My dual battery setup - 2006 Tacoma

[Jacket]

A dual battery system was on my future list of upgrades for the Tacoma, but I had the good fortune to win a National Luna Dual Battery System this past fall, and so the project moved up to near the top of my list. The National Luna system is designed and manufactured in South Africa, and won the editors choice award for dual battery systems in the Winter 2008 edition of the Overland Journal, so needless to say I'm confident in the performance and capabilities of this system.

A very special thanks goes out to Paul May and Equipt Expedition Outfitters for supplying the system and supporting my Q&A so far.

The National Luna kit is a complete system, and includes everything you need to complete the install, minus the auxiliary battery and a battery box/holder for your truck.

My plan is to locate the 2nd battery and the isolator in the engine bay, and move all my accessory wiring to this battery with the exception of the winch.

 

[Jacket]

Step 1 – choose a battery. I explored the Optimas, Dekas and Odysseys, but ultimately chose a Die Hard Platinum PM2 - Group 34M marine battery. Most evidence confirms this is the same battery as the Odyssey 1500, and the price, value and warranty are tough to match. I opted for the deep cycle marine grade given the battery’s supporting role for accessories and redundancy.

I didn’t opt for the group 31 for a couple of reasons. First is the sheer size of the group 31 makes it a weight and space hog. And second, I use a winch in my application, and the winch will continue to be wired to the primary battery. Given this configuration, I’ll need to make sure I’ve got a pretty strong primary battery to handle its load. My OEM group 27F battery has done the job this far, and when it starts to fail I'll replace it with something as good or better. I think the group 34M should be plenty of battery for a supporting role that excludes winching.

Step 2 – build a battery tray. The 2nd generation Tacomas have a decent amount of room in the engine bay, especially on the passenger side of the truck. But its not so spacious that a group 31 would drop right in. The group 34 dimensions were nearly perfect to rest near the firewall between the fender and the air intake hose.

There are 3 studs welded to the passenger fender, plus several threaded holes. It seemed like a natural area to design a custom box that used the existing fastening locations, while also keeping the battery nearly level in the bay for a clean and professional look. So I worked with a guy in Boulder and had a custom box fabricated to match these existing features. It rests atop the three studs, and also has three additional bolts: one incorporates the fastener for the air intake, another was a blank threaded hole, and a third hole on the side of the engine bay. A perfect fit!

 

[Mumbaki1037]

:lurk:Nice!

 

[daverami]

:clapsmile Great, I want to do this too.

Quick off-thread, have you regeared? Nice work on your truck!

 

[Applejack]

Nice! I bet the fact that it was free makes it all the more sweeter.:ylsmoke: I'll be following this too, as this will be my next mod after I get my suspension sorted out.

 

[Trail Monkey]

nice job matt. glad to see your putting that pirze to use now. how about a photo of the famous expo trophy banner hanging in your garage.!!!:victory:

 

[voodoochile]

That's nice work, man.

The NL does look to be about the nicest setup I've seen so far.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Good work.

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

 

[SLOwag]

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

I think the ABS is mounted there if have have ABS. My '09 has the ABS mounted on the driver side with just the studs like what is on Jacket's rig.

Nice job on the battery box. How is it held down?

 

[Jacket]

:clapsmile Great, I want to do this too.

Quick off-thread, have you regeared? Nice work on your truck!

Not yet. It is on the plan along with a front locker, but continues to fall just below the priority line in favor of more pressing needs, and the budget-hogging Turtle (FJ40).

 

[Jacket]

nice job matt. glad to see your putting that pirze to use now. how about a photo of the famous expo trophy banner hanging in your garage.!!!:victory:

Funny story actually. When I first brought it home, my dog made an attempt to claim it as his own.

After showing Jackson who the alpha male is in our house, I moved it to a more prominent location in plain view for all to see.

My wife, feeling that vanity wasn't truly in my blood, vetoed the location.

But the proudest of all spots was the one my son chose for it.

Alas the excitement soon wore off, and the sign finally made it to its final and most appropriate resting place in the garage.

 

[Jacket]

Good work.

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

Do tell more? Mine had nothing there.

 

[Jacket]

Nice job on the battery box. How is it held down?

The three studs it sits over have M8 flange nuts, two more bolts in the fender (again where there was already threaded holes). And then the M6 bolt into the side of the fender. Overkill for sure.....

 

[keezer36]

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

If you don't have VSC, your ABS unit sits there.

 

[ji603]

Thanks for posting this thead... this on my 'to-do' list, so I can't wait to see your step photos.