[Mike]

I've got a 110amp alternator in my sierra and i'm not really getting the benefits of it because i'm using a standard sized battery
what i was wondering was what are my options for running more than one battery?
i've got a few similar batteries that are still in good nick so i don't want to go out and just buy a bigger battery
i don't want some space shuttle computer system thing i just want something cheap and simple and easy to use

Cheers
Mike

[royce]

you only need more batteries if you want to power more shit with teh engine off
you only more alternator if you want to power more shit that the old one could make

battery type depends on what you want to power and for how long, jsut having another battery in there for the sake of it is a waste of petrol

[Mike]

i have lots of electrical bits and pieces and i don't want my battery the second i turn the engine off
also a bit of occasional winching might require a bit more power

[royce]

stick a cranking style battery in and hook everything to it, jsut dont use it with things that will run it flat all the time

[Mike]

i'm just concerned that a winch and some spotlights will flatten my battery too quickly

[royce]

when do you winch and run lights with the engine off?

[Mike]

not very often haha but at idle it doesn't charge very well so a bit of extra battery capacity would be nice

[Rockhopper]

Mike wrote:

not very often haha but at idle it doesn't charge very well so a bit of extra battery capacity would be nice

Should be charging at least 13.4V @ idle. If it's not, check the fanbelt tension, and if that ok, replace the alternator.

[hardknocks]

If your looking for back up power, to save money if you have electical stuff lying around. In my old zook I linked two batteries together with a switch to isolate the second battery when driving, and would switch second on to recharge when needed just mount on the other side on engine bay.




Great for camping never worry about going flat one for car and one for invertor . But might save you few bucks if you have everything already

[jimbo_jones]

I fitted mine here fits a full size truck battery to run my fridge easy

[Built4thrashing]

just be carefull how close the battery sits to the exhaust. Id put in a heat shield if running such a big battery.

B4T

[Mike]

how do i wire two batteries up? i either want to chage two similar batteries (both have the same cca rating) at the same time or i want to switch between 2 different batteries

[TZAR]

boat dual battery switch

They might coat a bit more but will switch between batteries and you can run either both or none all with the flick of a switch.

Imagine being able to turn on both for starting on this cold "I wish I was still in bed with my sister" tasmanian mornings or turning them both off as a theif deterant.

[BAZZOOK]

CHECK SHEP'S LINK AT REPCO. YOU LOCAL MIGHT HAVE CHEAP DUAL BATTERY KIT. THESE ARE WORTH ABOUT $130.00
http://www.repcotrade.com.au/index.cfm? ... DB22B269C1

TRAVEL & TOURING POWERB 640402 WINCH- ELECTRIC HAND(USE GBW2000) $94.50 1 view
TRAVEL & TOURING MATSON MA98500 BATTERY-DUAL KIT (USE DBC100K) $62.40 1 view
TRAVEL & TOURING EVEREA E250A TORCH-BRIGHT LIGHT $2.50 6 view
TRAVEL & TOURING THULE BA 970-3AP ADAPTOR-BA 970-3 TOWBAR BIKE CARR $5.50 1

[CairnsZook]

royce wrote:

you only need more batteries if you want to power more shit with the engine off
you only more alternator if you want to power more shit that the old one could make

battery type depends on what you want to power and for how long, just having another battery in there for the sake of it is a waste of petrol

So Royce, with a 110Amp alternator, would I even need to upgrade the battery to run a winch? I've only got the pissy little stock battery in there at the moment.

I'm thinking it would be a good idea anyway. I've got stereo, spotties, GPS, UHF, compressor and will have a winch. Some are used when the car isn't running (obviously the winch and spotties are not)

My car is also not run for extended periods quite regularly - 6 weeks or more. Would a sealed battery hold a charge better here? Like an optima or something?

[royce]

Winch will use more than the alternator can put out so a bigger battery would be useful

optima could be better, do you park near power? normal wet batteries with a Ctek charger might be cheaper and more flexible

[CairnsZook]

Yes I do park near power.
I have a cheap battery tender from Supercrap for my motorcycle. I could use this for the Zook, but I am paranoid about leaving it hooked up for 6 weeks while I am away. If I was at home to check on it every couple of days or so, I wouldn't mind.

I usually put the bike on charge the night I get home, so it's right to go the next day.

So far, the little stock battery in the Zook has held up well, but as I add more electrical stuff obviously it's getting more of a work out.

[buzbox]

My old boy's Rodeo has a winch and spotties, but only a cheap 270cca S57 battery and seems to do just fine. In the commo that I recently sold, I could watch 2 DVD's with sub and amp going, and a spotlight (camping) for about 1 hour, again with a cheap S57 battery and still be able to start the car in the morning, I don't plan on running a fridge all night, So I was thinking of just putting in a larger decent quality battery. Other than keeping a set of jumper leads handy, It's cheaper than forking out for a dual battery kit + another battery.

BTW, the PULSE batteries available at Autobarns are quite good and very reasonably priced against Optima, I had one in my race car that use to sit for months without being started and it always worked.