Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I'm looking at getting a dual battery system fitted to my 80 series Landcruiser and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of where to get it done. I live around the Moorabbin area but I'm happy to travel to get it fitted for a decent price. ARB just quoted me like $700 without the extra battery (I already have a spare) which seems excessive.

Redarc off eBay = ~$100
Cables (Homemade) from Bursons = ~$50
Battery tray from ARB = ~$120
Electrical bits & pieces = ~$30
Battery Free is you have one or depending brand/type = ~$100-$500

Maximum ~$300 without battery purchase + half a day to make cables and install.

Otherwise, if you don't have the time or will power to do it yourself, call BatteryWorld in Wantirna. I know it's not near Moorabin but they are top blokes and they will look after you, not the usual BatteryWorld wankers.

RoldIT wrote:Redarc off eBay = ~$100
Cables (Homemade) from Bursons = ~$50
Battery tray from ARB = ~$120
Electrical bits & pieces = ~$30
Battery Free is you have one or depending brand/type = ~$100-$500

Maximum ~$300 without battery purchase + half a day to make cables and install.

Otherwise, if you don't have the time or will power to do it yourself, call BatteryWorld in Wantirna. Top blokes and they will look after you.

Yep. Cost me $150 plus battery, all up, and a half a day of effort. $300 would be heaps, plus battery of course.

Jason

Yeah, if you were prepared/skill enough to make your own tray, bigger savings again. If you do have to buy a tray, go ARB. Looks factory and very well made. Pirahna trays are the same price and are cheap, nasty POS.

I did my own install and took my time and it is a better job than ANY pro install I have seen yet.

RoldIT wrote:Yeah, if you were prepared/skill enough to make your own tray, bigger savings again. If you do have to buy a tray, go ARB. Looks factory and very well made. Pirahna trays are the same price and are cheap, nasty POS.

I did my own and took my time and it is a better job than ANY pro install I have seen yet.

I made my own tray (for a GQ Patrol), but in retrospect I would have been happy to spend a hundred bucks more on an ARB one. I am happy with the one I made, and it's strong enough, but it was a bit of fiddling around when the ARB ones pretty much just bolt in.

Jason

RoldIT wrote:Redarc off eBay = ~$100
Cables (Homemade) from Bursons = ~$50
Battery tray from ARB = ~$120
Electrical bits & pieces = ~$30
Battery Free is you have one or depending brand/type = ~$100-$500

Maximum ~$300 without battery purchase + half a day to make cables and install.

Otherwise, if you don't have the time or will power to do it yourself, call BatteryWorld in Wantirna. I know it's not near Moorabin but they are top blokes and they will look after you, not the usual BatteryWorld wankers.

And watching Emo's truck burn to the ground because he has not idea what he is doing - priceless
I tried the local Battery World in Mentone but they said that they don't do dual battery fitting. I might give Wantirna a call.

The guys at BatteryWorld Wantirna are 4WDers and they sell the Redarc in kits with cables and fittings. They also do the install too if you like. As stated earlier, good blokes who don't mind a chat and will give you good advice, not BS.

chimpboy wrote:

RoldIT wrote:Yeah, if you were prepared/skill enough to make your own tray, bigger savings again. If you do have to buy a tray, go ARB. Looks factory and very well made. Pirahna trays are the same price and are cheap, nasty POS.

I did my own and took my time and it is a better job than ANY pro install I have seen yet.

I made my own tray (for a GQ Patrol), but in retrospect I would have been happy to spend a hundred bucks more on an ARB one. I am happy with the one I made, and it's strong enough, but it was a bit of fiddling around when the ARB ones pretty much just bolt in.

Jason

I didn't have access to a welder at the time I did mine. The ARB tray is a really neat installation. The advantage of building your own is you can make it bigger to take a battery larger than 12", but your dead right, it would be VERY fiddly.

Emo wrote:I'm looking at getting a dual battery system fitted to my 80 series Landcruiser and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of where to get it done. I live around the Moorabbin area but I'm happy to travel to get it fitted for a decent price. ARB just quoted me like $700 without the extra battery (I already have a spare) which seems excessive.

Procomp would be a good start phone: (03) 9705 6677......Unit 10/9-11 Vesper Drive, Narre Warren. www.procomp.com.au

Battery World Wantirna is looking good. Even better if I buy the Redarc off eBay instead of them. Workshop labour is only charged at $50 per hour and they reckon that a couple of hours should see it all done. All up with Redarc isolator, ARB battery tray and single point in the rear is probably going to be under $400.

Perhaps I'm not careful enough with my money, but unless the saving is considerable I'd spend extra to have the entire system come from the one place, in case the system ever plays up. They can't tell you "it's the Redarc - not our problem." Consider it an "extended warranty."

My 2c.

Scott

my dual batt set up cost 75 dollars! You don't really need a redarc solenoid. A full time solenoid will work just as good. Cost 26 dollars of ebay. Connect main batt to solenoid then solenoid to aux batt. The other two points are the switching points, connect to accessories wire through a separate switch (put in cab) then to solenoid - to earth. Dual batt setup. you can decide when the aux batt gets charged or not. works a treat on mine haven't had any problems. looks good too. don't pay 700 dollars for such an easy job.

dirt-monster wrote:my dual batt set up cost 75 dollars! You don't really need a redarc solenoid. A full time solenoid will work just as good. Cost 26 dollars of ebay. Connect main batt to solenoid then solenoid to aux batt. The other two points are the switching points, connect to accessories wire through a separate switch (put in cab) then to solenoid - to earth. Dual batt setup. you can decide when the aux batt gets charged or not. works a treat on mine haven't had any problems. looks good too. don't pay 700 dollars for such an easy job.

I prefer the automatic charging/isolating operation of the one I've got. It still only cost me about $150 plus battery and I always know that the batteries are charged in the right order.

But even so I agree with you that the cheapest option, the manually controlled solenoid, is worth considering. Depends what you want. Either way, $700 is crazy!

Jason

find ya local auto elec, measure the length of ya 2bns you want,get them to cut and put lugs on. get a solinoid off them,fuse, run it off ignition so that your dual battery is beaing charged while your and driving and disingaged after car is stoped so that u are not using your starting battery for your aux compopnents, u should be able to get an ignition from under ya bonet like your wipers.

Two problems with this setup.

1. If your second battery is deeply discharged it will drag down your starting battery when they're connected - while you're trying to start.

2. If you have trouble starting, and severely discharge your main battery, your alternator will be trying to charge both batteries together - so your starting battery will take much longer to properly recharge.

Use a "smart" solenoid. It's safer in the long run.

Scott

ok fair enough, but i've done many of them and never ever had a problem,

Try Jarrod at Jamax Auto Elec in Mentone 9584 1892

Tell him I sent you

scott
U would be right if the battery is that flat
a push button will solve any starting problem,

Yep - there's always a way around these things. I like the solutions I don't need to think about.

Cheers,

Scott

a way around that is placing a switch on the acvcessories wire so u can turn the solenoid on after you have started the car. that way only the main batt is supplying the charge. once car is going flick switch and then both batts get charged. same way a "smart solenoid" works!

yeah or a push button, that way u wont forget to turn it back on