Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser... (Read 687 times) previous topic - next topic

Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

This is a teaser because the project is not quite done. I have taken quite a lot of pictures and will do a fairly thorough write up when it is all finished. I needed to put the other two batteries in so I see exactly how to route the cables for the busbars because room is limited. The cables need to be as short as reasonably possible, able to allow the slide to fully extend without binding or disconnecting the cables, and will all be the same length within an inch or so. Doable I believe, just not easily... Anyway, I got such a thrill out of seeing the extra two batteries effortlessly slide in and out, I just had to post something! ::) Here are a few pics to make it worthwhile...
Don
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #1 –
Don, as usual, looking good. Were are you putting the bars, similar place as mine??
JohnH
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #2 –
Thanks John. Yep. To keep the runs as short as possible, the busbars are going to be on the wall to the right of the batteries. The inverter is right on the other side of that wall. I have some figuring to do on the details, but I have ideas ;D Will post more as I work it it out.
Don
Quote from: John Haygarth –
Don, as usual, looking good. Were are you putting the bars, similar place as mine??
JohnH
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #3 –
Don, if you mount the bars mid centre of batteries you can have the top cables doubled over in a kind of raceway for them (ie above the bars) and the bottom battery cables running below bars. 4 up 4 down. I can see it in my head and run the bars vertical not like mine horizontal??? I also guess using #3 welding cable as that is better for flexibility.
JohnH
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #4 –
That is pretty much how I see it John. I think that vertical orientation of the bus bars gives me the most routing flexibility, but the devil is in the details. I am going to put shunts on the the negative busbar, in effect, using the shunts as isolators for the busbar by mounting the busbar on one side of the four shunts. The shunts will eventually be used to monitor the individual batteries independently of the shunt which monitors the battery bank as a whole. It will involve some programming with an Ardunio set up to scan the batteries one by one to set an alert if one of the batteries is in trouble... at least that is my plan as it now stands. On the positive side, I plan to put mount one end of the positive busbar on the Magnum 400 A class T fuze which isn't really necessary because I have the batteries connected to the inverter through a 250 A DC circuit breaker in the Magnum Mini Panel, but belt and suspenders, eh? Also, adding a Blue Sea HD disconnect switch (600 A continuous rating) that will isolate theater battery bank from the coach. I have the 4-0 tinned marine cable already, not quite as flexible as 3-0 welding, but still very flexible for its girth. We will see if I can pull it off... 8)
Don
Quote from: John Haygarth –
Don, if you mount the bars mid centre of batteries you can have the top cables doubled over in a kind of raceway for them (ie above the bars) and the bottom battery cables running below bars. 4 up 4 down. I can see it in my head and run the bars vertical not like mine horizontal??? I also guess using #3 welding cable as that is better for flexibility.
JohnH
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #5 –
Could someone please tell me where the other 2 batteries are originally located?
Mike and Rocel
'02 U320 4010
Build 5949 MC 17565
'11 Jeep Grand Cherokee Towd
Sun City West, AZ

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #6 –
Not sure what you are asking... the original two battery location is on the lower slide out tray, and the new location for two extras (for a total of four AGM8D batteries), is on the newly fabricated upper slide out tray. Each tray holds two of the 8D 12v AGM batteries in a sideways orientation so that with the trays in, you can only see the outer battery on each tray. In this case, all four are new because best practices dictates that all batteries teamed up into a single bank of batteries should be the same age.
Don
Quote from: mikeshort09 –
Could someone please tell me where the other 2 batteries are originally located?
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #7 –
Quote from: mikeshort09 –
Could someone please tell me where the other 2 batteries are originally located?
I you mean the start batteries, then it depends on the vintage Foretravel.  The unicoaches have the start batteries behind the dual wheels on the passenger side.
Peter & Beth Martin
No Forrest? What have you done?
MC# 15890 until Dec 2016; FMCA #F329677
Cincinnati, OH

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #8 –
Quote from: mikeshort09 –
Could someone please tell me where the other 2 batteries are originally located?

It would help, if you put the year and model of your coach in your signature.
The selected media item is not currently available.Bill&Doris 97 U270 36'
University of Parris Island Class of 66
Semper Fi  Build# 5174 MC#17094

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #9 –
Any consideration for added structural support in light of the additional weight?  pc
S/W Houston 95" U320C SE/40' 
Build #4778  Cummins M11
Repairs & Covered RV Parking (BAO)
PPL is close..
 

Re: Battery Upgrade Project Teaser...

Reply #10 –
Yes. I won't go into much detail, but the weight is well supported. I also beefed up the area when I did my basement/bulkhead repair project. All bolts holding the basement to the partitions are through bolted with ⅜" high strength stainless fasteners (170,000 psi, stronger than grade eight), backed by ¼" thick rectangular washers and serrated grade 9 flange nuts, except for the ¾" thinner partitions that don't go all the way across. These are using new roloks backed by square nuts on the inside of the tubing. Th reason I used roloks for this part rather than regular (much cheaper to buy!) automotive fasteners is that the Roloks taper to a dull point and are threaded to the end. This makes it much easer to start the bolts into the square nuts which I had welded to a piece of stiff wire and placed them over each successive hole. When I had the nut in place over the hole, I was able to start the tapered Rolok into the square nut quite easily, and after tightening, the wire was simply broken off of the nut with a twisting motion. I thought this was my great innovation, but later somebody on this forum told me that it was an old trick! I first drilled the hole before inserting the Rolok to ⅜" of an inch so that the bolt wouldn't try to grab the old threads while I was trying to get it started into the square nut.

The battery slide for the upper tier is supported on three sides while the original lower ones sits on the framing but is through bolted as well backed by nuts and thick washers on the bottom side. Not to mention, it is only the added weight of one extra battery (160 lbs.) compared to the three that came in all 295's and 320's with the same structural design. There are steel supports designed into the framing layout of the partitions at the location where the second tier of batteries are located, even though our coach only had one layer because Foretravel made all three models of coaches with the same overall framiming structure, regardless of the power train or options, though they may have added some gussets or such near the mounting locations of the bigger engines and trannys. So the short answer to your question is Yes, due consideration was given to the increase in weight of the extra batteries. However, in my opinion if the original framing is in good shape, any of the coaches of similar vintage could have four batteries in the that location without any structural issues if properly done because Foretravel built the structure to support three with plenty of safety margin. But that is just my opinion...

Don

Edit: The basement is held to the partitions from the factory with Roloks (same as the bulkhead connection). No doubt strong enough to do the job unless the Rolok or framing is compromised by rust. However, once removed and reinstalled, the threads originally cut by the Roloks on installation, will not be as strong and are fairly easily striped upon reinstalling if they don't go in exactly as they came out. The female threads in the thin walled tubing are not robust enough (too thin... only 18 gauge tubing. Less than 1/16" thick wall) to withstand much torque (my guess is less than the 250 inch pounds recommended for the bulkhead joint). Not only is the tubing less than half as thick walled as the bulkhead joint transverse frame member, the Rolok only has one wall thickness to grip, unlike the bulkhead joint where the rook goes through the ¼" thick angle iron and grips both walls of the 1.5" square transverse tube. This is because the Roloks have have to go through the 1 & ½" square tubing of the basement floor framing before they reach the bottom of the basement partition walls and they are only about three inches long. Too much info? Easy to understand if you have ever seen it taken apart. I hope none of you ever has to see it that way on your coach!

Quote from: pocketchange –
Any consideration for added structural support in light of the additional weight?  pc
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson