Thanks Ronny. Been watching you for years and gained a great deal of knowledge. No good deed goes unpunished so here ya go. Just a lil appreciation and gratitude. Enjoy!

Been watching your videos for ages now and it's safe to say I bought a 4x4, got into exploring, camping and touring, because of your genuine character, avoiding all the BS that most people will receive at aftermarket accessory stores. I quickly saw what is necessity and what is just wasted money if done incorrectly, so you have saved me tonnes of money that I could actually use on getting out and adventuring. Keep up the awesome vids and the no BS straight to the point content. Hard to find genuine characters these days, so stick with your good ethics as I'm sure it is appreciated by many. 😎

Bit of advice from an ex mechanic. If your in your wiring buying stage use calculators, they have how much amps your going to use, how ling the wire is and voltage drop. When planning it in the calculator add 1mtr to the wire length. Try go for 1% drop. If you find it's just on the max length it's worth going up a size (down in awg number). Honestly I normally recommend doing that anyway, if something calls for 8g, go for 6 or even 4g. It'll heat up less. Less voltage loss and does allow for some future proofing.

RONNY OLE BOY !!! I'm a 40 yr Master Tech, and this is the BEST video concerning multiple battery systems. You cover everything and you have more safety recommendations and warnings than any 2 other videos combined. This alone is worth the watch for DIYers, but you even cover all the bases (Yank term there). Keep up d'good work.

Excellent video. It explained things very clearly to me (a novice with car electricals) It showed that my auto electrician friend installed the correct "house"battery system for me.

If you only camp once or twice a year a cheap battery box setup is going to be better than dragging along a genny.

The dual battery in parallel is not too bad, especially if you can isolate one with a low voltage cut out. Team that with a lithium jumper pack just in case you get it wrong and it's a decent weekender system.

A comment on the use of crimping. I only use crimps, however my crimping tools are proper tools, not glorified pair of pliers. if the crimp has been done properly there will be no problems. Soldering is only needed if you dont trust your crimping quality.. P.S. my trade is RAAF trained aircraft elec fitter/avionics tech, 50 years experience.

very very good summary. Years ago I did a dual battery setup and had to collect info from dozens of different sources on how to do it. This video is a great intro that should help avoid most pitfalls.

You and some other are good teachers. I’ve learned from scratch and DIYed my setup with the proper tool etc. When I have discussions with beginners, I referred to you, ASPW etc and if there willing, I help them instead of sending buying power box etc. My fun is their sense of achievement. Of course you need to budget time when you DIY butI think it’s part of the fun 🍻

I love this equipment tips series!! Thanks Ronny!!

Great video! Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I'm going to share it with everyone I know who is interested in multi-battery systems.

There's so much information in this single video that I don't even know where to begin learning from. Very high quality content! Love it!

After all these years I found what seems to be an informed opinion on a topic I've not seen covered before. I don't see multiple battery systems very often south of the Mason/Dixon line unless there's a winch setup. By the upper border there's a lot of jumping going on due to the cold weather. I'm always called to help out during this time of year. Mostly for the stereo and power tools that I can run on the pickup. For a welder I use a generator kept on a lock box.

Well done. I'd also like to add that people don't need to be intimidated by 12v if they don't know anything about it. It's very easy to learn and then you have the skills to diagnose, repair, modify, etc.

Great video again. Very informative 👍 I bought my 4wd with dual battery already in and it isn’t the tidiest job, this really makes me want to get it all stripped out and start again with a good neat setup that I know is the goods.

Hi Ronny I teach electrical apprentices and you nailed it, great info fast and fantastic production.

My dual battery system was set up like your talking about when I bought my ute & most people claimed that it was wrong. I used it to jump start my ute last week and then saw this. I'm happy mine is set up this way

This is the most informative video on dual batteries I have watched. Thank you

I have been running dual batteries in my 85 model L300 4WD for the past 34 years. I built a software controlled battery linker to jump-start myself if needed. The 2nd battery runs the fridge, HF comms and AIR CTI central tyre inflation. The combination works. Usually I get 4 years out of the lead-acid 120AH aux battery.

