Dual Battery question in 2017 Ford F150

[goldeneagle1976]

1st post, did some searching but didn't find exactly what I was looking for...hope to get some help. Looking to run a dual battery setup in my F150. Getting to the point of information overload. I was originally looking to run a smart isolator (something like a Battery Doctor) to be able to charge 2 AGM batteries (starter and then auxiliary to run OBA, lights, etc). Heard that if I disconnect the BMS (Battery Mgmt Sensor) in my truck, it will in a sense revert back to a pre "smart alternator" era and this system will be fine. Is this the case?
The other, albeit much more expensive route, would be to get a Redarc BCDC converter instead of an isolator and at that point not have to deal with disconnecting the BMS in the F150. But, would still have to install an isolator if I want to have the capabilities to jump start from my aux battery.
Any help on this would be appreciated.

 

[DiploStrat]

If you use a B2B you can simply jump around it with a jumper cable or wire in a bypass link controlled with a manual switch or a solenoid. Easy.

 

[OllieChristopher]

As a disclaimer I do not know much about these new vehicle "smart systems" that are linked to your ECU. I would recommend not disconnecting your BMS or anything that might mess with your ECU. Fred's (DiploStrat) idea sounds the simplest and straight forward.

If you want to go fancy with the Redarc I imagine it will work too. And have the advantage of a solar charge controller built in. I almost went with a Redarc myself but I was able to do smart isolator because my trucks charging system is not controlled by the ECU.

 

[goldeneagle1976]

As a disclaimer I do not know much about these new vehicle "smart systems" that are linked to your ECU. I would recommend not disconnecting your BMS or anything that might mess with your ECU. Fred's (DiploStrat) idea sounds the simplest and straight forward.

If you want to go fancy with the Redarc I imagine it will work too. And have the advantage of a solar charge controller built in. I almost went with a Redarc myself but I was able to do smart isolator because my trucks charging system is not controlled by the ECU.

Thanks for the replies so far! I have been reading up and there are evidently a lot of people who have disconnected the BMS from their F150 and have had it like that for years with no mishaps. It sends an error code if you hook it up to diagnose but it does not put up any codes on dash, etc. But, I will most likely still bite the bullet on a Redarc for future expansion into solar, etc. $381 is just a little hard to swallow when an isolator/relay can be had for $100 or so.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

You can unplug the BMS at the battery or turn it off with Forscan. Either way lets you set it up just like any other vehicle on the road.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Curious about where you are going to put the 2nd battery?

 

[goldeneagle1976]

Curious about where you are going to put the 2nd battery?

As of right now, looking under passenger door with a custom mount to frame