dual battery wiring with series option

[BUDDY]

OK, so I am getting stuff together for my dual battery set up & I have a perko dual battery switch, a 450 amp Blue Seas ACR, two optima red tops & will soon be acquiring the cable & lugs to hook it all together. As well as the battery trays to mount them onto the framerails in front of the spring hangers.

I am also planning on having a ready welder in my tool kit, which requires 24V minimum to use.

Leads to my question -

Can I wire my dual battery setup to also function as a 24V power source by switching my dual battery switch to off & adding a positive to negative cable with cut-off switch inline to activate the 24V & not have to remove the batteries from their trays?

Basically, I'm lazy & would like to wire this in such a way as to function similar to Ryoken's dual battery setup but also have the added functionality of a 24v system for welding purposes. That way, I don't have to remove the batteries in order to weld.

Just flip the perko switch to off, the series connect switch to on & hook up the leads & go.

Is it that simple or am I missing something.

Thanks in advance,
Buddy

 

[ryoken]

yeah, if you turned the perko switch to off, took off a grd, pos off the other and ran a jumper wire, you'd have a series setup... wouldn't even need a switch in there...

or you could always run a series parallel switch and be real lazy....

 

[BUDDY]

or you could always run a series parallel switch and be real lazy....

You mean like this?

And if so, how the hell do you wire this thing into a dual battery system similar to yours?

Thanks in advance!!

Buddy

 

[ryoken]

honestly off the top of my head, I don't know... it's been a few years since I've played with one... we see em sometimes on the diesel boats... Hateras always used em for their Detroits.. but I see em on windlass systems too on occasion....

I'd have to see one installed (or directions for it) and see how they have/want it wired up to see if it could work in my system.. it COULD, at this point tho I wouldn't be sure HOW unless I researched it a bit...

 

[thorguy57]

Here is how it is wired up. Terminal 6 and 7 is the control wire that is usually hooked up the the starter switch but you would have to hook this up to a toggle switch seeing you are not going to be starting your truck with 24 volts. You would still have to retain your original start relay. Battery A 12 V+ is hooked up to Terminal #2. Battery B 12- is hooked up to terminal #1. Terminal #3 gets hooked up through a breaker and then to ground. Terminal #5 gets hooked up to a breaker and then to 12 V+ on Battery B. You shouldn't need anything connected to Terminal #4 as it is used as the control wire to pull in the solenoid on the starter when used as primarily designed. Simple enough?

 

[BUDDY]

So, this would connect the batteries in series & then disconnect them so they are both 12V. Correct?

Thanks for the help!

Later,
Buddy

 

[thorguy57]

That is correct. These were normally used on some older Diesel engines then ran a 24V starting system and a 12 volt electrical system. I really hated working on those stupid things. I think they are a POS. Luckily most everything I have ever seen now just uses a 12V starting system.

 

[BUDDY]

That is correct. These were normally used on some older Diesel engines then ran a 24V starting system and a 12 volt electrical system. I really hated working on those stupid things. I think they are a POS. Luckily most everything I have ever seen now just uses a 12V starting system.

Now, with my limited usage, how do you think this would hold up? I would only use it sparingly because I hope to not be broken on the trail too often. I would obviously want/need to test it out before any trip & then may use it when I'm out, depending on if I'm broke or somebody that i'm with is.

Would you recommend a different way to set this up?

Convenience is a big factor to me, but making sure it works is more important.

Thanks again,
Buddy