Well done mate- a well set out, easy to understand video. You’ve helped steer me in the right direction!

3 Words missing: "Lithium Jump Starter". Skip all the extra stuff you've put under the bonnet and simply carry a good quality, high powered Lithium Jump Starter like the Noco GB70. Then you can not only start your own vehicle, but start everyone else's as well.

Good tip about circuit breakers. We found that out the hard way too 😮

Thanks Ronny, easiest and best explanation I've heard since.... well since your last video. My point is, they're bloody great videos.

if youre on a budget or only have room for 1 battery a great option is a marine starting battery. its a hybrid design with good cranking amps and better deep cycle capabilities too. get the biggest possible size you can squeeze in there. this gives you high capacity and heavy load capability for winching. make sure the new battery has equal or greater cranking amp ratings (cold cranking amps included)

Great video. I put a dual battery in my rig quite a while ago. It's a 'just in case' jump starter that I also use for some accessories like a fridge, small inverter, etc. I used a large solenoid for isolation that I operate with a switch. I use a SPDT relay to direct where the accessories get their power from. When the ignition is off, power comes from the second battery, when it is on, it comes from the main battery/charging circuit. I don't use a DC to DC charger. More recently I bought a portable 'power station' (Jackery). Really, this is the way to go. It charges from a 12v power outlet when the engine is running and I use it to power the fridge and such. What's really great is you can move the fridge/power pack to where you are so you don't have to keep running back to the rig.

Greetings from ‘Merica! Found your channel last night at work and this video is hands down one of the best I have seen. I had so many questions about setting up a dual battery in my project 04 Toyota Sequoia and you nailed every single one. I’m so happy now I have hours of content to browse to get more information about what to do with my truck! Thanks again and keep these videos coming!

Keep in mind that the power used by a fridge isn’t constant. When the compressor is on, it could be pulling 6.5 amps (my ARB) when it’s not running it pulls 100ma. Thus the fridge isn’t always pulling high power. Depending on temperature of the inside of vehicle is how much it runs. So for solar power charging. A solar panel array producing 6 amps MAY be able to keep the battery fully charged. Again dependent on inside vehicle temp. My solar works just fine for me most months in Texas. In the summer though, I either need to drive my car for an hour a day, or add an additional 80watt portable panel. In addition to the 80watt on my roof.

In the old days, I used a dual diode battery isolator. Works great and very simple. The batteries never see each other electrically. Even a simple high current relay that parallels them only when engine is running.

I go simple. I run a small trailer with a 120W panel and 300w capability with external panels. Does not run off the vehicle. I don't go for more than 3 days and it's plenty of power with 100Ah lithium. Runs the fridge lights and stereo easily. Granted, we get about 320 days of full sun. I take advantage 😊

I've always had good quality classic starters hard wired, works for me but i camp simple. It helps a lot with a simple volt meter and understanding of the chemistry / state of charge.

good on ya Ronny always a big help and very informative.

Good info. I'm new to this and in the beginning stages of modifying my 4WD Suburban. I have a single cranking battery under the hood, and will be using a 100aH lithium battery as the accessory battery that will be mounted in a compartment (removing one of the middle seats) along with the inverter, fuse box, and MPPT. I'll be using a Redarc BCDC25 charger, and will have a 175W solar panel on the roof with its own MPPT Victron controller. Thinking of using a NC relay to isolate solar when the engine is running and let the alternator take care of things, then switch to solar when the engine is not running. Hopefully this will all work out.

I am thoroughly enjoying and learning from your videos. Well done!

Thank you, you just saved me from making a few mistakes including wiring the lights and air compressor to my secondary battery.

Excellent video and easy to understand explanations, thankyou Ronny.

