Have been thinking of installing a battery, in the back, making it a dual setup. I'll be housing a winch in the rear and an inverter. Though it would make a good setup instead of buying the dual setup under the hood.

Thinking about getting a sealed battery box and some long cables. Then the dual battery hookups. I would like to mount it in the rear about an inch off the speaker.

Thoughts?

 

I'm sure you could do this my only thoughts are , you would loose a lot of cargo area in back ( not like 2 doors have a lot to start with ) and saftey , even with a sealed battery box I don't think I'd like the battery in cab with me. Maybe if you went to an aftermarket muffler you could sink a sealed box into the rear floor , saw somewhere on forum someone did this for storage . just my thoughts

 

I gave up on the storage issue when I had my first kid and had to install the rear seat again. I'm not seeing any safety concerns. The sealed box has a tube I would vent out of the cab. The box would be bolted down.
Some others say that if you have the batteries under the hood there's issues with changing plugs.

 

You will need a sealed battery such as AGM etc. You can fit about a 60ah one under the passanger seat, or a larger one in one of those storage tubs from JeepSwag,
http://www.jeepswag.com/jeep_jk_stor...ment/index.htm

Some guys have installed several smaller 20ah batteries in series under the seats. Instead of using large battery cables and battery isolators, you can now use DC-DC charges that work more efficiently and fully charge the 2nd battery. Works out about the same cost if you are atarting from scratch. (I removed my battery, isolator, fuses, and cable from my previous car so just used them)
http://redarc.com.au/products-and-se...attery-charger

Can also install the battery above the rear guard.

 

I use my portable winch set up - maybe once a month, and here's how I use mine. I usually keep one end of my cables 'always connected' to the electrical-box that's on the winch (via wing nuts)...and I always keep the separate battery that's needed, in a battery box. (The box has handles on it so it's very easy to pick-up/move etc.)

Takes me less than 2 minutes to get it all ready: Pull everything out of the back; Install into Hitch; Connect 'other end' of Cables, To Battery; Set the battery box under JK bumper, then begin using the hand held device. Best thing is - when I'm done, I take it out of the JK's back end and put in storage. For me, it works... and I just try and use this concept: "K I S S - {Keep It Simple "Smarty or / Stupid "}

I'm sure what I have here - is 'nothing new' to anyone that's ever used their portable unit. Just thought I'd offer this to you for your evaluation. Good Luck - I'm sure you will find a way to make it look /& work, mighty fine !!

 

Nice and simple
Thanks for the input!

 

Coming from the Mustang world I have done this. In my old Mustang of course, but it should be the same for a Jeep. Look at the Taylor aluminum battery boxes. They are very nice. I ran one in my 96 cobra for years. You get a very nice box that is bolted to the floor with a removable lid and sides, the hold down, two grommets for the holes in the side of the box, and a hose to vent out the gasses that would build up in the box. With this box, you would have no safety concern. It is allowed in all drag race sanctions which says a lot. They did require a rear kill switch with this setup though. The kill switch is more for having a battery in the cabin with the driver. I wouldn't have any probelm running this setup with my child in the Jeep. Good luck. Here is a link for a Taylor battery box. [url w.summitracing.com/parts/TAY-48100/?rtype=10[/url]

 

Should have mentioned:
Obviously, using your winch this way (being portable) ..eliminates contributing to any future "SAG" in the rear...and ..."gives you back" even more room that you would have certainly lost - if you were to add a battery, permanetly.

ABTW:
I still laugh everytime I recall how you got your 'Username'. The image of One going Backwards AND Up a hill, quickly ( in 4 LO) ...Remains!!! : CHERRS, bro!

 

That's some funny stuff! Forgot I told that. There was alot of fun those days. The friend who was with me had to get a Jeep after that. He got a CJ5.
That area was kinda off limits and when we were done goofing off the neibor across the street from that area came running out yelling at us. I started to haul ass but couldn't. It topped out at 25 in low. I had to jump out, unlock the hubs, then drive backwards a little. By this time the guy was real close to us. He said "pull your Jeep in my driveway". I was thinking he'd be calling the Police. The jeep was dripping with mud and large chunks of earth was falling off it in his nice driveway.
I told him we were just playing and promise to not come back. He said "no way, that was the most fun I ever had watching you guys flying backwards and having a blast. Let me show you something." he takes us to his shop and has a full blown rock crawler! It was a new TJ also, on 40's. That was big in those days. 35's at the time were huge.
My buddie never wanted a Jeep more! He had to have one.

You can barely see my CJ in the background. That's my buddy and his first trip out.


Here's my old CJ.


Thanks for the laugh!

 

WOW -That story is getting even better than before, bro! Now I gotta have this in my mind, too ??? Geeez-Your Stories get better-n-funnier every time you post! Love 'Em !!

Hey - Your budies' jeep doors - They look like they're made out of plywood! What did your friend do..copy the 'blueprints' from our "brother" -(Think he was from Canada) - who had made some 'Ply Doors' for his JK ?? Remember reading about that post awhile back about the JKer who did this ?? Anyway, maybe your friend should take some close up pixs and mail 'em to him, to get his, Critiqued, Right ? Nahhh! Probably just the lighting making them look like " Ply-Wd-Drs".
So: 2 s for you, my friend. You've earned 'em!