Anyone here running a dual battery setup?

[wazzabie]

Anyone here running a dual battery setup?

[kwmech]

I am in my 91 Suburban. I am running an on board air compressor and will eventually have a winch bumper on the front, CB, Scanner, Dash Cam and have the trailer package and plan on towing a 24' trailer

[wazzabie]

Originally Posted by kwmech

I am in my 91 Suburban

Is it a factory setup?

[kwmech]

No, I got the trays from the wrecking yard out of a compatible diesel truck and am wiring it myself with a continuous heavy duty RV solenoid for charging.

[78 Big10 454]

I have a factory dual battery set-up. It is wired in parallel. Aux battery is wired positive to main battery positive. Main battery negative is grounded to engine block. Aux battery negative is grounded to the frame.

[wazzabie]

Originally Posted by 78 Big10 454

I have a factory dual battery set-up. It is wired in parallel. Aux battery is wired positive to main battery positive. Main battery negative is grounded to engine block. Aux battery negative is grounded to the frame.

So from your main battery positive there are two red positive wires. I wonder what the dual cable looks like from the factory. Does your setup use the stock positive battery cable that came with all squarebodies?

[GM72K10]

My K30 Diesel Dump has a factory dual set up. ALL of the CUCVs were dual battery also,

[Dead Parrot]

As mentioned, the CUCVs came with a dual battery setup. Two batteries in series to give a 24V starting circuit. Almost everything else kept the 12V setup normal on civilian trucks. Both batteries were on the passenger side.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by wazzabie

Is it a factory setup?

Factory set up RPO TP2 was not available on Suburban.

Be advised there are two kinds of 12V dual battery setups:

The diesels got two batteries (standard) but they are wired together to help with starting.

The optional TP2 setup has one primary battery, and an isolated secondary battery for campers, or running pumps or a winch or whatever, without running down the primary battery.

You'll need to decide which direction you want to go.

The third type would be 24V, which was CUCV only.

K

[Corts60]

Easy way to remember: series doubles voltage/amperage stays the same
and parallel doubles amperage/voltage stays the same.

My ‘78 factory diesel had two battery set up in parallel for the extra cranking amps needed to turn over a 22:1 diesel. The early diesels had to crank at like 750rpm or they wouldn’t start.

[SilverMiner]

wazzabie - are you mostly concerned with factory dual-battery setups, or are you also interested in an aftermarket option?

I've been using the Hellroaring system in multiple vehicles over many, many years and I can't say enough good things about it. It is not the cheapest option but I've found it to be extremely reliable and easy to install. You could build a less expensive system using a Cole-Hersee relay, but the solid state system with install kit has been worth it to me.

I purchased an aftermarket battery tray rather than hunting for something from a diesel or similar in the junkyard and it went in without trouble. The Hellroaring system provides me with peace of mind when I park a rig in the boonies and then don't return for many hours or even sometimes days. The auxiliary battery is being charged while driving but becomes fully isolated by the solid state diode when the engine is off. It is a great comfort to know the engine will turn over when it counts.

[wazzabie]

Originally Posted by SilverMiner

wazzabie - are you mostly concerned with factory dual-battery setups, or are you also interested in an aftermarket option?

I've been using the Hellroaring system in multiple vehicles over many, many years and I can't say enough good things about it. It is not the cheapest option but I've found it to be extremely reliable and easy to install. You could build a less expensive system using a Cole-Hersee relay, but the solid state system with install kit has been worth it to me.

I purchased an aftermarket battery tray rather than hunting for something from a diesel or similar in the junkyard and it went in without trouble. The Hellroaring system provides me with peace of mind when I park a rig in the boonies and then don't return for many hours or even sometimes days. The auxiliary battery is being charged while driving but becomes fully isolated by the solid state diode when the engine is off. It is a great comfort to know the engine will turn over when it counts.

I'm installing a winch and also want an auxiliary battery in case my main battery goes bad. I'm not sure what is the best setup yet. I would like to use the factory battery cables and make it stock looking as much as possible.

[SilverMiner]

Originally Posted by wazzabie

I'm installing a winch and also want an auxiliary battery in case my main battery goes bad. I'm not sure what is the best setup yet. I would like to use the factory battery cables and make it stock looking as much as possible.

If you are looking for peace of mind when using heavy draw auxiliary items like a winch, which was my goal as well, I can definitely recommend the Hellroaring system. The other benefit is that it is possible to gang both batteries using the Hellroaring switch in case the main battery gets weak or it is extremely cold out and you want to take advantage of both batteries for cranking.

I have no experience with factory GM setups, but it was easy to discretely place the solid state box along the radiator support in a way that was hidden and could resembles a factory dual battery setup.

[SilverMiner]

The Hellroaring configuration I've used in all my vehicles (even the one without a winch but had a KICKIN stereo - over that now) is the BIC-95300B

Do check out their full web site, lots of good info and diagrams there.

[Corts60]

Maybe this could be an option for you:
https://www.bluesea.com/products/761...12_24V_DC_120A

We use these in the boat world all the time. This unit will ensure you charge both batteries, but we’ll keep them isolated so you don’t accidentally kill your start battery when using the winch battery.