Dual Battery Setups

[4Wheeler]

I don't know how different your petrol Rangers are from the diesel units sold here in Australia, but every second touring Ranger here has a dual battery system installed.
There are tray mounted cradles, underbody cradles (by ARB for totally sealed batteries), and now cradles for mounting slim lithium batteries behind the rear seats in the double cab Ranger.
I have a false floor in the ute tub and a canopy. I have a $300 AUD 105 ah sealed battery and a $400.00 AUD Projecta Dc/Dc charger. It is solar capable as well. This power my fridge without issue and I have all camp lighting connected to it.

This sort of set up works for me. The only disadvantage is that the battery is heavy at 50 lbs approx.

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[Glocker]

I don't know how different your petrol Rangers are from the diesel units sold here in Australia, but every second touring Ranger here has a dual battery system installed.
There are tray mounted cradles, underbody cradles (by ARB for totally sealed batteries), and now cradles for mounting slim lithium batteries behind the rear seats in the double cab Ranger.
I have a false floor in the ute tub and a canopy. I have a $300 AUD 105 ah sealed battery and a $400.00 AUD Projecta Dc/Dc charger. It is solar capable as well. This power my fridge without issue and I have all camp lighting connected to it.

This sort of set up works for me. The only disadvantage is that the battery is heavy at 50 lbs approx.

I like it and if my "ute" was only for exploring, I'd do a battery system and more (a tray and full canopy). Damn I wish I lived in Australia!

By the way, I've fallen in love with 4WD 24/7 on YouTube!

 

[FlyingMonkey435]

Are there any manufactured plug-n-play options out there yet? I appreciate the incredible DYI examples shown in this thread, but I simply don't have the time to replicate these on my own. Well that and I'm an electrical idiot. I'm picking up my Ranger on Saturday and it will immediately head into the shop for the first phase of my build-out, which will lean heavily toward the overlanding side of things requiring a lot of accessory power. Coming from the Jeep world I've really appreciate the peace of mind that comes from running a second battery and the several clean install options that existed by different manufacturers.

Also, while I'm here and asking battery related questions, does any one have a recommendation for the best available aftermarket battery for the truck itself?

 

[TremorOwner]

Generator is my preference. Dual battery in a full size truck designed to host to batteries is one thing -- I have two batteries in my 2002 Tahoe (only because I was at the junk yard getting stuff with my uncle for his Firebird and yanked the parts from a Chevy that had the setup and paid like $25 for it all and have so much extra car audio wiring from back when I thought all that made my manhood bigger. Two Walmart batteries, done.) But if I have to place the battery in a custom mount and all that hoopla... forget it. Not worth the effort when I can just run the truck in a backup situation. I'm not personally going out into the remote desert alone so far from civilization I might run out of gas to run the truck for 30 min if the battery is getting low or use a solar charger.

 

[Glocker]

Are there any manufactured plug-n-play options out there yet? I appreciate the incredible DYI examples shown in this thread, but I simply don't have the time to replicate these on my own. Well that and I'm an electrical idiot. I'm picking up my Ranger on Saturday and it will immediately head into the shop for the first phase of my build-out, which will lean heavily toward the overlanding side of things requiring a lot of accessory power. Coming from the Jeep world I've really appreciate the peace of mind that comes from running a second battery and the several clean install options that existed by different manufacturers.

Also, while I'm here and asking battery related questions, does any one have a recommendation for the best available aftermarket battery for the truck itself?

There are some really nice kits you can order from Australia that mount the batteries under or behind the rear seat, but they get expensive with shipping!
https://offroaddownunder.com.au/product-category/ford-mazda/

 

[Glocker]

I got lucky and I am no longer looking at dual battery setups. I've won a Jackery 1500 with four solar panels. That should do me just fine!

 

[FlyingMonkey435]

There are some really nice kits you can order from Australia that mount the batteries under or behind the rear seat, but they get expensive with shipping!
https://offroaddownunder.com.au/product-category/ford-mazda/

Thanks Glocker! Those are some well thought out systems. I wonder if someone here stateside could license their designs and fabricate them locally to reduce end cost.

