Battery box

[pindraak]

Here are pics of the battery box I set up for my Bigfoot 17. I found a plastic box made for boats, designed to fit 2 T-105 batteries, then made this bracket for it out of angle iron and flat bars. It bolts down at the corners, but that alone didn't seem adequately secure for driving or theft, so I welded up a retaining strap out of flat bar and hinges. This was the lightest, most minimal design I could come up with.

I still have to add a lock and bolt the plastic box down and paint the steel bracket. I also think I'll need to block off all the access notches on the box. I'm thinking of folding some innertube rubber over them and securing with pop rivets, or something along those lines.

[Bill K]

Don't forget you need some vents for when the batteries are getting charged.

Bill K

Originally Posted by pindraak

Here are pics of the battery box I set up for my Bigfoot 17. I found a plastic box made for boats, designed to fit 2 T-105 batteries, then made this bracket for it out of angle iron and flat bars. It bolts down at the corners, but that alone didn't seem adequately secure for driving or theft, so I welded up a retaining strap out of flat bar and hinges. This was the lightest, most minimal design I could come up with.

I still have to add a lock and bolt the plastic box down and paint the steel bracket. I also think I'll need to block off all the access notches on the box. I'm thinking of folding some innertube rubber over them and securing with pop rivets, or something along those lines.

[Darwin Maring]

If you have vents where water could get in, B sure to drill a hole in the bottom where the water can drain out. I found this out when I looked at my battery and found it 1/2 full of water. Place the hole where it will not drain on the metal below.

[pindraak]

I thought about leaving them all open and drilling holes in the bottom. The box has little resevoirs built-in down there. However, a bunch of water getting in there doesn't seem like a good idea to me, as it could cause a short. I guess I'll drill drain holes in the bottom and cover the vent notches on the front and sides, leaving the 2 on the back open to let gas out and hopefully not much water in.

[Robert Johans]

Do "sealed" gel-type batteries, like those made by Optima, need venting when being charged?

[mcbrew]

Whew! I can only imagine what your tongue weight must be! I took the battery off the tongue of my Scamp 13 and will be moving it to a vented battery box beneath the rear dinette when I get around to it. I have to redo all the 12 volt wiring. My Scamp doesn't even have any way of charging the battery. Had to remove it, though... as the tongue weight was close to 180 pounds. Too heavy to comfortably tow with my little car.

[pindraak]

My truck is a 4.0l Ford Ranger 4x4 - a mountain goat with a rated towing capacity in the mid-5000 pound range. I'm sure 150 pounds of battery weight can be managed somehow. There will be lots of liquid and metal stored in the back, and I'm thinking of combined trailer dolly/spare wheel storage bracket outside, for starters.

[honda03842]

We own a pair of Trojan 105's that are now 14 years old and still humming along. Our converter has a built in charge wizrds that regular supplies a desulfation cycle. Unlike many people, we keep them powered all year. We regularly add distilled water.

Norm and Ginny