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Jim Oaks
Just some guy with a website
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- Joined
- Aug 2, 2000
- Messages
- 15,058
- Age
- 57
- City
- Nocona
- State - Country
- TX - USA
- Other
- 2005 Jaguar XJ8
- Vehicle Year
- 2021
- Vehicle
- Ford Ranger
- Drive
- 4WD
- Engine
- 2.3 EcoBoost
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Total Lift
- 3.5-inches
- Tire Size
- 295/70/17
Remote Lithium Battery / DC to DC Charger
I had thought about sticking a battery in my trucks toolbox to power an air compressor, and now that I have a fridge to go in the bed, it just seemed to make more sense.
I started out with a Universal Battery Mounting Tray. I like this thing because it bolts to the back wall of my toolbox and has side protection. I was able to mount the battery on the shelf where the fire extinguisher was mounted. I also found that I had room to mount the fire extinguisher standing up.
I needed to add a 60-amp circuit breaker close to the main battery and then run the power from there back to the bed. I took some flat stock, bent it, drilled some holes in it, and bolted to an existing bracket on the tray where the fuse box is mounted.
Then bolted my circuit breaker to that.
I shopped around trying to find a battery cable crimper. All the part store had was the kind you stick on a vice and hit with a hammer. Even Harbor Freight didn't have one, so I ended up buying an iCrimp battery lug crimper that came with a cable cutter from Amazon for $34. Money well spent. I also ordered an Anderson 50-amp quick disconnect and a package of terminal connectors that came with heat shrink.
You just dial the teeth to the cable gauge you're using. For this job it's 6-gauge wire.
Cut it, crimped it, added the heat shrink, and installed it. Then I had to make a short cable to go between the circuit breaker and the battery.
I ran the battery cable and a ground cable through the plastic plug in the bulkhead of the bed. They pop out and snap back in. I added a rubber grommet before installing the wire.
The ground goes down to the cab mount bracket on the frame. There's already a hole there. I just had to sand the point off, add a terminal stud to the ground cable, and bolt it down.
I installed a 50-amp Anderson connector so the toolbox could be unplugged and removed if needed.
The battery cable and ground wire go into the Anderson connectors which then connect to a Victron Isolated 30-amp DC to DC charger.
I mounted the charger under the side lip of the toolbox and then ran the wires through rubber grommets into the toolbox to a 100Ah Lifepo4 Lithium Battery. There's another 60-amp circuit breaker (the Victron instructions call for both of these 60-amp fuses / breakers) inside the toolbox that the positive cable goes to and then goes from there to the battery.
I also added a fuse block and a dual 12-volt outlet. I have a small inverter that I can plug into the outlet. The idea behind that is that I can set my Jackery 500 Power Station back here and charge it much faster with a 110V AC inverter than I could from a 12V DC outlet.
I installed (2) SPDT ON-OFF-ON toggle switches. In the photo above they're in the off position.
The one on the left powers the 12V and USB outlets on the front of the toolbox. This is where my fridge plugs in. If the switch is flipped to the left towards the front of the vehicle, the fridge is running off the battery in the front. If the switch is flipped to the rear, the fridge is running off the battery in the rear of the truck. While traveling it will run off of the main truck battery. When I stop to camp for the night, I'll flip the switch and run it off the auxiliary lithium battery. Nothing to unplug. The next day I'll switch back to the main battery and let the lithium battery charge back up while I'm driving. Between this and my Jackery 500 Power Station I should be able to run my fridge for at least a few days without starting my truck.
The other switch is for the LED light strips in the lid and on the front of my toolbox and is wired to work the same way.
My Smittybilt air compressor is wired to the battery as well. There's a 50-amp circuit breaker just off the battery that the compressor is wired to. I know the compressor has a built-in circuit breaker, but I decided to add my own.
Now if I need air, I just open the toolbox and turn it on. No more lugging it to the front of the truck, opening the hood, and having to connect the cables to my battery.
I had thought about sticking a battery in my trucks toolbox to power an air compressor, and now that I have a fridge to go in the bed, it just seemed to make more sense.
I started out with a Universal Battery Mounting Tray. I like this thing because it bolts to the back wall of my toolbox and has side protection. I was able to mount the battery on the shelf where the fire extinguisher was mounted. I also found that I had room to mount the fire extinguisher standing up.
I needed to add a 60-amp circuit breaker close to the main battery and then run the power from there back to the bed. I took some flat stock, bent it, drilled some holes in it, and bolted to an existing bracket on the tray where the fuse box is mounted.
You just dial the teeth to the cable gauge you're using. For this job it's 6-gauge wire.
Cut it, crimped it, added the heat shrink, and installed it. Then I had to make a short cable to go between the circuit breaker and the battery.
I ran the battery cable and a ground cable through the plastic plug in the bulkhead of the bed. They pop out and snap back in. I added a rubber grommet before installing the wire.
I installed a 50-amp Anderson connector so the toolbox could be unplugged and removed if needed.
I also added a fuse block and a dual 12-volt outlet. I have a small inverter that I can plug into the outlet. The idea behind that is that I can set my Jackery 500 Power Station back here and charge it much faster with a 110V AC inverter than I could from a 12V DC outlet.
The one on the left powers the 12V and USB outlets on the front of the toolbox. This is where my fridge plugs in. If the switch is flipped to the left towards the front of the vehicle, the fridge is running off the battery in the front. If the switch is flipped to the rear, the fridge is running off the battery in the rear of the truck. While traveling it will run off of the main truck battery. When I stop to camp for the night, I'll flip the switch and run it off the auxiliary lithium battery. Nothing to unplug. The next day I'll switch back to the main battery and let the lithium battery charge back up while I'm driving. Between this and my Jackery 500 Power Station I should be able to run my fridge for at least a few days without starting my truck.
The other switch is for the LED light strips in the lid and on the front of my toolbox and is wired to work the same way.
My Smittybilt air compressor is wired to the battery as well. There's a 50-amp circuit breaker just off the battery that the compressor is wired to. I know the compressor has a built-in circuit breaker, but I decided to add my own.
Now if I need air, I just open the toolbox and turn it on. No more lugging it to the front of the truck, opening the hood, and having to connect the cables to my battery.