 

[hksocal]

Going to revive this thread as I've been staring at aux battery options for days and figured I'd summarize for those looking and ask for help from those that have done it.

Personal Goal for Energy Use (so you understand where I'm coming from):

Weekend warrior style camping/overlanding. Run my aux electronics (rock and camp lights/fridge/phone charging) in camp. Run my fan/heater/fridge overnight. I'm trying to keep full bed access (daily driver + sometimes we camp in the bed). I don't want to have to recharge at home. (I live in an apartment and few things to carry up/downstairs or remember/forget is huge).​

​

My take is this is ~50Ah of usable to make it fool proof. 30Ah might just cut it.​

- My math says this equates to a 100 Ah AGM battery preferred / 60 Ah to just cut it.​

- For Portable / Lithium that would be a 62 Ah or 750 Wh preferred / 450 Wh to just cut it​

Budget Goals: <$1,000. Preferably <$500. (I know, this is tough, but if I could throw money at this it would be easy right? )

Option 1: Find a spot to Mount it and Link a Permanent Dual Battery

Pros:​

- Cool factor​

- More usable Ah and can be better $/Ah​

- No setup/tear down at camp.​

- No charging at home​

- Charges easily off alternator​

​

Cons:​

- More complicated build or more $$ on an electrician.​

- Finding a place for the battery isn't easy.​

​

Notes:​

- I actually love Knight Rangers semi-permanent build idea here: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/dual-battery-setups.10053/post-186867. Only downside is that it takes up some bed space pretty permanently.​

- Options to mount the battery appear to be 1) Under the rear seat, but don't know if you can fit >60Ah AGM battery there. 2) Behind the seat, but that's only for Li batteries which blows the budget 3) Under the carriage "somewhere", but nervous about water splashing up into it 4) In the bed​

Option 2: Portable Battery Pack with 12V input and >30Ah usable

Pros: ​

- Easy to get most functionality out of it (see below)​

​

Cons:​

- Will still require complicated work to connect to hard wired systems and use for rock lights/camp lights/anything connected to Trigger 6​

- Charging becomes a pain. Either VERY slow charge off 12V aux plug, buy solar panels or carry inside.​

- Relatively cheaper, but for higher Ah options, quickly adds up to cost of low end permanent system.​

​

Notes:​

- An insane amount of options out there for portable batteries. It seems you can get ~30Ah (24 Ah) usable for $250 and ~40Ah (32 usable) for $500. Which would just barely hit my needs if I've measured correctly.​

Option 3: Upsize the stock battery and wire everything there with voltage shut-offs

Pros: ​

- Cheap and easy (relatively)​

- Get almost everything of the permanent setup​

​

Cons:​

- Potentially wake up with a dead battery (no fun)​

- Potentially prematurely damage battery (no fun)​

​

Notes: ​

- I have a Trigger 6 Shooter. My plan would be to wire everything through there and use its voltage shut off.​

- If that doesn't seem reliable, buy a ~$60 battery protector and put that between the Trigger 6 and then wire all the auxiliaries through that.​

- Great info on upsizing battery here: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...anger-battery-learn-from-my-experience.13919/​

- Seems you can fit a ~80Ah AGM battery in there. Might need to Forscan the smart battery system to increase it's top charge to 90%, but hey that'd would almost hit my preferred usable energy needs.​

My questions:
- Anybody have similar list of electronics they run and know their energy usage/needs better?
- Anybody install any of these setups and have their own pros/cons? As much context about your own usage would help too.


My plans:
- I think I'm going to buy a ~30Ah battery on Amazon just before my next trip and test it and see how much battery I use. By my calcs, I should kill it/almost kill it in a night.
- Also gives me a chance to see just how slowly they charge off the 12V system built into the truck.

Full Specs (including camping electronics)
- 2019 Ford Ranger XLT FX4
- Eibach Stage 2 Suspension with 2.5" Lift
- 33" Goodrich KO2 A/T tires
- Westin Outlaw Bumper / Pod Lights / Light Bar
- RSI Smart Cap Topper
- 8x Mictuning C2 Rock Lights
- 4x Mictuning C1 Rock Lights (for camp lights on topper)
- LED Bed Lights
- String Lights for Camp
- GoSun Chillest Cooler/Fridge
- Vevor 8k Diesel Heater

 

[JetEngr19]

Going to revive this thread as I've been staring at aux battery options for days and figured I'd summarize for those looking and ask for help from those that have done it.

