Second Battery Installed in LR4

[ndrenfro]

A couple months ago i found this site which describes how to clear out the second battery tray under the hood of the LR4.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/102180-clearing-d4-aux-battery-tray.html

That information, paired with the Traxide LR3 plug-and-play kit, gave me the desire to attempt to install a second batter in my LR4.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/verandah/62580-traxide-full-power-cable-kit-d3.html

I contacted Tim at Traxide and he was very helpful in giving me information to help complete this project. He shipped the package from Australia immediately and i had it in my hands in just a few days. I decided to go with the Optima Yellow top as the battery.

I did some of the work myself, but had the majority done at a local LR shop (Old English Cars, http://oldenglishcars.com/index.html). They made the finished product very clean looking. As you can see, we even got the original cover of the second battery tray to fit back on. And the install of the two 12v outlets looks factory done.

Using the instructions from the above sites, the install was pretty straightforward. So now, here is the finished product. I have two full-time power 12v outlets in the cargo area. They have been great so far for trails/camping (using for lights, air pumps, etc). I hope to get a fridge back there in the future.

Just wanted to let you guys know that adding a second battery to the LR4 is possible and i have had no problems with it thus far and it has been running for about 3 months now.

So here are some pics of the final install:

 

[ndrenfro]

Here is the Flickr link to see the whole set.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56173626@N05/sets/72157625319905323/

 

[Count Laszlo]

Very cool, thanks for sharing this technical information!!!

 

[crewcabrob]

That is awesome! Thanks for the great information. I have thought about doing this to my LR4, but I wasn't sure it was possible with all the stuff in the second battery box.

Rob

 

[ndrenfro]

My only worry was about the ECU after removing the black plastic covering. Apparently the LR3 didnt inlcude this plastic cover on the ECU so I thought that it must be ok to have it in the bay without the plastic cover. I have checked several times after driving and found that since I am able to put the cover back on that bay, the temperatures inside the bay do not get very hot. The ECU hasnt felt warm at all in there, so I think it should be fine going forward.

 

[drivesafe]

Thanks for the pictures ndrenfro.

I can see a slight lengthening of the two positive cables going to the battery's positive terminal would make the installation a better finish.

In right hand drive vehicles, we have the positive terminal at the rear of the battery box but from your pictures, the positive terminal would come in contact with the battery bracket.

I’ll add a few centimetres to both cables and this will allow the circuit breaker box to be located to the back of the battery rather than on top, which would make putting the battery compartment cover on, a lot easier.

Thanks again ndrenfro.

 

[ndrenfro]

Drivesafe - a little longer cable from the circuit breaker to the battery would make for a cleaner install. But even with it sitting slightly on top of the battery, the cover to the battery compartment fits on fine. Thanks for a great product!

 

[Land Rover Joe]

ndrenfro,

First, let me thank you for having what I think is the best posting on this (LR4) site. I really appreciate the work you put into the modification and the time to let us all know about it.

Out of curiosity: how is the 2nd battery working? I am considering doing the mod at some point myself, and have a few ideas I will have to hash out later down the road when I go for the gold, so to speak.

The latest design from our Australian friends puts the 2nd battery in the rear; they have a new kit specifically designed for the LR4. Do you think that is a better option than the install you did in the front?

Thanks again-
Joseph *****

 

[ndrenfro]

Joe,
Thanks for the kind words. I still love the set up. I havent had any issues at all. I have been camping several times with it, using the outlets to charge ipads, phones, and connect LED lights, and havent had any issues. I plan on getting a fridge connected to it this summer, so that will be a further test of how it does. I have measured the voltage on the second batetry several times, and it always appears fully charged. From what I have heard from Tim (aka Drivesafe) is that his Traxide system is the best system to take advantage of the LR4's alternator battery charging system. I dont understand all the details, but i know that it works. You can see the discussion at the AULRO forums.

I also saw the second battery systems where the second battery is housed in a container and you can just sit it in the rear of the car whenever you need it. For me, i wanted it hardwired in full time. If i could re-capture the space under the hood, then that is what i wanted to do, and it has worked great. I didnt want to have a battery take up space in the rear when i was going camping and already filling up the cargo area, especially when i have a fridge back there too. Now that its hardwired in, i never think about and know that i always have the battery if i need it.

So i highly recommend the Traxide system.

Hope this helps your furture decisions,

Nathan

 

[Land Rover Joe]

Ndrenfro,

Awesome: thanks.

I like the logic to take back some wasted space under the hood and I agree 100% with a 100% duty, hard-wired, second battery.

As I am thinking about including a couple hard-wired, mounted, power inverters in my install (still dreaming folks!) to run lights, computers, power tools, etc, I am curious as to how your other modifications work out in the future. Really a great idea and looks like great work by you and the folks from Traxide. Please keep us posted.

Thanks again,
Joe