Secondary Battery System and Electrical
This was a fun project that required some planning, though nothing was particularly difficult. I wanted a deep cycle battery system to power camping accessories while the truck is off and also for peace of mind to help start the main battery (though I have a micro starter for that purpose).
I decided to go with a battery system based on the Blue Sea ACR. I didn't really care as much about controlling the system from the cab (though I still can if I want) and also thought it was a cost-effective approach. So far I've been very happy with the system.
First things first -- I installed Slee's primary and secondary battery trays. Only 3/4 of the bolts could be used on the primary tray due to some changes to the fender on the 2016. No big deal -- it's not going anywhere. The secondary battery tray install was a breeze. I went with the Odyssey Group 35 deep cycle battery. It seems like a good battery but I wish it had accessory posts.
Let's run through all the items on the secondary battery circuit:
- Primary Battery via ACR
- ARB Compressor (though will mostly be operated while the truck is on and the batteries are connected)
- ARB 50qt Fridge/Freezer
- HAM Radio
- CB Radio
- Battery Monitor
- Auxiliary 12v Power Outlet in Cargo Area
- Auxiliary USB Power Outlet in Cargo Area
- Roof Lights (Light Bar + Camping Lights on Front and Rear)
- Dashboard Switches
There were also some future items that I wanted to plan for:
- Charge via Solar
- Winch (this would connect to the main battery but I still wanted to take it into consideration)
- Interior Cargo Lighting
Here's what I ended up implementing given the requirements above:
- 0/1 battery cable from the secondary battery to the ACR through an ANL fuse. This cable follows a short path from the battery to the ACR mounted on top of the cruise control fuse block (I think???). The ACR is screwed into the top of the block and secured with a rubber tension strap.
- 0/1 battery cable from the ACR to the primary battery through an ANL fuse. This cable is run along the firewall.
- 0/1 battery cable from the secondary battery (-) to the primary battery along the firewall. I originally had this running along the radiator and decided to move it to the back for safety purposes.
- There is one 60A circuit breaker and one 80A circuit breaker screwed into the fender sheet metal just behind the air filter assembly. 6 awg battery cable runs from the 60A breaker into the cabin through the passenger side firewall grommet. 6 awg cable runs from the 80A breaker to a Blue Sea fuse block on a relay board I built on mounted on top of the driver side fuse panel behind the battery.
- I ran the 6 awg cable from the from cabin to the cargo area through the door jam. In the cargo area, the cable goes into a Blue Sea fuse block where I power the battery monitor, refrigerator, cargo auxiiliary outlets, and the radios. The radios are connected directly to the fuse block, but everything else goes to another Blue Sea fuse block installed as part of the ARB drawer fit kit where I installed a Blue Sea panel with 12v outlet and USB outlets. There's also flush-mount anderson power pole connector for the ARB fridge.
- Knowing I'll likely end up with more gizmos switched from the cabin, I built a relay board that handles six relay circuits. I'm currently using 3 circuits for the air compressor, roof light bar, and roof camping lights. I'm also running 12v/gnd into the cabin for the switches but have considered a fuse block under the dash in the future if needed.
- There's also a fuse block on the roof for roof rack lighting. It's housed in a project box, uses gland connections on each side, and currently has the lights on two circuits: 1.) the front light bar, and 2.) the side and rear camp lights. I ran 10 (or maybe it was 12) awg for the ground and 3 x 14 (or maybe it was 16) awg wires to the roof. The extra wire is there for auxilliary power to run into the RTT for charging devices.
Lessons
- I've yet to hook up the battery control switch that comes with the Blue Sea ACR. I haven't needed it yet though I have made use of the manual switch on the ACR while working on the truck.
- Maybe I went overboard, but I don't regret the decision to put marine grade sheetshrink and the fancy red/black loom over the cables in the engine compartment.
- If you do an excellent job placing the components and measuring, you could consider having Genuine Dealz make your cables.
- I had to route cables under the paneling between the front and second seats as it would not fit through the channel. You can't tell, though.
- It may have made more sense to run signal wires and a single power line to the roof. Meh.
- A hydraulic crimper is a must for the 0/1, 6 awg, and even the 10 awg terminals.
- I'm close to running out of blank switch panels in the cabin. Perhaps I should have gone with a more scalable switching solution? That SPOD thing?
- * I picked up a lot of special tools for this project: ratcheting wire cutter, hydraulic wire crimper, a heat gun (my tiny culinary torch didn't do a good job), a butane-powered soldering iron (there's no power available in my condo garage), anderson power pole crimpers.
- * The National Luna battery monitor in the rear is provides enough information for me. I don't have anything mounted in the cabin.
Sources: Slee (Battery, Battery Trays), Blue Sea (ACR, Fuse Blocks), GenuineDealz (Battery cable, wiring), Amazon (marine grade heat shrink, hydraulic crimper, marine grade spade connectors, other tools), Equipt1 (battery monitor)
Your wiring is elegant and your system is well thought out. Your engine bay is as fun to study as some art.
