Dual Battery Setup Guidance

[ArmyofMike]

I have a Jeep JK and am interested in putting in a second battery, an SLE Deep Cycle I have already from my camping trailer. I want to keep the costs economical on this project and am mainly just looking for some piece of mind of having a secondary source of power other than my starter battery.

Couple questions for those who know:

Putting the "House" SLE Deep Cycle battery in the cab of my Jeep is a no-no? I have heard of batteries gassing out nitrogen upon recharging, but am not sure if this is really a concern....?

If I run a continuous solenoid between my starting battery and house battery, and the power wires (fused) go from the engine bay, alllll the way to my small cargo trailer, would that be a problem? Is the distance (approx. 15' of power cable) to the trailer too much? Also, is grounding to the trailer safe?

Any suggestion or guidance is appreciated.
Thanks! Mike

 

[ArmyofMike]

Why would you want a battery in the cab when there’s room under the hood? The hazards of a battery in the cab would be dependent on the type of battery you plan on using - lead acid, agm, etc... There are free calculators online for figuring wire gauge requirements for what you are doing like distances etc.. . Try google, there is a ton of information already out there for exactly what you are asking about doing with your jk.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

There is limited room under the JK hoods and a battery relocation tray is just too darn expensive at $250+.
The Deep cycle battery is a lead acid...
I'll check google for the diameter.

If there was ample room under the JK hood....I would for sure just go that route...but there is not that I can find.

M

 

[Road]

Running cable to the trailer isn't a problem at all; it's done all the time through regular trailer connections like a Hopkins 47185 Multi-tow adapter, which provides both a 4way and 7 way. Some guys, like the Patriot campers from Australia, run a separate 10 or 12ga power line and Andersen connectors to run 12v back to the trailer from the battery.

My GMC van had no towing package, so no wiring set up for towing, no harness or hook up points, absolutely nothing in place to hook up to for plug and play. I used the Hopkins connector above to hook up the wire I ran from front to back (fused along the inner fender with reset fuses). That powers the trailer brakes and lights and charges the deep cycles on the trailer when driving. Ran the line through the frame along the driver's side all the way back to the tow adapter, loomed wherever needed, hooked up the appropriate wires in front to the brake controller and to the reverse/brake lights in back, and was good to go.

Sounds easier than it was if you've never done it before, which I hadn't, but as @Lintnercorey says, there is tons of info online on how to do this, especially at Curt and eTrailer (scroll down on the eTrailer page for some vids that may help). There must be, too, a ton of trailer places out near you that through a simple visit can clarify a lot of what you need to know.

As for deep cycle in the cab, I agree, put it under the hood if you can. I'd go for an AGM battery; no maintenance, no off-gassing, better performance and durability. That said, though, I'm going to be adding dual deep cycles (house) to my dual starting batteries and will be putting them either in the back of the van or underneath on the frame rail (where the 2nd starting battery is already), and am not worried about off-gassing. A lot of RV's and campervans have house batteries in the cabinets inside.

Though the search function on this site can be cumbersome, a little patience and switching up words/phrases might pull up past threads that may also shed some light on things for you.

Good luck, and post back with what you end up doing and how it's working.

edit: I was writing this and finding links for you as you posted, so hadn't seen you're using a lead-acid or have no room under the hood. People have put older style batteries in back, in the living space, but I'd definitely caution against putting them in the front seat areas, if that's what you mean by cab. Just from a potential accident standpoint. In the back, in it's own battery box or compartment. You'll have to search on whether it needs venting or not. Or underneath on the frame if in a protected area. They make relatively inexpensive battery trays you can bolt/weld to the frame or you can make one up yourself if handy with metal.

 

[bajatacoguy]

The top video will/should simplify thought process in getting you what you want set-up.

https://www.australiandirect.com.au/view/videos

Trust me watch it...HUGE INFORMATIONAL VIDEO!