Mostly good advice, but I'm going to take issue with your comment to solder connectors. I agree, don't just use pre-insulated crimp connectors and call it good...they are great for trackside repairs, but not great long term. BUT...do NOT solder! Solder wicks its way up the wires by capillary action, stiffens them up, and creates a hard point where it ends. Over time, the wire conductors WILL fatigue and crack at that point, and the wire will fail. Corrugated roads will dramatically increase this. Proper heat shrink and strain relief will slow it down, but it WILL happen eventually. 1. Use good quality crimp connectors, not the ones in a multi pack from Supercheap... 2. Preferably use open barrel uninsulated connectors, and put heat shrink over the join. 3. Get a good crimper, ratchet type, designed for the type of connector you are using. $50 minimum, not the $5 cheapie. 4. Do some tests with the same type of wire, and use the tightest crimp you can do on that wire without distorting the connector. Properly done, the crimp forms a cold weld that is electrically superior to solder, and is vastly mechanically superior. 5. Use good quality dual wall glue lined heat shrink. The join will be encapsulated, waterproof, almost completely corrosion resistant, and the thick wall shrink gives good strain relief as well. Properly done crimped joint with glue lined heat shrink will outperform.a soldered joint or a crimped and soldered joint in every way...aesthetically, mechanically, electrically, longevity, corrosion resistance, everything.

I agree with heat shrink on a crimp. But not soldering, have seen alot of solder joints fail on aftermarket fitted wiring. It is easier for a beginner to get a good crimp and than heat shrink it, rather than get a good solder joint. And whatever you do.. don't crimp a soldered wire, all it does is crack the solder and doesn't allow the crimp to bite in correctly.

Like if you are using a proper crimper you shouldn't use solder, if you are using a proper crimper you should be cold welding the the wires, throwing solder on top of a cold weld is a liability not aid. You can check your crimper is working properly by cutting the lug and making sure the cable where it was crimped is now a solid piece of copper, if it's still a bunch of wires then you should solder your wires, but if you are going to be doing it on a regular basis get a proper crimping tool which can cold weld the wires. No argument on the heat sink and sheathing.

The best information on battery systems I have watched

Well put together Ronny 👍

One hard lesson I learnt is yes! Have fuses and conjure your wiring, my patrol caught on fire due to not doing this when I was in remote Cape York, lucky I had a fire extinguisher ( also carry one! ) and I still did the trip and came home with my car all sweet, I lost my wiring for my lights and my dignity but learnt a valuable lesson

A handy thing to look for in your DC/DC with MPPT or Solar Charger is the trickle charge funtion back to the crank battery. Then if you mentioned you have a solar input apmerage if camped for a few days that exceeds your fridge, lighting draw ect, when the house battery is full it will also trickle charge the crank battery :)

Ronny talking about food being spoiled out bush which is important but there is nothing worse than smelling electrical burning after you've completed some wiring. I always make sure I have a plan to fight vehicle fires!

Thanks for the informative video. I don't do much off-roading, mainly towing a van. I have a small 36 Waeco fridge which sits in the back of the ute. (under an ARB Ascent canopy, so it's secure). It plugs into the Ranger's 12v outlet in the tub. However, when stopped there's no power. So, I'm looking at a second battery setup just for the fridge. I can go a number of different ways. Buy a lithium (LifePO4), a DC-DC charger, set it up so that it powers from the 12v outlet. Or maybe run a dedicated cable from the car battery (via a relay) to the tub to power the DC-DC unit which in turn charges the battery. And from there, a 12v outlet to power the fridge. The DC-DC unit then gives me the option of solar input when parked up. This requires a bit of work to wire in, make cradles, brackets, etc., but is a fairly cheap way to go. Or I can buy a suitably sized "power station" of which there are now many from which to choose. Bluetti seems to be the more popular that I've seen. This solution, costing upwards of $900 (more with a solar blanket), allows me to easily move the Bluetti and fridge from the Ranger to the wife's car for when she goes shopping and needs to keep perishable food cold. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this, especially from @ronny_dahl as to what folks have done.

