NR's 2007 Toyota Sequoia - Soy-Quoia Build

AaronK

Explorer
You might want to consider running a single Group 31 with the 100W solar panel. That should keep a fridge running almost indefinitely. I spent a lot of money and time assembling a dual battery setup on my 100, and unless you plan on staying parked for long periods of time during your trips I don't feel it is worth it.
I agree with fireball. In hindsight,I wish I had done a single group 31 instead of dual 24s.

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nrlarson0107

New member
I agree with fireball. In hindsight,I wish I had done a single group 31 instead of dual 24s.

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I like the idea of having redundancy with dual batteries and I already have them. That being said, I also have a group 31 blue top gathering dust... I may look into relocating the second battery to the passenger side with the yellow top in the factory location..
 

fireball

Explorer
Why do you need dual batteries? What is a dual battery system composed of smaller batteries going to give you or do for you that a single larger battery with a solar panel can't?

Note that I am not being rude, rather asking your reasoning because based on my experience it is easy to drink the "dual battery" expo Cool aid but in practice very few folks actually need the added weight expense and complexity.
 

XPLORx4

Adventurer
Why do you need dual batteries? What is a dual battery system composed of smaller batteries going to give you or do for you that a single larger battery with a solar panel can't?

It gives you the ability to start your rig if the main battery is drained because it doesn't receive enough charge current from the solar panel. Solar panels are only effective if they get sunlight. Not every campsite parking spot you'll get will be in full sun. Many of the sites I camp at are partially shaded. That being said, I don't have dual batteries [yet] in my Sequoia. I do carry a LiPo jump starter in the truck for emergency use, though. My other rig (which has only a 3.3L V6) has a group 34 main battery, and my second battery is an Odyssey PC680 for emergency starting only.
 

nrlarson0107

New member
It gives you the ability to start your rig if the main battery is drained because it doesn't receive enough charge current from the solar panel. Solar panels are only effective if they get sunlight. Not every campsite parking spot you'll get will be in full sun. Many of the sites I camp at are partially shaded.

This is exactly right. I am not wiring any additional electronics to the chassis battery. Everything additional will pull off the Aux battery. It's another one of those arguments that can go around and around. There are pros and cons of either argument. Two of the major arguments against dual batteries are cost and space. I already have 90% of what I need to wire in the aux battery and the batteries themselves. The solar panel will come down the road, but that is a fairly low priority at this point. Perhaps it will rise on the list after we upgrade from our pelican cooler. Bottom line, everyone has some sort of "cool-aid"... If installing dual batteries for a very low out of pocket expense is the worst "cool-aid" I drink, I'm doing pretty well! Haha! Oh man, quality vehicle build cost so much money but are so worth the cost!
 

fireball

Explorer
Fair enough, but my point is that a Grp31 battery on its own will power everything including a fridge for 2 days minimum. So unless you are doing trips where you are parked for long periods at a time, a single grp31 would serve most people very well. Add the solar panel to that, and even if not in full sun you add time to your ability to stay stationary. The jump pack you mention above is a really nice inexpensive backup.

The dual battery setup has become this ubiquitous over-landing setup that all the new folks jump right into one without considering their needs. I'm just here to encourage folks to think about the kind of trips they do before deciding that the added weight, expense and complexity of a dual battery setup is a "necessity" to go camping.

I'll stop muddling up your build thread now!
 

Retired Tanker

Explorer
Fair enough, but my point is that a Grp31 battery on its own will power everything including a fridge for 2 days minimum. So unless you are doing trips where you are parked for long periods at a time, a single grp31 would serve most people very well. Add the solar panel to that, and even if not in full sun you add time to your ability to stay stationary.


Maybe. But I've come out to the garage to find that leaving the tailgate ajar and the domelights on have depleted the battery to below the charge needed to start the engine. I don't want to encounter that when I'm camping.

We camp in the forest. It's not triple canopy jungle, but it's certainly not optimum for solar power.
 

nrlarson0107

New member
Fair enough, but my point is that a Grp31 battery on its own will power everything including a fridge for 2 days minimum. So unless you are doing trips where you are parked for long periods at a time, a single grp31 would serve most people very well. Add the solar panel to that, and even if not in full sun you add time to your ability to stay stationary. The jump pack you mention above is a really nice inexpensive backup.

The dual battery setup has become this ubiquitous over-landing setup that all the new folks jump right into one without considering their needs. I'm just here to encourage folks to think about the kind of trips they do before deciding that the added weight, expense and complexity of a dual battery setup is a "necessity" to go camping.

I'll stop muddling up your build thread now!

This is not my first build and, being I have been wheeling off and on for about 20 years, I would not consider myself "new folks". I understand you are trying to "encourage" but continually questioning my build an encouragement. I agree, most people do not NEED dual batteries. Nor do then NEED lockers, a winch, roof lights, or an on board refrigerator. We have all these items for convenience, and to be better prepared for the unknown. I live in Minnesota, do a lot of camping in the woods, mountains out west, and yes, the vehicle can be sitting for upwards of 10 days. At an additional cost of under $50 total, I will add dual batteries and know I have the additional capacity. When rolling through Moab, I won't need it. While sitting in deer camp in early November, using the roof lights every evening, and likely not driving the vehicle during the entire trip, I will be glad I have it.

My assessment of my current needs, future plans, and low dollar impact makes the install an easy choice. You do not have to agree but that is the route I am going. Thanks for respecting my decision.
 

lathamb

Observer
I installed a second battery in my 4Runner simply for peace of mind. I have an Die Hard Platinum gp 31 as the main battery, and a Deka intimidator gp 34 as the backup. The backup battery is just that, there for emergency only. I followed this link for the install: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ke-a-cheap-isolated-dual-battery-setup-for-50 . I can't be happier with the result. I enjoy figuring out and installing my own stuff, and even as a semi-novice the install took me about 4 hours once i got the parts together. The main expense by far was the batteries, the other "dual battery system" components were quite cheap. I've been running it for almost two years with no issues.
 

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