mount for it? That’s a really secure looking shelf. One safety recommendation, I would cover all the exposed positive battery cable connectors and the + battery post with a sturdy wrap or cover of some sort in case you ever get rear ended or T-boned in that back quarter panel. If it gets deformed, the shelf surrounding it, or a broken loose battery, could contact the sides with the exposed battery connectors. Just a suggestion. Maybe it’ll help keep water and dust off of it inside the cubby too, but yours looks really clean like it’s doing that already.

I really like the way you set your extra battery up. I have a compressor mounted on a shelf in my driver’s side cubby, but it’s not enclosed like yours, so I’m considering doing what you did and replacing it with my spare battery. Thanks for posting!

EDIT: Oh, I found it, and great craftsmanship, but ouch!! So maybe I’ll just modify mine, but thanks for the idea!

 

To change the subject slightly. The battery in my Colorado is nearly new. It is a group 65 AGM. The group 65 is fairly stout. Would you guys use this in the Tacoma?

 

That's smaller than the group 24 battery that comes in most tacomas, and much smaller than the recommended group 27.

 

That's fair. I'm all ears if anyone knows of some low profile covers that would fit.

 

You can wrap the ends of the cable using self sealing silicone tape (available at most auto and hardware stores), and get battery terminal covers at auto parts stores also. I really like self-sealing tape, it sticks to itself and looks like shrink wrap when done. Very secure and a lot thicker than shrink wrap also. You’d only really need to worry about the positive terminals, but for looks, you could do both.