Always solid advice. I would however take out the comments around fusing both ends of a cable as it's completely unnecessary, does add some voltage drop (although small) provides another point of failure. Simply fuse the source and that's all that is required. Additionally to that, I'd never recommend soldering multi stranded wire in the car as it essentially turns in to one solid core wire and is prone to cracking and breaking. Done properly, a crimped wire will outlast a soldered wire any day, one of the reasons the main earth strap is crimped for example.

As a master electrician I can say, imo, you are absolutely correct. I run dual front off the alt for drive. Two 105 ah deep cycnle in the bed for camp with solar running a 2024 siera so when driving i can plug a smart charger into the built in inverter in the truck bed, to charge the deep cycles while driving.

I’m just getting into 4x4 & camping, iv done a 115ah kings deep cycle hooked up to an isolator not a dcdc , a half decent battery box & a second hand 50L kings fridge with a bunnings false floor, the whole set up wouldn’t have set me back more than $800 & it’s all removable with a couple of ratchet straps, does the job for beginners

17:35, many years ago, I had my old 1976 Hillman Hunter 1725cc Motor "die" on me, when it tossed a con rod, so, my mate Phil (a car/Truck mechanic by daytime/trade and a backyard fixit mechanic by night) sorted me out, with a similar sized, but smaller CC rated extremely high performance Toyota Sprinter's 1600 cc DOHC 5 speed gearbox, that had a much higher RPM output on it's driveline tail-shaft.. The result, a much peppier, outright responsive and ABSOLUTE "street-sleeper" I have ever seen, as it had a frontal oil pan that required us to drop the front sway bar mounts by 2" just to get the motor to sit on the hunter engine mounts, (after some slight modifications), plus the Toyota's higher revving 5th gear output, meant it was spinning the conversion driveshaft all that much more, (than the stock standard old original gearbox did), into the "we kept it" Hunter's original diff ratio. The result of that was simple, as the hunter was heavier than the Toyota Sprinter, it kept some of the increased power and rev range, slower than it normally would have been, whilst using al the extra power of the smaller cc DOHC system, and the over-dive 5th gear ratio, meaning that combined with the low ratio Hunter Diff, the car acquired the speed status of a "weak" dragster. Result: I could pull off the street intersection "lights" way faster than any previous HUNTER could achieve, whilst NEVER having to change gear between intersections, what with having the newer "outright power to the ground", ability to spin the back wheels the entire city block (if I left my foot on the "pedal/to-the/metal" thing). It would do (flat out until I got scared enough to change gears) up to 80kph in 1st, 120 kph in 2nd, 150kph in 3rd and the 4th (the Hunter only had four gears before we changed everything) could drag the car a long way BEYOND the speedo's round dial maximum of 160kph, sitting somewhere near the bottom to slightly up towards ZERO again, (meaning it was approx. 200kph at bottom of dial, and closer to 240 maxed out in 4th). THEN there was that extra gear called FIFTH (some call these an overdrive, as they spin the gearbox output shaft - faster than the main engine's crankshaft) Changing from 4th to 5th with the pedal to the metal, on very long public roads, meant a MASSIVE SURGE held one back into the seat as she literally took off. Watching an old round speedo dial, go from 0 at about 8o'clock on the dial, to pass 80hph top of dial, then when the needle went past the normal maximum (the mechanic pulled the stop-pin out of the speedo before we tested it, so left it out afterwards too) doing 160kph at the 4pm mark, to then see it continue to turn around under bottom dead center (approx. 200kph) and climb back PAST the original ZERO start point, (now doing in excess of 240kph), I can tell you - it was a shatteringly breath-taking experience, to be chased by a carload of skinheads (in a highly modified V8 with way too many of them in the car) after I had annoyed them by passing them at about 70kph in the 100kph open road area, after following them haphazardly wobble all over the road, left to right hand fog lines, as the guy in the middle front seat steered, as the driver appeared to be sleeping?), - with the ability to out-drag them the entire time, I eventually launched the hunter off the top of the hill at Evansdale - Southland NZ, on SH1, as we headed downhill towards Evansdale, passing oncoming cars while LOOKING DOWN on their rooves, and with no AIR BRAKES in the car (at two foot off the road, the wheels don't brake all that well), to come back to earth by pushing all the suspension onto the blocks, and with the lowered sway bar slicing off a layer of tarseal on the way down as well, (I had to replace the extremely worn-out sway bar bushings a few days later) - we also saw the many headlights flashing out the all important message... COP - somewhere ahead... Uh oh, so as soon as we bounced