Personal Goal for Energy Use (so you understand where I'm coming from):

Weekend warrior style camping/overlanding. Run my aux electronics (rock and camp lights/fridge/phone charging) in camp. Run my fan/heater/fridge overnight. I'm trying to keep full bed access (daily driver + sometimes we camp in the bed). I don't want to have to recharge at home. (I live in an apartment and few things to carry up/downstairs or remember/forget is huge).​

​

My take is this is ~50Ah of usable to make it fool proof. 30Ah might just cut it.​

- My math says this equates to a 100 Ah AGM battery preferred / 60 Ah to just cut it.​

- For Portable / Lithium that would be a 62 Ah or 750 Wh preferred / 450 Wh to just cut it​

Budget Goals: <$1,000. Preferably <$500. (I know, this is tough, but if I could throw money at this it would be easy right? )

Option 1: Find a spot to Mount it and Link a Permanent Dual Battery

Pros:​

- Cool factor​

- More usable Ah and can be better $/Ah​

- No setup/tear down at camp.​

- No charging at home​

- Charges easily off alternator​

​

Cons:​

- More complicated build or more $$ on an electrician.​

- Finding a place for the battery isn't easy.​

​

Notes:​

- I actually love Knight Rangers semi-permanent build idea here: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/dual-battery-setups.10053/post-186867. Only downside is that it takes up some bed space pretty permanently.​

- Options to mount the battery appear to be 1) Under the rear seat, but don't know if you can fit >60Ah AGM battery there. 2) Behind the seat, but that's only for Li batteries which blows the budget 3) Under the carriage "somewhere", but nervous about water splashing up into it 4) In the bed​

Option 2: Portable Battery Pack with 12V input and >30Ah usable

Pros: ​

- Easy to get most functionality out of it (see below)​

​

Cons:​

- Will still require complicated work to connect to hard wired systems and use for rock lights/camp lights/anything connected to Trigger 6​

- Charging becomes a pain. Either VERY slow charge off 12V aux plug, buy solar panels or carry inside.​

- Relatively cheaper, but for higher Ah options, quickly adds up to cost of low end permanent system.​

​

Notes:​

- An insane amount of options out there for portable batteries. It seems you can get ~30Ah (24 Ah) usable for $250 and ~40Ah (32 usable) for $500. Which would just barely hit my needs if I've measured correctly.​

Option 3: Upsize the stock battery and wire everything there with voltage shut-offs

Pros: ​

- Cheap and easy (relatively)​

- Get almost everything of the permanent setup​

​

Cons:​

- Potentially wake up with a dead battery (no fun)​

- Potentially prematurely damage battery (no fun)​

​

Notes: ​

- I have a Trigger 6 Shooter. My plan would be to wire everything through there and use its voltage shut off.​

- If that doesn't seem reliable, buy a ~$60 battery protector and put that between the Trigger 6 and then wire all the auxiliaries through that.​

- Great info on upsizing battery here: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...anger-battery-learn-from-my-experience.13919/​

- Seems you can fit a ~80Ah AGM battery in there. Might need to Forscan the smart battery system to increase it's top charge to 90%, but hey that'd would almost hit my preferred usable energy needs.​

My questions:
- Anybody have similar list of electronics they run and know their energy usage/needs better?
- Anybody install any of these setups and have their own pros/cons? As much context about your own usage would help too.


My plans:
- I think I'm going to buy a ~30Ah battery on Amazon just before my next trip and test it and see how much battery I use. By my calcs, I should kill it/almost kill it in a night.
- Also gives me a chance to see just how slowly they charge off the 12V system built into the truck.

