LR4 Second Battery Install

[drivesafe]

Hi Greg and nice write-up and pictures.

Looking at battery and bracket, how close is the bracket to the Positive terminal and if you turned it around, would the cables be long enough to reach the reverse terminal positions?

 

[96_993TT]

@drivesafe If memory serves... I think the cable coming from the Traxide box isn't long enough to reach over to the other side. I ended up putting sticky felt on the underside of the bracket to ensure it didn't come in contact with the bracket. A different bracket would probably work better but didn't have the time to track one down so used the one that came from Traxide.

 

[gamh2001]

Yes, why do you need a 2nd battery??

Why do you need a second battery?

What are the benefits of having a 2nd battery? Did the LR engineers get it wrong with one battery?

 

[umbertob]

If you have extra equipment in the car, e.g. a refrigerator, compressor, dash cams, etc., (some of which may require power all the time to operate properly, such as a refrigerator/freezer during multi-day trips) a second, deep cycle battery insures your main cranking one won't be depleted when you need it most - to start the car.

 

[96_993TT]

@gamh2001 umbertob is correct. I installed this to run our ARB refrigerator when we go camping. It will keep the fridge going for at least 4-5 days without starting the truck. We also use it to charge our electronics, such as phones, emergency radios, etc. without having to start the truck. Its especially handy when you find your phone is about to die even around town. Plug it in for an hour (with the truck off) and you're all set. I've used that a lot actually. I have 2 outlets in the very rear of the truck that are powered full time one on each side of the truck. Honestly, once you have the second battery you'll find yourself using it all the time. Lastly, another use we've used it for is to power our Viair aircompressor and X-Jack to change a tire when offroad. Its just peace of mind knowing you're not going to get stranded when out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[drivesafe]

Hi Greg and the bracket supplied is a genuine LR battery bracket but I have sent you a PM.

Hi gamh2001, the auxiliary battery not only allows you to run accessories safely without risking flattening your cranking ( starting ) battery, with the motor off, but if you regularly do lots of short drives, you can eventually end up with a very discharged cranking battery, the Traxide isolators offer assistance in these situations.

With the way the Traxide isolators work, and with an Optima battery as the auxiliary battery, when you do a short drives, while the cranking battery is not fully charged each time you drive, but because the Optima is a very fast charging battery, when you turn your motor off, the Optima then helps to fully charge the cranking battery.

This occurs with the Traxide isolators because, unlike all other isolators, which just turn off at about the same time you turn your motor off, the Traxide isolators keep the cranking and auxiliary batteries connected and this allows the higher charged Optima to slowly back discharge into the lower charged cranking battery.

In as little as week after a Traxide system is installed, depending on how often you drive, the cranking battery will be brought up to a higher state of charge and will remain that way at all times.

This has a number of advantages but the main one is that your cranking battery usually has a much longer life span.

 

[umbertob]

Hi drivesafe, I have a question about your kits. Most of the ones you sell for D4/LR4 include an engine bay mounted battery tray, but "only in Australia." Why is that? It would sound like the ideal solution, placing the aux battery in the engine compartment without moving stuff around - transfer case module and such - in the existing aux battery compartment, like Greg had to do to fit his.... Are engine bays configured differently in Australia, or is it a liability thing?

 

[drivesafe]

Hi umbertob and you got it in one, Australian LR3/4 and RRS do not come with fuel heaters as standard equipment, which is where the battery tray goes, plus the USA versions have an air intake box in the same location.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Australian set up, some LR3/4 will be similar but you need to check your own LR to see which set up can be fitted.

BTW, the last picture is of a new Triple Battery set up for the Discovery 3 and 4, but again, it can only be installed if you have the area in front of the cranking battery free of an equipment and we make our own stainless steel battery tray to go in this location.

The first picture shows the clear area in front of the cranking battery compartment.

The second shows the auxiliary battery in place in front of the cranking battery.

 

[umbertob]

Yeah, our friggin' 5-liter petrol engines have dual air intakes, so no can do. I thought it was going to be awfully tough to fit an extra tray in there, but figured maybe you had a magic wand included in the kit... Thanks for the clarification. So you guys down under only have diesels as well, huh? Is North America the only place in the world still getting petrol engines (and no diesels) for the Disco/LR4? The Middle East, maybe?

 

[mbw]

That sucks, I kinda had it in my head that it was possible to do a dual battery kit on the 5L V8..

crap