the second time, I hauled that handbrake on hard to almost maximum grip, (so as to NOT alert the skinheads approaching over the hill behind us a few seconds later), while selecting 3rd instead of 4th, and holding it as straight as possible, I got it down to 90 kph at the bottom of the hill, just as the skin-heads rammed the car in the butt, (as they too were by then braking hard). Thus I trundled past the cop at the cross-road intersection a 1/4 mile from the bottom of the hill, after just enough bend in the road, so that his radar caught something really fast, yet he couldn't actually see (or be seen by) anyone coming down the hill itself, so he wasn't sure (back in NZ in 1990 we didn't have very good radar guns in police cars) - such that he immediately spotted the low slung heavily modified USA V8 muscle car, trying to "look cool" who immediately after passing him, sped up again to be again nudging my bumper/towbar. As we entered and turned into Evansdale (on the old alignment before they built a bypass behind the town) I spotted his Blues & Two's (Reds and Blues), as he flipped a U-turn and chased us down. Immediately (as guilty as all hell) the skin heads pulled over, whereas I just calmly continued on at 90kph before slowing to 50 in the town limits. Maybe it was because the COP had to look twice at us, (my wife & I - and our son in his rear child's seat) - as my son excitedly rose up and rapidly pouted to the car behind us - good on you son, doing what we BOTH told him to do, while we sat straight faced looking dead ahead... Yeah Ryt, like a normal "family" - driving along in an old slow car, being caught rapidly by a modified V8 (totally overloaded with skinheads). So - we later learnt through the grape vine, that a carload of Invercargill's worst bunch of Skinheads, had been caught doing 235kph down the Evansdale Hill (on that same day eh), who had tried very unsuccessfully to tell either the police - or the court judge later, that they couldn't possibly have been doing that, and that it was in fact, the old slow green hunter in front???? We lived in Gore at that time, so even though my wife was screaming at me to "plant foot" and get the hell outa there, I stubbornly insisted on doing JUST 90kph, the entire way back to Gore, from Evansdale (which was enough distance, to create a somewhat fast trip from Invercargill to Gore,,, on an average speed - slightly above 100kph). As we pulled into our street in Gore, there was a VERY angry cop sitting there in his car - tapping away at his watch.!!!! I stopped (as any good Samaritan should) beside his window and asked, has your watch stopped, do you need the time ? ? ? You are LATE he said.!! Late for what I asked as I (deliberately) turned around to the missus and asked (sweetly), "did we need to be somewhere at this time"? Then turned back to him and said, we left Invercargill after shopping and doing some visiting there, so no - we aren't LATE for anything. You are LATE he again said, as he drove away.! Late - we were early (just) .. Oh yes, LATE, if the cops had expected us to still be roaring along at 200kph+, so yeah LATE...! After trundling along at 90kph and sometimes pulling to the side a LOT slower, (to let following traffic pass, that we had shot past earlier). LATE? Hell no I told the cop, we don't need to be anywhere today so have all the time in the world.. We never got a speeding ticket, and it wasn't all that much later - that I "permanently" took the car off the road, and deregistered it. It wasn't just a (city driving) street sleeper, but an open-road rocket. Not worth allowing the missus to continue with the youngster egging us on everywhere we went after that, nor to leave it licenced and registered, for when he later turned 18 and wanted to get it back "on-the-road" - for himself to drive .!!!! Hell no. He later went through a LOT of V8 muscle cars himself, destroying all, in high speed - drunken/drugged crashes. So I am ever grateful to that carload of skinheads, pushing e that day - as I would possibly still be happily driving it along, at way too fast a speed. Think of all the traffic tickets I saved by removing it from open road use, and the lives it most likely saved by not killing me or my family and anyone else we would have hit, what with the super heavily modified front end, and forward mounted steelwork, that we needed to get added up front, to allow us to get the lowered sway bar mounts welded on, somewhat forward of the motor itself, (which put the sway bar directly under the 3-layered new radiator's position). Yet with the original bonnet down and nothing exterior to the outline of the car, it looked for all the world, to be a sunken back ended Hunter, until I pushed a wee button and an electric solenoid opened, to raise the airbag shocks at the rear, before hitting the gas , and launching it.. The amazed faces of anyone riche enough to have a high powered car, that we left behind us at street lights, and if the over took us at speed on the open road, we'd whizz past them sooner rather than later, outdoing them ... (in a hunk of junk old 1976 Hillman Hunter - on steroids).

