Quote Originally Posted by lorrieandjas View Post
Hi everyone - I know there is a lot of posts on the forum on dual battery setups however wanted some opinions. I have GU 8 Patrol and want to fit a second battery - OK easy enough. The setup I am looking for is as follows:

1. Want to have the dual battery be able to be a "crank assist" battery as well
2. Want it to support a Waeco and some small accessories. Thinking about 30Amp hours per day
3. Have a winch fitted so need to keep that in mind
4. Want to be able to easily use solar panels to recharge when stopped
5. Want to fit rear Anderson (easy enough) and internal power sockets for the fridge and bits and pieces

So the questions I have:

1. What size battery is needed - 100Amp hour?
2. How solid is the ARB setup? They are quoting about $2200 for this type if install
3. Any other things I need to keep in mind?

Thanks - and I know some of this is a duplication of previous posts but each setup is different and I have yet to find a one-size-fits-all answer!

Jas
That's because there's not one.

It all depends on what your individual needs are..... how often you go away, how long the vehicle remains un-started for, how long it is driven for while you are away, the size of your solar panels, the load on the second battery, if the battery is mounted under the bonnet or in the rear of the vehicle....etc

Going by what you have posted, you will need at least a start/deep cycle battery mounted under the bonnet.

Connect your winch to your main/cranking battery.

I wouldn't worry about being able to connect solar panels to your dual battery isolator, most are only able to handle small panels anyway (unless you are planing on mounting a smaller panel permanently on your roof). With the larger panels I would just set up an anderson plug that you could plug the panels (and it's own regulator) into when stopped.

If it was me I would go for the ARB battery tray, the RedArc smart solenoid and a start/deep cycle battery.

Make sure the cable/wiring is of suitable size and a fuse/circuit breakers are used.

If you carry jumper leads, you don't need to worry about connecting the switch that links the two batteries for emergency starting.