Discovery II Dual Battery Tray now in full production!

[lwg]

We finally got this product off the ground! Columbia Overland is proud to release (finally) our Rhino Hardware Discovery II Dual Battery Tray.



Our dual battery tray is designed to be a direct bolt utilizing stock bolt locations and no modifications required. The dual battery tray will completely replace the factory plastic battery tray. It is designed around a pair of Odyssey 1500 series group 34 batteries, but Optima's fit just fine as well. CAD designed and constructed from 5052 AL, the base utilizes 1/8" material and structural bends to provide plenty of rigidity while the top utilizes 1/4" material to keep the batteries in place.



The last question that everybody has been asking is how much? Pricing will be $150 for the tray and all necessary mounting hardware, minus the batteries, cables and isolator.


Link to product: http://www.columbiaoverland.com/Discovery-Dual-Battery-Tray


Update: We now have these in stock and ready for shipping. Next week we'll have battery cable kits ready for these as well. Also we now offer powder coated versions for and extra $25. This should help protect them from battery acid for those who don't used Sealed Batteries.

 

[Harald Hansen]

Will this fit a Td5?

 

[getlost4x4]

just curious, maybe there are others who know chemisty better then me. Wouldn't battery acid eat the aluminum really quickly. i know it won't if you run the sealed batteries, but i think i would choose to use stainless steel instead. the weight difference will be minimal. and price shouldn't be to much different either.

 

[AxeAngel]

just curious, maybe there are others who know chemisty better then me. Wouldn't battery acid eat the aluminum really quickly. i know it won't if you run the sealed batteries, but i think i would choose to use stainless steel instead. the weight difference will be minimal. and price shouldn't be to much different either.

SS weighs more, costs more as a raw material and the machining is more complex as opposed to softer aluminum.

-Sam

 

[AxeAngel]

Our dual battery tray is designed to be a direct bolt utilizing stock bolt locations and no modifications required.

Do you have more pics of how it mounts, in the picture posted it appears to mount to one location underneath and then to the fender. Are these the only two bolts used to mount it?

-Sam

 

[Paladin]

just curious, maybe there are others who know chemisty better then me. Wouldn't battery acid eat the aluminum really quickly. i know it won't if you run the sealed batteries, but i think i would choose to use stainless steel instead. the weight difference will be minimal. and price shouldn't be to much different either.

Yes, SS is probably 4-5 times more expensive that aluminum. Aluminum has this whole "high tech" vibe about it, due to use in aircrafts, etc. Fact is, Aluminum is cheap.

 

[lwg]

Will this fit a Td5?

I honestly couldn't tell you. If the battery tray is the same as the V8 version then I would expect it should fit just fine. If you can shoot me a picture of your battery tray I can give you my best guess.

just curious, maybe there are others who know chemisty better then me. Wouldn't battery acid eat the aluminum really quickly. i know it won't if you run the sealed batteries, but i think i would choose to use stainless steel instead. the weight difference will be minimal. and price shouldn't be to much different either.

True, but just about every aftermarket battery tray out there is made out of AL. Ours is designed with the sealed batteries in mind. Additionally as others mentioned I would probably never sell a SS battery tray at the $350 needed to cover the additional expense in manufacturing it.

Do you have more pics of how it mounts, in the picture posted it appears to mount to one location underneath and then to the fender. Are these the only two bolts used to mount it?

-Sam

It actually utilizes 3 mounting locations. It occurred to me that they are not really obvious. After the tray is installed it becomes extremely rigid, if the batteries or tray every move you've likely got bigger issues!

Yes, SS is probably 4-5 times more expensive that aluminum. Aluminum has this whole "high tech" vibe about it, due to use in aircrafts, etc. Fact is, Aluminum is cheap.

Well put!


Additionally we will offer these powdercoated for those who prefer the "stealth" look.

 

[traveltoad]

Additionally we will offer these powdercoated for those who prefer the "stealth" look.

What is the price of the powdercoated version?

 

[lwg]

What is the price of the powdercoated version?

I'll have the exact number next week but I'd expect it to be around $25.

 

[lwg]

Updated picture of production model and powder coated option.

 

[Harald Hansen]

About a Td5 version:

I honestly couldn't tell you. If the battery tray is the same as the V8 version then I would expect it should fit just fine. If you can shoot me a picture of your battery tray I can give you my best guess.

I had a look, and it seems like I'd have to relocate the ECU and jack and maybe other stuff to make it work.

 

[lwg]

About a Td5 version:



I had a look, and it seems like I'd have to relocate the ECU and jack and maybe other stuff to make it work.

I'd love to see a photo of that area if you could post one?

 

[Harald Hansen]

I'd love to see a photo of that area if you could post one?

This guy (discovery2.co.uk) has some pictures. I'll see if I can get a decent picture of mine.

 

[overlander]

Fabulous product! Keep up the innovation!

 

[lwg]

This guy (discovery2.co.uk) has some pictures. I'll see if I can get a decent picture of mine.

Thanks for the link! That clears up a lot of questions I've been having. I actually suspect our tray will work with this TD5 ECU as I've allowed room on the back of the battery tray to mount a dual battery solenoid. It really comes down to how thick that ECU is.