very interesting, as a no power on site worker i just went with the basic battery box with built in inverter since most my tools are battery tools, this could charge them and also run my fridge. Didn't cost me more than $1000. still going strong 8-10 years later

1) I live on 100watt solar panel fer little over a year now, been working good other then cloudy days. 2) I've had 2 optima red top batteries (1 in my ride, 1 for my solar) and I have both for about 7 years now. The one in my ride has been in 2 other ride before the suburban I have now.

As per usual, another great video Ronny.

Learned a good bit from this video. Thanks.

Great video, Ronny. Good advice.

Using a True dual battery isolator provides several advantages: Reliable Battery Management: Automatically ensures the starting battery is charged first, then charges the auxiliary battery, preventing the main battery from draining and ensuring reliable engine starts​ (True Battery Isolator)​​. No Voltage Drop: Unlike traditional diode isolators, True isolators have no voltage drop, maintaining optimal charging efficiency​ (True Battery Isolator)​. Dual Sensing Technology: Monitors the voltage of both batteries and engages charging for both if either battery is receiving a charge, which is particularly useful when using external chargers​ (True Battery Isolator)​. Durable and Compact Design: Built to withstand harsh conditions with features like waterproofing, heat resistance, and anti-vibration casing, ensuring longevity and reliability in various environments​ (True Battery Isolator)​​ (True Battery Isolator)​. Easy Installation: Simple three-wire installation without the need to bypass existing alternator wiring, making it user-friendly even for novice installers​ (True Battery Isolator)​. Cost-Effective Solution: Provides a budget-friendly way to manage dual battery setups effectively, offering long-term savings by extending battery life and preventing failures​ (True Battery Isolator)​. Safety Features: Includes ignition protection and operates within a wide temperature range, enhancing the safety of your vehicle’s electrical system​ (True Battery Isolator)​. Overall, the True dual battery isolator enhances the reliability, efficiency, and longevity of a dual battery system in various applications, from trucks to boats and RVs. For more details, visit the dfna dot info website.

Thanks Rony very good video gave me a lot to think about when I get around to do mine again very good video

Circumnavigating Australia in 2006, for a budget system I connected the starter and auxiliary battery in parallel (using the thickest guage wire I could get, grounding the aux battery to the chassis) I mounted a manual isolater switch on top of the handbrake (so that when I released the brake I remembered to turn the switch to connect the batteries). It worked perfectly

Thanks a lot! I'm just getting into overlanding and building my first rig. I would love to have an amazing battery setup..... but idk why i would need one yet lol. My current plan is to get out there and see what i want/ need and take care of it then

The “Ultimate” set-up can also come in handy in car audio.

One item with lithium vs agm, depending on your global location lithium batteries have a fairly large drop in performance in extreme cold. Great video, I always learn a ton from your videos and looking forward to your podcast!

