Dual Battery Setups vs Portable Power supply

[cr117]

This is great @cr117 and similar to what I did (you’ll go a bit beyond me with the solar hookup and additional DC / USB ports). Two learnings that may be helpful. I installed the Goose Gear floor and pull-out tray for the fridge. I ended up removing one of the 18Ah batteries to allow the Goose Gear access door latch to not interfere with the batteries, meaning I’m down to 3X 18Ah batteries in parallel, or 54Ah in total. Since I’ll primarily be using this for my fridge, I still believe I have plenty of juice. Here’s my usage profile for a 90 degree day at a lake in Alabama. Pushed 2Ah/h in the heat of the day but averaged 1 over 24 hours.

Yeah, the same thought occurred to me when looking at that Goose Gear base plate design. That latch may get in the way, and would be unnecessary if I'm just installing some batteries underneath. I was also considering the AAL and JCR setups, but being that those are made out of aluminum, it'd be a bit more difficult to create new mounting points in the future if my needs change. Another problem with all of these is they seem pretty expensive for what they essentially are: A painted board with some bolt holes in it.

I'm really leaning towards the DIY route and creating a base similar to what @climb2descend has done. For everyday use, I can mount the fridge slide directly to this board and still have plenty of space for groceries, bags, or other gear. For camping, I want to build a single drawer that spans the width of the cargo area out of T-slotted aluminum extrusion that I can easily secure to the base board and the fridge slide would then mount on top of that.

Thanks for sharing those stats on your fridge, is that for a 35L? Sounds like the 3 battery setup would be enough to go a couple of days between driving. I like the idea of maximizing that space with the 4 batteries, plus the optional input for solar, so the family can all keep their phones, watches, etc. charged up.

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[BroncoInTheATL]

Yeah, the same thought occurred to me when looking at that Goose Gear base plate design. That latch may get in the way, and would be unnecessary if I'm just installing some batteries underneath. I was also considering the AAL and JCR setups, but being that those are made out of aluminum, it'd be a bit more difficult to create new mounting points in the future if my needs change. Another problem with all of these is they seem pretty expensive for what they essentially are: A painted board with some bolt holes in it.

I'm really leaning towards the DIY route and creating a base similar to what @climb2descend has done. For everyday use, I can mount the fridge slide directly to this board and still have plenty of space for groceries, bags, or other gear. For camping, I want to build a single drawer that spans the width of the cargo area out of T-slotted aluminum extrusion that I can easily secure to the base board and the fridge slide would then mount on top of that.

Thanks for sharing those stats on your fridge, is that for a 35L? Sounds like the 3 battery setup would be enough to go a couple of days between driving. I like the idea of maximizing that space with the 4 batteries, plus the optional input for solar, so the family can all keep their phones, watches, etc. charged up.

Yes, it’s the 35L Dometic. I’ve looked at the latch on the Goose Gear door and I think it can be removed so that the door just sits on the opening. I decided not to try it since I feel like I’ll have ample power at 54Ah.

 

[B34R]

Looks like you wired this up differently than AAL's diagram. Curious to know where the bcdc brown wire is connected to?

 

[cr117]

Looks like you wired this up differently than AAL's diagram. Curious to know where the bcdc brown wire is connected to?

Can't tell from that photo, but the BCDC's brown wire should run through a fuse and connect to the battery/batteries' positive terminal(s).

 

[BroncoInTheATL]

Looks like you wired this up differently than AAL's diagram. Curious to know where the bcdc brown wire is connected to?

The brown wire is connected to the wrapped 4 AWG wire which runs to the engine bay where it’s connected via a fuse and a shut-off to the battery. The connector is not visible in the photo you were looking at. Here is a view from the engine.

 

[cr117]

The brown wire is connected to the wrapped 4 AWG wire which runs to the engine bay where it’s connected via a fuse and a shut-off to the battery. The connector is not visible in the photo you were looking at. Here is a view from the engine.

You sure about that? Redarc specifies that the brown wire should connect to the auxiliary battery, not the starter battery.

 

[BroncoInTheATL]

You sure about that? Redarc specifies that the brown wire should connect to the auxiliary battery, not the starter battery.

You are correct @cr117. It’s red that goes to the vehicle’s battery. Brown connects through a fused bus bar to the aux battery system.

 

[cr117]

You are correct @cr117. It’s red that goes to the vehicle’s battery. Brown connects through a fused bus bar to the aux battery system.

Good, just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to charge you starter battery with the auxiliary one!

 

[350vudu]

I bought everything on your list plus the Dometic wiring kit. There were some additional things I needed including 8 AWG wire to place the batteries in parallel, a bus bar, a sleeve for the wire, and 8 AWG spades to connect to the battery terminals (I may be forgetting something; I’m sitting on a plane). The issue with the Redarc mount was that it sat too high. Perhaps with the Goose Gear floor there will be more room, but I’m not sure. If I install the floor, I may try to install the mount too.

