karlos_1984
Member
Hi guys, I know there's countless threads about dual battery setups on here, most of which I've read. But I wanted to post anyway as I want to be sure that the wiring etc in the 550 will be any different or not to the rest of the setups that have been talked about.
So I've got a 100ah deep cycle battery in one of the portable boxes that I use to run my fridge when I go camping. Currently, I just power the fridge off the ciggie plug in the console while I'm driving. (Fridge is on a shelf in the back of the cab)
Ideally, I want to have my battery box in the tub and hooked up to charge while driving. If possible, I want to re-wire the cig plug in the console to run off the battery box, so if I pull up and stop overnight somewhere, I can leave the fridge secured inside the ute and still have power to it, so I dont have to move the battery box out of the tub and into the cab.
From what I've read, it sounds like I'll have to go with a BCDC charger instead of an isolator. However, is the alternator in the 550 the same as the other models in that you can undo the green wire on the negative battery terminal so it doesn't cut out once the main battery is fully charged when driving?
I'm not really handy with the electrical side of things so I'm trying to get my head around it first. Obviously cost is a factor in the way I go, and i'd like to have a go at installing it myself to save on labour costs. If the smart alternator can be disabled then I'm assuming an isolator could potentially do the job for a bit of a cheaper setup. Is this right?
If anyone else has a 550 they've hooked up with a 2nd battery, and can share their setups to give me a bit of an idea, that'd be great. Cheers.
So I've got a 100ah deep cycle battery in one of the portable boxes that I use to run my fridge when I go camping. Currently, I just power the fridge off the ciggie plug in the console while I'm driving. (Fridge is on a shelf in the back of the cab)
Ideally, I want to have my battery box in the tub and hooked up to charge while driving. If possible, I want to re-wire the cig plug in the console to run off the battery box, so if I pull up and stop overnight somewhere, I can leave the fridge secured inside the ute and still have power to it, so I dont have to move the battery box out of the tub and into the cab.
From what I've read, it sounds like I'll have to go with a BCDC charger instead of an isolator. However, is the alternator in the 550 the same as the other models in that you can undo the green wire on the negative battery terminal so it doesn't cut out once the main battery is fully charged when driving?
I'm not really handy with the electrical side of things so I'm trying to get my head around it first. Obviously cost is a factor in the way I go, and i'd like to have a go at installing it myself to save on labour costs. If the smart alternator can be disabled then I'm assuming an isolator could potentially do the job for a bit of a cheaper setup. Is this right?
If anyone else has a 550 they've hooked up with a 2nd battery, and can share their setups to give me a bit of an idea, that'd be great. Cheers.
