where all does the main batterys positive have to go to? to the starter and the main power distribution block under the hood correct?

i am going to be running 2 batteries with a Powermaster battery isolator in it so the starting battery will not be affected if i drain the 2nd battery.....

what batteries would you recommend to do this? Optima's? Deep cycle marine battery?

the 1st battery will do nothing but start the truck and run the STOCK power distribution box (so all the stock items just like if nothing else aftermarket was on the truck)

the 2nd battery will run my aftermarket stuff (stereo, extra fuse panel under the console <--it has my blue lights, strobes, power seats on it)

i am doing this just to clean up under the hood a bit and to have more room under there for things.....

 

for the strobes id say youd need a deep cycle depending on how much power they need... if its anything like starting a car the deep cycle will work the best because its just short bursts of power..

 

the strobes only put out 35 watts so they only draw 2.5 amps....and then the LED's in the grill only pull 5 amps and the LED's in the windshield only pull 15 amps.....so i have a 30 amp fuse on them all......and the switch they are on have a 30 amp relay to work it since it is a factory fog light switch.....

the only other thing on the aux fuse block is my power seats right now.....

i am also thinking 2 deep cycle marine batteries or 2 batteries for a diesel truck since i will have all kinds of room in my tool box to put them...

 

My primary is a red-top Optima, my secondary is a standard battery maintained by a solar charger. I use manual disconnects to couple the system. Dual battery isolators have big diodes in them and diodes have like a 0.3 to 0.7 (depending on type/material) voltage drop to them. That can be more than your alternator can overcome under high load at idle and the result can be inadequate charging.

For instance, if you alternator can do 13.0 at idle with full electrical load, then the voltage to the battery might be 12.5 and that's not enough.

Even though the feedback to the alternator comes from the far side of the diode, the alternator still can only do so much to raise the voltage under load, resulting in the drop.

Not a big problem, but I decided an all manual system with a solar charger to maintain the second battery was the way to go for me.

I have a topic on it somewhere.

 

alright so the thing i need to do is get a solar charger? and run the second battery off the solar charger and not the alternator? what about a bigger amp alternator or does the amperage not matter?

do you have a diagram or something that shows how you wired it up?

i was also going to get a battery tender and tie it into the same plug that runs my block heater....

 

The battery tender idea is a nice one. I've thought about that myself.

I never drew a diagram, but there's posts on here with some pics and descriptions.

I ran 4 gauge in corrugated tubing from the front to the back. I have a 250 amp industrial motor fuse for the rear battery, in the battery box back there, feeding the wire.

That 4 gauge runs to the bottom of a 400 amp industrial fuse bolted directly to the side terminals of my Optima. The top of the fuse goes to the Optima, bottom to the wire to the rear (to rephrase).

Also from the bottom of that 400 amp fuse, goes a line up to my winch. The alternator ties in to the battery with 4 gauge and a 250 amp industrial fuse. The alternator is a 200 amp rated unit.

You may think 4 gauge is too small to go all the way to the back, but keep in mind the rear battery only supplies part of the load current. When I'm winching I'm getting some from alternator and some from each battery at full load.

There is a disconnect switch in the battery box in the rear. There used to be on in front but it got mud in it and fried, lol -- so it's been bypassed.

Here's my topic from before: https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ad.php?t=20480

That was before the new alternator which added another heavy wire. I might have posted on that later in the topic, don't remember.

 

ahhhh......what about tieing the batteries in parallel (positive to negative on the 2 batteries and then a positive to the main distribution box and a negative from the other battery to teh ground.......) i think that is what it is called........

i know we do the wiring that way in our fire alarm panels to get more juice out of a 2 smaller batteries.....

i was planning on running 4 gauge wire as my power wires....

 

so i would be better off just hooking both batteries to the alternator and letting them both be starting batteries? i dont really want to make it too complicated.....and the stuff i have on the 1 battery now doesn't pull it down at all unless i run the accessories for about an hour without the truck running....