@BroncoInTheATL

Where did you purchase the 8 AWG spade connectors? I’m having a tough time finding spade connectors for 8 and 6 AWG.

I’m trying to wire my batteries in parallel directly to each other vs going to a bus bar similar to the pic below. Hence, why I’m looking for a spade connector that can handle a larger gauge wire.

 

[BroncoInTheATL]

@BroncoInTheATL

Where did you purchase the 8 AWG spade connectors? I’m having a tough time finding spade connectors for 8 and 6 AWG.

I’m trying to wire my batteries in parallel directly to each other vs going to a bus bar similar to the pic below. Hence, why I’m looking for a spade connector that can handle a larger gauge wire.

I believe I bought them on Amazon. I think they were 10 gauge but they worked.
XHF 12-10 AWG 500 Pcs Female Spade Disconnect Connectors Terminals Nylon Fully Insulated Quick Crimp Wire Connectors Yellow https://a.co/d/fZHpDr1

 

[350vudu]

I think I’ve gathered up just about everything to do my install. Got the Redarc smart shunt today so I can monitor the system from their app on my phone. Still waiting on 2 more 18AH batteries to arrive this weekend. Also went ahead and mounted my air compressor while I wait to get everything wired up and the air lines ran to each wheel well.

PSA: Dakota Lithium no longer sells the 18AH battery and instead they are shipping out a new 20AH battery in its place for the same price. I ordered 2 more 18AH batteries from them and got 2 of the new 20AH batteries a few days ago and had to send them back. The downside is that even though Dakota Lithium says these are direct replacement, the 20AH batteries are about an 1/8” longer. The American adventure labs battery holders do not fit over the 20AH batteries and the 20AH batteries cant fit 4 across in the battery multi mount that American Adventure Labs sells because of the extra length of each battery and the tight tolerance of the mount. Not an issue if you don’t plan to run four batteries in the mount. 3 will fit fine. I need the 4 batteries since I plan to run the ARB twin compressor off these batteries. I spent days looking for old stock of the 18AH and pretty much no one has them anymore and I ended up barely finding 2 for sale on eBay. Should be here this weekend. Just thought I would let others know in case they were trying to run this set up. I’ll email American Adventure Labs to let them know tomorrow.

 

[350vudu]

Did pre-wiring of the dual battery system in the American Adventure Labs cargo mount. Ran 4 AWG wire from the engine bay to the rear cargo and mounted my ARB dual compressor. Ran out of time today so will be mounting the pressure control kit and running the air hoses to each wheel well this weekend. Will also finish mounting the dual battery system and connecting up the compressor and power outlets to it later this week.

 

[Bellime]

Any insight on this topic?

As I’m looking into it with an intermediate understanding of electronics seems like a dual battery will better suit my needs vs cost of a 1000w backup psu.

My goal, add enough power to run a fridge and additional accessory charging via USB ports I don’t really need 110v but that would be nice to have.

Any brands out there with kits for dual batteries? Anyone thinking backup psu is a better solution. - Why?

If you ever find a second battery cradle that will fit in the engine bay, let us know

 

[Bowzer6G]

It’s been so long since I’ve checked back in on this post. Interesting to see how it’s grown over the years.

Long story short, I’m on my second Bronco and I’m currently running a portable battery (ECOFLOW) I do have the American adventure labs compressor/platform/fridge slider/shelf. I will be going with the AAL battery setup eventually.

Due to the engine bay setup AAL seems like the best option. With all the in bay compressor mounts I’m surprised no one has built a battery mount.

The juice might not be worth the squeeze though.

 

[flashpunk]

New to this forum, but not new to car battery systems as my previous vehicle was a Ram Promaster built out as a camper. I went from a GoalZero power generator to a full on victron setup with 400ah of batteries.

Currently planning what im going to do for my Bronco and this thread has been great.

Currently deciding between a dual battery genesis setup, or a GoalZero 1000x or 1500x with their alternator battery charging setup. Eventually also planning on a solar panel on the roof once I get my Ursa Minor top.

Genesis is a great option since it would be fully enclosed in the engine bay, but of course is limited to the amount of power available.

I think a GoalZero in the back might be the way i can go since it becomes a portable power station when im not traveling/camping but also i dont feel will be a limiting factor the same way the dual battery setup will be. Another nice thing about the goal zero is that it has an inverter and mppt solar connections as well.

For anyone interested this is a link to the GoalZero alternator charging kit: https://www.goalzero.com/products/yeti-link-vehicle-integration-kit

it's smart enough to detect when there is a voltage drop on the battery to stop charging. I had this setup in my van for 2years and never had a problem - the only thing to consider is the module that goes into the GoalZero must have a reasonable amount of ventilation as there is a fan inside to cool the charging module.

There's a few other brands of solar power stations (bluetti, jackery, ecoflow) but none of them have an integrated alternator charging setup like the Yeti X power systems have. They're all able to charge off a cigarette lighter port, however the power draw is minuscule compared to what you can pull from the alternator.

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