Google 'dual battery setup' and look in the images, you will find heaps of wiring diagrams.

I got the dealer to mount a Tekonsha brake controller as part of the deal. It is mounted just above the (foot operated) hand brake. Thought first the location was not that great but in fact it does not interfere with the brake or anything else and it turned out to be a good choice for the mount.

On the topic of Anderson plugs and charging....
I have done a few dual and triple battery systems at work and we always take a very heavy gauge wire direct from the battery and route it under the car to the Anderson plug at the back. Wrap it with protective plastic tubing and it will be a very neat installation.

Depending on need and budget we usually install a simple VSR (voltage sensitive relay) to control charging or a CTEK Dual (DC-DC charger) with or without CTEK Smartpass.

If you have long wires or a pre-existing installation you can't/don't want to change, adding a DC-DC charger will boost the available battery capacity in camper/caravan often by up to 25% simply by making sure the batteries get fully charged to 100%. Note: charging will not necessarily be faster but more complete.

Thanks Patience

Was sort of hoping for some photos of where to mount brake controller and Anderson plug controller on overland GC.
I thought the stowage bin was a bit tight for controller.

PWY
Pity I just went out and purchased a remote redarc style controller, should have stuck with existing Tekonsha controller in regards to where you mounted it.

PWY, with your experience in regard to Anderson Plug (I had a good system with basic redarc controller on my Pajero) do you know much about the BCDC1220 Battery Redarc Controller? I was told that it will charge the battery with available battery voltage including condition charging different types of batteries?

Cheers

Browny

Like many others, I have fitted a Tekonsha p3 in the cubby in front of the console - works really well there and out of the way and door closed when not towing.
First off - the export version does not have a prewired harness - don't bother looking....
The dealer trailer wiring is connected up inside the trim in the LH rear and you will find the harness under the little lift out cubby bin in the bottom LH.
Stacks of information here http://www.jeepgarage.org/showthread.php?t=38575
and probably also on this forum but can't find it at the minute.
I use a Piranha battery isolator and charge our Jeep second battery that runs the Engel via a Sidewinder 30a DC to DC charger.
Plenty of information on this forum about installation of a second battery as well.
good luck
John

Browny,
I have not used the BCDC1220 myself, we usually prefer CTEK. However the BCDC1220 is a good quality DC to DC charger which basically takes any reasonable input voltage and turns it into a proper charge voltage for your second battery. You can think of it as a standard car charger (the type that you plug in to 240V mains power) but instead of getting the power from 240V it will take it from the alternator/primary battery.

Of course there is a bit more to that but it's the same principle.

Charging with a BCDC1220 or a similar unit is pretty much the best you can do to your battery as they do a much better job that the crude way of charging through the alternator. But there is one big gotcha...
The BCDC1220 has a max charging rate of 20A and while this seems to be a lot, it is only 1/4 (or less) of what the alternator can deliver. So charging through a BCDC1220 will take 4 times longer compared to a simple VSR and direct alternator power! This will be an issue if you have high capacity batteries and don't drive long enough to recharge the batteries fully.

If you want faster charging you need to go to the BCDC1240 which gives you 40A output.

Another option is the CTEK Dual (20A output) and add a CTEK Smartpass for 80A output.


The best advise I can give you is to make sure you understand the implications of the different options before you pay big $$. Usually the products work fine and do what the advertising says but often people ignore the parts they don't understand and later are surprised why they do not get the desired result.

That's where my brake controller lives...