Are dual batteries necessary?

[1Louder]

Been there done that. I don't have a winch yet. I have removed my dual battery system. I now have the following. Is it the best setup? Well there probably is no such thing.

Group 31 Battery
Anti-Gravity Jumpbox (make sure it's charged on day 1!)
ArkPak 715 with group 34 battery. (31 would be better but hurts portability)
60 watt solar but would like more down the road
37 qt ARB fridge

I no longer stare at my National Luna dual battery voltage gauge all the time. Solar is out whenever there is any sun and I use the ArkPak at night instead of my single battery. It's new so I still haven't figured out how I want to use the ArkPak all the time. On its maiden trip I would charge it on driving days and just switch the fridge from the vehicle to the ArkPak once setup at camp. I love solar to keep things topped up.

 

[WSS]

Having two batts does not mean you will not have two dead batteries. If you have one isolated, then only one will go dead. This will leave you with a full spare batt. I have two gel cell deep cycle 55ah batts that I can charge togther using a isolator and have a dash mounted switch to bring the spare on line to cover for a dead batt or to double the power when winching. I also have a 24vdc yoke adapter to power my readywelder wire feeder. The outer batt is removable for remote jumping or camp chores too.

4awg cable off the back of my 110amp alternator

Jumper cables plug into anderson connectors on batts or out front by winch:

 

[harv3589]

Bit the bullet and ordered the genesis unit...the exchange hurts but it's only going to get worse

 

[M35A2]

Having two batts does not mean you will not have two dead batteries. If you have one isolated, then only one will go dead. This will leave you with a full spare batt. I have two gel cell deep cycle 55ah batts that I can charge togther using a isolator and have a dash mounted switch to bring the spare on line to cover for a dead batt or to double the power when winching. I also have a 24vdc yoke adapter to power my readywelder wire feeder. The outer batt is removable for remote jumping or camp chores too.

4awg cable off the back of my 110amp alternator

Jumper cables plug into anderson connectors on batts or out front by winch:

That's the way to do it. Then carry a LiPo pack as triple redundancy, or a tiny genset (as I do).

My only comment on the above would be to install plastic caps on the exposed and unused side terminals. That's a nit - this is beautifully done. Good job.

 

[WSS]

M35A2, Good point! I noticed last I had the battery out that it had a e-bite on the positve side lug. Good solution. Another thing I would change if I did it again is to do away with the isolator that is in now (NOCO 140amp isolator)and use a combiner like this:

http://www.hellroaring.com/bic75150.php

A bit more cost but takes up a lot less room and no diode loss.

WSS

 

[Lecoq]

I carry an Antigravity Batteries Microstart XP-10 for exactly this reason. I don't run any gear off my battery, but don't want to be in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery. I've used the thing once (on the wife's car, not the Jeep) and it worked fantastically. Plus it's a hell of a lot easier than using a second vehicle to jump another. No more blocking the street while you try to line up the batteries of two cars. Plus, the Microstart can charge phones, cameras etc.

Cheaper, easier and faster than a second battery for the normal Jeep owner. I toyed around with the idea of a dual battery for a long time and I decided to follow your lead on this one. If I ever get to the point of needing an other Odyssey battery then I can go down the DBS kit.

 

[HRPINDC]

My firm had a big party today (despite the constant downpour), when the girl went to start the food truck, the battery was deader than Elvis. My colleague tried to jump with cables, but because of the placement of the battery and location of the truck, was unable to reach it. I noticed, walked over and said I got this. Went to the Jeep and grabbed my XP-10. The guy who was running the bouncy castle laughed and my colleague made a joke about my "tiny tool". I hooked up to the truck's battery and the first crank didn't start. I gave it a minute, hit the boost button and had them try again....zoom! She was up and running. Mr. bouncy castle and a couple of other folks watching all asked where I got my "tiny tool" and said they too were going to get one. Really happy with this.

 

[Septu]

I've done multi week adventures and overnight trips into the boonies. I'm still rocking my stock battery (51 mths old) and run a 25L fridge most of the summer. I carry a small battery pack to jump it as "just in case" insurance. I've yet to have an issue.

 

[harv3589]

I ended up getting the Genesis dual battery system but have yet to install it. I need to pick up a couple of batteries yet. I also bought an ARB 50qt fridge which I'm looking forward to using!

 

[EMrider]

I went ahead and had the Genesis DB kit installed on my JK. It is expensive, but interior space is scarce.

After a few camping trips with my NL 52l fridge, I am very pleased with this setup.

It can easily hold 34f temp for days on end with minimal driving required.

R

 

[harv3589]

Finally got the Genesis dual battery system installed...fairly easy to do. About 1hr 45 mins to install...

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[Comanche Scott]

One is the new many

Unless you are "The One"...

:elkgrin:

 

[SaintPatty84]

You can get a group 31 AMG deep cycle battery and save money on all the wiring! I had a buddy that successfully did this install and can run his fridge for 2 days without cranking, and since its deep cycle you don't have to worry about it getting too low. I opted for the group 34 Die Hard Platinum and we estimated a 1.6 day run on the same fridge! A higher capacity battery is a must for running a winch too!


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[Comanche Scott]

One battery with backup.

The Wrangler has a group 31, and for back up there is a Lithium-Ion battery jump pack. This has been working great.
The Jump pack is a smaller unit bought at Costco (on a whim). Of the whole system, this piece has impressed me the most. It's been used three times so far to help people, and it's worked great.
I think the XP-10 (a big step up in AH from the Costco kit) must be pretty awesome.
The battery is an Odyssey 31M. Very happy with it. Some say it works great, others say they had issues. It's only been about 6 months or so in the Jeep. But absolutely zero issues so far.
The fridge in this Jeep is pretty frugal (even for being a 65qt dual zone). I let it run a full weekend with Ice cream in the freezer, and groceries in the fridge. Also ran other accessories, and the stereo from time to time. There were no issues starting the Jeep, and it was back to full charge before we got home.
The Jeep is equipped with a high quality set of jumper cables, just in case. But they are buried in the cubby, since this setup has been working so well.

The reason I went with a single group 34 is for "usable amp hours". When camping we use both vehicle accessories (radio, lighting, etc.), as well as battery wired accessories. But we don't use a balance of both. There is more use from direct battery source accessories. Since damage can occur when depth of discharge is greater than 50%, a single large battery has more usable amp hours in this situation.

 

[BSK]

I have been wanting to add a dual battery to our Van for some time. I started with a group 34 Sears platinum to replace the original battery and use as a single battery system. I added 100 watt solar panel from renogy, a nice charge controller, and a national Luna battery monitor. I have an indel b fridge that I run full time. I have been on that setup for about a year now and have never seen the battery monitor go below 75%. The solar is my favorite part of this simple system, it gives the battery that final maintenance charge that the Van won't and it brings the battery up to 100% very fast. We were just in Bishop, CA on a trip during a good heat spell and were drinking slushy beer!

There are a few things I don't like about the system other than not having another battery as backup. One is that I constantly stare at that battery monitor! The fridge has an automatic shutoff and the monitor has an alarm when the battery goes low but I have read that the battery may be too low to start at that point. The other is we haven't been on a trip with extended cloud cover for multiple days. I have been thinking about getting a portable solar suitcase to be able to add when we are parked in the shade.

I think I will go dual battery eventually because I would like to add more items that draw power. For now though this system has worked too well to justify the cost. I have never been close to the Van not starting. With that being said I would like to not always be checking our monitor. There seems to be some mixed reviews about the jump start packs. Is the XP considered the one to get? It seems like this would be some great insurance if reliable.