off-roader
Expedition Leader
On one of our 4x4 trips, I saw a mod from Michael (Grasscat) that was just 'BRILLIANT!' (to quote a slogan of my favorite beer). He essentially bought a small (U1 sized. Interstate DCM0035 ~$70-100) 12v gel cell battery & mounted it to a base which he stores in the back of his rig. He then made up 2 wiring harnesses.
The first harness simply had a female 12v socket plug on one end, and 2 ring terminals on the other end. This is what he used when he needed to power his fridge overnight. He simply plugged the fridge's male 12v dc plug into it.
His second harness, he used to recharge the battery while driving during the day. This consisted of a Male 12v dc plug on one end, and 2 ring terminals on the other end. This he simply plugged into the rear 12v dc outlet in his Montero
Building it...
For the battery base/mount I used...
1) An old 1/2" thick Poly/UHMW chopping board as the base.
2) A standard adjustable battery clamp to hold it to the base.
3) Two 5/16" T-nuts on the base.
4) Two 5/16" wing nuts and washers.
5) Two sections of 5/16" threaded rod, cut down to ~ 1" taller than the bracket height.
Steps...
1) Locate/place the battery where you want it on the base. I chose to put it centered lengthwise but over to one side width-wise.
2) Remove the battery while remembering its location then place the battery hold down where it would normally go. Doublecheck the location as needed (measure twice, cut once as they say) then mark where you will need to drill the mounting holes using a pen.
3) Once your sure about the hole locations, drill a small pilot hole for beach side of the bracket all the way through the board.
4) Using a drill that's the same size as the shaft of the T-nuts, drill the 2 holes part way through on the first side.
5) Turn the board over and drill the hole all the way through from the other side.
6) Using a hammer (for wood) or vice (for UHMW), install a T-Nut into each hole from the bottom of the board.
7) Turn the base over and thread one end of the all thread into the hole enough that it bottoms out without extending past the bottom of the base.
8) Place the battery in place between the threaded rods.
9) Put the Battery Bracket in place making sure its as centered on the battery as possible. Tighten the bracket in place with the wing nuts using washers between the nut and plastic bracket so you don't inadvertently damage the bracket.
All you need to do now is build the two wire harneses. One with a female 12v socket. The other with a male 12v socket.
For both the center terminal in the connector is the positive lead. This should be attached to the + (positive) terminal of the battery. The other wire is attached to the - (negative) battery terminal.
HTH.
The first harness simply had a female 12v socket plug on one end, and 2 ring terminals on the other end. This is what he used when he needed to power his fridge overnight. He simply plugged the fridge's male 12v dc plug into it.
His second harness, he used to recharge the battery while driving during the day. This consisted of a Male 12v dc plug on one end, and 2 ring terminals on the other end. This he simply plugged into the rear 12v dc outlet in his Montero
Building it...
For the battery base/mount I used...
1) An old 1/2" thick Poly/UHMW chopping board as the base.
2) A standard adjustable battery clamp to hold it to the base.
3) Two 5/16" T-nuts on the base.
4) Two 5/16" wing nuts and washers.
5) Two sections of 5/16" threaded rod, cut down to ~ 1" taller than the bracket height.
Steps...
1) Locate/place the battery where you want it on the base. I chose to put it centered lengthwise but over to one side width-wise.
2) Remove the battery while remembering its location then place the battery hold down where it would normally go. Doublecheck the location as needed (measure twice, cut once as they say) then mark where you will need to drill the mounting holes using a pen.
3) Once your sure about the hole locations, drill a small pilot hole for beach side of the bracket all the way through the board.
4) Using a drill that's the same size as the shaft of the T-nuts, drill the 2 holes part way through on the first side.
5) Turn the board over and drill the hole all the way through from the other side.
6) Using a hammer (for wood) or vice (for UHMW), install a T-Nut into each hole from the bottom of the board.
7) Turn the base over and thread one end of the all thread into the hole enough that it bottoms out without extending past the bottom of the base.
8) Place the battery in place between the threaded rods.
9) Put the Battery Bracket in place making sure its as centered on the battery as possible. Tighten the bracket in place with the wing nuts using washers between the nut and plastic bracket so you don't inadvertently damage the bracket.
All you need to do now is build the two wire harneses. One with a female 12v socket. The other with a male 12v socket.
For both the center terminal in the connector is the positive lead. This should be attached to the + (positive) terminal of the battery. The other wire is attached to the - (negative) battery terminal.
HTH.