Great video in my 80 series ute i am running 24 volts for every think so two 1000 cca cat n70 with bolt on lugs for all the car power winch all car lights sport lights start then 150 amp hour lithium to run inverter fridge camp lights with 160 w solar panel on top of roof top tent and a 110 w solar panel on car roof to do all 3 battery

I had someone else install my dual battery system but ended up redoing it to fix all the flaws with it. I recommend people just do it themselves the first time. You need to know 12v stuff if you're installing 12v accessories anyway.

mostly spot on. I have , however, run breakers underhood in west texas heat for years with no issue

Nice one Ronny. I'm in the middle of an install, and so far its all right according to you. Haha , cheers !

I ended up just getting a portable set up. 42ah solar generator box… 30w solar panel and a 12v car charger for it for under $600usd. Then I also got a jumper pack to jump the crank battery for about $75usd. All my charging and power needs are met and I can move it into a trailer or another vehicle easy

Solid advice very thorough.

Love your videos Ronny , Ive had a Lithium second bat installed to the rear of the crank bat in a 76 series for 6yrs with out any problems

When I had my JKU I went with the Genesis Offroad dual battery setup. It never failed me.

Your "ultimate" system is the standard setup on heavy commercial vehicles with an "electric auxiliary power unit" in the US. For example, my sleeper cab semi tractor has four parallel "dual purpose" starting/ deep cycle batteries for the normal engine/ cab/ lighting power, and four deep cycle "house" batteries. I have 4/0 (107 mm^2) between the banks and to the starter.

Cool 😎,Very well said. Thanks 😊

Awesome video about to put a lithium goblock in my tray to run everything in rear

Ronny mate, I walked away from the online world a year or so ago & now I'm back. I spotted this upload & just finished watching it & I gotta say that was the perfect presentation. You've become so good at it. Very impressive & accurate too. It's good to be back & see your still at it. Full ahead brother. Mick from Vic.. 👍

Great video Ronny.

Bought a 2013 NW Pajero which has a 2nd battery setup but it appears it was in a trailer or van as the Anderson plugs run to the rear near the hitch, would love to drop a battery in the back and upgrade the crank battery as I've had some starting issues even though the dealer put in a new (cheap) battery just after I go the Pajero. Only planning to run a fridge and maybe some lights at this point, but charging batteries for the camera and drone would be nice.

Great video with tons of information! Thanks! How about a video on how to proper set up a diy camp trailer with batteries and solar?

Excellent info bro thank you!

Thanks

Good advice Ronny 👍

Thanks!

I'me a truck driver. I use a 12v 400AH LiFePO4 aux battery. During a normal run, I rarely fire up the generator. The battery can power the desktop computer, including gaming, for a few hours before I shut it down and go to sleep. Wake up with about 50% left. This powers the fridge, the 24/7 6 camera DVR system plus any misc 12v low power items. Well worth the $$$ over time as they will last over 10 years of daily use. Plus reduce maintenance on the generator as it hardly runs. I only run it when shutdown for a day or two. Most drivers can get away with 200AH, but I run a full desktop system plus other items that will drain a 200AH overnight. Nice thing about LiFePO4 is it is totally safe for indoor install. They do not gas at all. Mine is under the area under the bed. All LiFePO4 I know of is rated for install in living areas. Only draw back is never ever charge at or below freezing. Most BCMs will prevent charging when near or below freezing.

Great info Ronny, especially like the jump start switch 5:59. My question is: it possible to run a single 200 Ah 4 post lithium battery for crank and house. I have a vintage Mitz 4cyl diesel, 2000W inverter, 120W Solar blanket and a 1700 gas generator as (boon docking) emerg. The reason is; I need the extra space. The battery I’m thinking of is a LiLead with plenty of cranking amps. I’ve asked many KZfaqrs and bat manufacturers but can’t get a straight answer.

Brilliant, thank you.

Cheers, very useful primer on the topic.

