FJ Cruisers of Northern California

DIrty parts group buy in the Blue room (dual battery kit)

Hello all,

Just wanted to post up that there is a group buy going on for the Dirty parts dual bbattery kit going on in the blue room..

GO here if interested..

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/group-buys/114714-dirty-parts...

This would be a great addition to those of us who got the S-Pod...

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Estysalinas on September 13, 2010 at 7:23am

That is a great deal! If you don't have this kit already it is one of best built and easiest to install out there! The instructions are awesome, and you can tell it is a quality product from the moment you open the box.

I plan on running all my non driving accessories through it and the SPOD (IE - flood lighting on the sides/read, air compressor, fridge....as soon as i get one :-)...etc)

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by manoweb on September 13, 2010 at 10:06am

Can you describe an usage example for this dual-battery kit? Several years ago when I was in Italy and I was driving a Ford Fiesta, I had no money to replace my battery so for a couple of months I went around with no battery at all, just taking care to park on an incline so that I could start the engine.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Estysalinas on September 13, 2010 at 11:38am

There is a lot of discussion about this on the blue room and it really ends up being a personal choice what you feel is the best way to utilize a kit like this.

For me it was really based around accessories and being able to isolate the two batteries. I have one set of accessories that I run while the car is on (lighting, CB, winch, etc) and a set that I would run while the car is off (fridge (which i dont' have yet!), air compressor, flood lighting, etc). So if i drain my aux battery while i am out camping, i can still start my car in the morning.

As an additional benefit you have the ability to jump start your own truck if you are out of juice on your battery. I do a lot of solo trips and this adds a level of comfort, this is even more comforting if you drive an automatic as you can not do a rolling start with an auto tranny.

The beauty of this particular dual battery system is how simple it is to use and how solidly it is built.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ranger Jim on September 13, 2010 at 2:08pm

Another thing you could add to this is a larger inverter, the second batt would be the power source and the inverter could be used for many plug in things that the stock inverter cant handle. Just my 2 cents, thanks for the heads up on this, think I'll take part.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Boss73 on September 13, 2010 at 11:50am

A ,

SO are you runnig your winch with out a second battery ?? Just wondering..

For me a winch is the main reason. Also for all the the reasons Esty Said...

But in the end I think it all comes down to a personal choice.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 13, 2010 at 12:51pm

Generally you should run the winch off the main battery and then if you need extra power you can cut in the second battery.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Estysalinas on September 13, 2010 at 1:02pm

I'm running my winch off of the main battery, if i start running out of juice with he alternator running i hope i'm questioning how i have rigged up the recovery :-P

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Boss73 on September 13, 2010 at 1:05pm

Yes, I just thought that A had already had a second battery installed.. I must be thinking about someone else..

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by manoweb on September 13, 2010 at 1:42pm

No, I do not have a secondary battery... I only have a winch. In the place where most people install the second battery I have a shower pump :)

I do not doubt the fact this is a very good kit but I do not see the need for it. If I had to cross the Sahara desert "solo" I'd consider one, but for occasional winch usage I do not see how it could help; hence my question.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by FJK on September 13, 2010 at 2:04pm

I think one of the main factors is how much will you be going offroad solo. If you're always with a group then a second battery isn't as important. If you're stuck somewhere with a dead battery from accessory drain, recovery, faulty battery etc then having a backup is much more important. Even if it''s not life threatening like out in the desert, it could save you a lot of time and hassle. At least that's what I told myself when I bought this kit.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 13, 2010 at 2:11pm

A second battery is dependent on your needs.

I will be installing a second battery in my rig since I run a ARB refrigerator in my rig 24/7 as well as my HAM radio gear. I am gearing up to install my HF rig soon. I also need to run a CPAP while camping so being able to draw off second battery makes me more comfortable.

I would rather have extra reserve power at hand then not.