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One man's dual battery set up

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Old 05-25-2016, 12:01 PM
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One man's dual battery set up

This is for Guitar Jesus. If you do this install feel free to pm me with questions.

Here's the link that I referenced to install the dual battery tray: 1992 Ford F-150 - Electrical, Battery Upgrade - Four Wheeler Magazine

Parts list and sources:

Battery tray from Wrangler Products: http://www.wranglerpower.com/Wrangle...20Products.pdf. They will sell you the tray and mounting hardware if you ask real nice.

Isolator from Hell Roaring: Hellroaring Technologies, inc., Manufacturer of Solid State Dual Battery Isolator / Combiners

The owner at Hellroaring is super helpful and answers all calls.

Waterproof box and fittings from West Marine

Fuse block from Blue Sea

Fuse holder at battery...can't remember. Make sure the fuse is heavy enough to protect the wiring. Hellroaring recommends sizes.

ARB 12 volt outlet waterproof/resistant covers on the inside box sides

Heavy gauge wire to carry the current over whatever distance you need. I used what Hellroaring recommended for connections at battery, alternator, isolator and fuse block. I believe that I used either 6 or 4 gauge fine/twisted from fuses to outlets and grounds.

A right angle Dewalt attachment for my drill.

Taps: 10-32 to attach stops to the battery tray and 5/16 coarse for a new grounding stud near the battery.

Various fasteners, some from the local body shop.

I'll post a few photos below. I did this in October of 2013 so memory is a bit dim
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 12:08 PM
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Here's my baby




The silver tape was an attempt to get better mileage by making the air a bit cooler. Really has had no affect, still get 10-11 mpg on the freeway



Finished dual battery install
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 12:13 PM
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Got the batteries from Batteries Plus. They just barely fit in.




Hellroaring isolator. Installed inside of driver's side fender below hinge.
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 12:18 PM
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Installed a 5/16" ground stud near the starting battery negative cable. I believe that the hole already existed. I tapped the hole so that it would have a better connection to ground and of course backed it up with a nut.

 
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Old 05-25-2016, 12:36 PM
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Note the hold downs installed on the tray. I used 10-32 bolts. Could have used rivets. These hold downs keep the batteries from shifting.




Had to reposition per instructions




View of bottom of tray. You'll need to experiment to get the correct angles for the brackets so that the tray and batteries will fit.
View of bracket and fabricated hold downs.




Fabricated hold down.
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 12:43 PM
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This right angle attachment came in handy.




Installed isolator inside driver's side fender.




Fuse holder on passenger side fender as close to the battery as I could get it. Install so you still have access to jack and jack handle.
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 12:49 PM
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Installed waterproof box on top of air box. Used waterproof marine connectors for wires in and out of fuse block. Note heavy gauge wire inside box.




This mess of wire is necessary for the Hellroaring isolator to properly charge the auxiliary battery. I believe the wire needs to be 20-25' long. I used wire loom on all wires.
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 01:10 PM
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I installed four 12v outlets in the bed. Two for my ARB fridge on the driver's side on a separate fuse/circuit and two regular 12v outlets on the passenger's side on their own fuse/circuit. I used the ARB outlet covers for all four outlets. So far they've not let any water or dust in. PS. The truck spends half of it's time on dirt and gravel roads so the dust factor is huge. <br/><br/>I also installed an ARB direct plug in the rear passenger compartment for the fridge, on it's own fuse/circuit.
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 01:48 PM
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Luckily for me I don't have that smog pump mess behind the batteries!
 
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Old 05-25-2016, 05:12 PM
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They charged an arm and a leg for the tray. I'll search for a receipt.

I got a heavy duty set of jumper cables with a powerpole quick connect. I've used them a bunch and they work great. 25' long and really heavy.
 
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