 

what all would i need to run power wires to to hook up like the factory when i move the battery to the bed? 1 wire to the starter soleinoid and 1 to the power distribution box?

 

why not do something like this.

http://www.tombarcia.net/Truck/DualBatt/DualBattery.htm

 

thanks i will look at that....

 

You can only tie batteries in parallel (or you're only supposed to) and leave them that way if...

1. They are identical batteries
2. They are identical age

Tom's circuit (linked above) is nice, but it's not fused and the relays aren't cheap. I have serious problems with running a long 12 volt wire without serious protection.

I was cheap so I used manual switches, lol.

Nice thing is, I can self jump start just by throwing a switch, lol. I don't need the ability to connect it with a relay for my purposes.

 

when you say parallel you mean how? i plan on getting 2 new batteries when i do this...

 

someday I will use one of these, just like in my boats
2 batteries, protected, jump from one to the other, charge one or both, one simple switch

 

parallel - positive to positive - same volts more amps
series - positive to negative - doubles the volts

when you load your MAG Light it is in series
each 1.5 volt battery connects negative to positve increasing the volts by the same amount
how many volts depends on how many batteries you have - thats why the bulbs are not interchangeble

 

I looked at that idea, but those switches are huge and trying to find somewhere to mount it would be tough.

 

It doesn't have to be in the cab. I engage my second battery for offroading and/or winching for other reasons, and disconnect it when I'm done. The switch is in my tool box mounted on my battery box.

You can parallel the batteries when the vehicle is running, and leaving them that way for awhile when you shut it off doesn't do any real harm.

But you're not supposed to leave them in parallel when not being charged if the batteries are different.

 

mount it on the back panel of the cab
I plan on putting the second battery in the cab, under the jump seat
mine would be for winching only, mainly for the additional amperage

 

so i can put them in parallel and let them both be a starting battery.....that seems to be the easiest way to think i could do it......i want the extra power and them both run my accessories and so forth...

 

As long as they are identical batteries of the same age, or you only connect them in parallel when you go to start.

Otherwise, for automatic connect, you need a cross connect relay (you could use a starter solenoid relay like older Fords used) to kick in the extra battery when you turn the key. You can pick up a starter solenoid relay in a JY for almost nothing.

Those types of relays can't be engaged for long periods so they aren't suitable for a winching cross connect operation -- but they'd be good for starting.

If you use a full duty cycle relay like are used for winches (about $30 to $40 usually) you can have that cross connect them whenever the ignition is on.

Neil, you MUST use a sealed battery if you're putting it in the cab, and even then I'd be leary. Charging generates hydrogen and oxygen gas and it it vents into the cab and finds an ignition source...

 

so how would i wire that up like that.....i want both batteries to be able to be drawn from when the ignition is in the "on" position.....extra power never hurt anyone....

 

got you on the sealed battery advice John, thanks
it would only be set for temporary use when wheeling
probably place a plastic tray in the cab and just put the battery in it when I carry the winch

 

what about this kit John.....
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

 

That would work, and is the same concept that Tom used from what I've seen of the painless kit. The downside of that kit is that the lights for the switch, are just lights, not LED's, so they will burn out sometime. Another thing, is that I don't think they are including any of the battery wiring for that price. I was in my boat shop this weekend, and looked at how much I think it was 2 gauge wire was per foot, and that came in around $5 a foot. A 48" cable they had pre-made was $45.

This is how I'm setting mine up, almost Identicle to Tom's, yet having the switch setup like the Painless system is. The 2nd battery of mine is going to feed an Aux. fuse block and my inverter (winch down the line...), and the main battery is going to be all stock stuff, except for the carputer stuff. I picked up a ranger starter solenoid from advanced auto (SS94) for around $10 to last me until I get this one: http://www.alliedelec.com/Search/Pro...5D0FF806E2617F