That was an amazing piece of info thankyou.

thanks very informative

need to mention high amperage circuit breakers ..... can get from 50 amps to 500amps? put one on each main power cable next to each battery as a fail safe incase a main cable rubs through on body work ... only cost 50 bucks each.. they also double as a battery isolator if your truck is parked up for weeks or months.... i learnt the hard way.... a weeks work pulling dash apart after a wire went rouge in engine bay and rubbed against my exhaust pipe then melted half the wires in my dash.. took my truck to a specialist mechanic for heart surgery, 2 weeks after i dropped of to them, they started selling instalation kits exactly how mine was made and installed

The "Ultimate-Ultimate" set up: Secondary alternator to charge the house and/or auxiliary batteries (200 AH LifePO4). (Auxiliary batteries for all the auxiliary vehicle systems). This leaves the factory system intact and unaltered except for jumping. House batteries strictly for the house related systems.

Good one Ronny Thanks for that Cheers Mate

Finally some 12 volt advice I understand. Sign me up.

Absolutely agree with labelling and some kind of wiring plan for anything you have installed. If not for you (because you know what everything is... don't you?) do it for the next person who needs to work out why something electrical isn't working. Disagree with buying everything with the same label. Learn a bit, get the performance and warranty you require and at a price that will pay for the next trip in savings. State of Charge / Depth of Discharge are very important differences between Lead Acid and Lithium battery chemistries - check this out and compare the value! ie: how much longer can the same rated lithium battery run the same fridges/lights/pumps than comparable lead-acid batteries? Don't bother about considering the weight difference of the different battery chemistries - you are driving a +2500kg vehicle - and unless you are moving those batteries by hand on a daily basis it's a non-issue. The electrical output and price/value far outweigh their weight. Great presentation, thanks!

The other (big??) con of installing a dual battery system in your vehicle (especially the more expensive systems) is that it’s pretty much permanent so when it comes to selling the vehicle, you’ve kinda gotta leave it there and won’t get the full original cost outlay return. A fully portable system such as a Bluetti AC200 Max or Eco Flow Delta solves that issue but is not without its own drawbacks such as the taking up of valuable storage space and recharging requirements etc. At the end of the day, horses for courses I suppose.

My aussie made century agm deep cycle secondary battery has been in my troopy from new 2007 till now and still going strong. If you know how to maintain your battery it will last for a very long time.

awesome video thanks for the tips

Great overview.

I have a GU Patrol, with dual crank batteries under the bonnet wired in parallel, allows extended periods of winching, plenty of CCA for starting. I have a Lithium house battery in the rear for fridge, etc. I have a fixed solar panel on the roof rack, and a Renogy 50A DC-DC charger which has 3 way charging. From Alternator to house battery, from solar to house battery, from solar to crank battery when the house battery is 100%. This removes the need for a battery isolator switch since the crank batteries are maintained virtually forever by the solar panel when the vehicle is not used for months (eg Covid isolation or working away or on long holiday).

THANK YOU FOR GREAT VIDEO

I would also recommend seeing if your engine has a place to mount a second alternator to charge a secondary battery. Then if both batterys are low when you drive they will both charge up quickly.

I love my 12v system my patrol comes standard with duel battery but it also has a 2 house batteries charged of a dc-dc that runs fridge lights inverter ect

I had significant, recurring issues with heat against the dual batteries in my LC105 (petrol). They were solved by adding a ceramic heatshield outer layer (from Autobarn); plus some dual-layer/cell wall sign-board for the inner layer. This was in a left/right-angle configuration protecting both sides exposed to heat. Battery life tripled. I now have a Hilux where the batteries are on the same side. I am conscious of airflow so only add on the hot side; still allowing air to flow; but reducing heat. The hilux runs differently due to fuel differences; so temperatures are different (petrol vs diesel). I dont plan to add heat shielding just yet, due to fueld and heat sources. But no way would I introduce lithium to the engine bay (huge fire risk if hit something - bull, kangaroo; buffulo etc)

Very good. I like your comment about crimp vs solder. I believe in solder and heat shrink. I have been an electrical engineer for about 35 years. I would look at upgrading the alternator to increase charging rate. Some stock alternators will not handle the extra load.