Full Specs (including camping electronics)
- 2019 Ford Ranger XLT FX4
- Eibach Stage 2 Suspension with 2.5" Lift
- 33" Goodrich KO2 A/T tires
- Westin Outlaw Bumper / Pod Lights / Light Bar
- RSI Smart Cap Topper
- 8x Mictuning C2 Rock Lights
- 4x Mictuning C1 Rock Lights (for camp lights on topper)
- LED Bed Lights
- String Lights for Camp
- GoSun Chillest Cooler/Fridge
- Vevor 8k Diesel Heater

This may be a bit out of your budget, but I am running a Renogy 50Ah LiFePo battery installed under the rear seat on the passenger side. I use a Redarc 25 amp DCDC charger that is mounted behind the back seat. Right now I’m only running a fridge and my GMRS radio off of it. But it is pretty easy to expand to add more outlets.

The length of time I can run the fridge without recharging varies with the weather. When it was over 100 degrees for weeks on end, it would only last a little over a day if it was parked. But with temps in the 80s and 90s and it lasts over 2 days. I also use solar to help charge when it is parked. 2 hours of driving will fully charge the battery from dead.

The setup has worked great for me. I decided to leave the fridge in the truck bed pretty much 100% of the time (except when I need to haul stuff). It has been really nice to always have some cold drinks on hand no matter where I go.

 

[SigOris]

Another option, a small Honda generator

 

[Cbarker777]

This may be a bit out of your budget, but I am running a Renogy 50Ah LiFePo battery installed under the rear seat on the passenger side. I use a Redarc 25 amp DCDC charger that is mounted behind the back seat. Right now I’m only running a fridge and my GMRS radio off of it. But it is pretty easy to expand to add more outlets.

The length of time I can run the fridge without recharging varies with the weather. When it was over 100 degrees for weeks on end, it would only last a little over a day if it was parked. But with temps in the 80s and 90s and it lasts over 2 days. I also use solar to help charge when it is parked. 2 hours of driving will fully charge the battery from dead.

The setup has worked great for me. I decided to leave the fridge in the truck bed pretty much 100% of the time (except when I need to haul stuff). It has been really nice to always have some cold drinks on hand no matter where I go.

Can I ask where you are located just country. I ask because I have seen a lot of kits for putting a battery under the seat but they are all over seas and won’t ship the the US. I would love to know how you did it.

 

[JetEngr19]

Can I ask where you are located just country. I ask because I have seen a lot of kits for putting a battery under the seat but they are all over seas and won’t ship the the US. I would love to know how you did it.

I’m in the US. I didn’t use a kit because I couldn’t find anything available. I ended up using a battery strap that I bought off of Amazon.

 

[Cbarker777]

I’m in the US. I didn’t use a kit because I couldn’t find anything available. I ended up using a battery strap that I bought off of Amazon.

Yeah I see lots of Australian products but nothing in the US. There has to be at least a little bit of a market for it.

 

[Brett Fields]

2x 100ah lithium batteries, charged by the redarc 40amp bcdc.
2 nights ago, we ran a 12v video light for hours, a fridge, charged a bunch of electronics, then powered 2 CPAPs over night for me & my buddy. In the morning, I was down to 77 percent.

 

[Brett Fields]

2x 100ah lithium batteries, charged by the redarc 40amp bcdc.
2 nights ago, we ran a 12v video light for hours, a fridge, charged a bunch of electronics, then powered 2 CPAPs over night for me & my buddy. In the morning, I was down to 77 percent.

Two more thoughts here...

First, I only used the two 100Ah batteries cuz I already had them. They take up way too much space. If I was starting starting over, I would use a single 200Ah battery.
Keep in mind, you may not need 200Ah of lithium. I sized my system to run my fridge, my CPAP, and whatever other electronics for a long weekend pluged into an inverter. I'm working hard to get everything running off 12v so I don't have inverter overhead.

Second, I could have used a smaller inverter. I have a 1000 watt pure sign wave unit. With most everything running off 12v, the inverter becomes more of a backup tool for the "Just in case" scenario. With a smaller unit, maybe I could have mounted it more creatively.

FWIW, my CPAP is a Philips Dreamstation with the OEM 12 volt accesory cable. My old machine ran off an 18 volt power supply.

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