I’ve been trying to figure out a way to relocate my batteries and maybe most of the electronics, I spent a fortune on isolator and wire then blue seas blocks and relay boxes to turn this into a full rewire but within a year or so everything is corroded, faded and filthy looking - I want this stuff in the cab. .

It cannot be in the hatch area behind the seats since I have a large tool/storage box back there.

this is what I’ve came up with and I wanted to know if anyone has tried this or could steer me away from it if it’s a bad idea. Questions, comments and concerns please!

I can’t really think of anywhere else to put them that isn’t outside the vehicle and that defeats the purpose.

I want to cut rectangles out of the floor board under the rear seat then slide a metal box deep enough to flush the batteries and weld it in.

I can also work with fiberglass so a custom tray is possible here.

ive measured and I have to go inside the subframe rail and it leaves about 3-4” at the center of the driveshaft tunnel. With a 4.5” lift and 36s the driveshaft is nowhere near the tunnel anyway.

the box only needs to drop 1.5” and I have 3.5” from floor pan down to frame rail so it wouldn’t create any additional drag points really.

you can see a black paint pen mark around the area I want to cut. Also a pic of the half finished tool box so you can see there’s no room back there.

 

That is where mine are going. They were behind the back seat, but I am freeing up that space that had dual batteries and compressor tank. The only drawback is that the batteries are too tall to use the back seat. So the alternative is to drop the floor there a little and put one on each side of the driveshaft tunnel. I have been successful using 0 gauge welding cable now for years. I pulled the molding from the floor area and ran two positive cables under it and then attached the ground to the transfer case and body. Ground for the winch attaches to the engine

 

great minds...

only difference here is I’ll be using a 4/0 main cable front to back, the winch draws 467 amps max and I run it hard.’honestly 4/0 is not enough for that I’m just making due.

oh and my compressor tank is going behind the seat I think.

 

As far as cable size goes, I think you might have some overkill there. I have a warn winch and it pulls more than that. But with dual cables from the back, not a problem. My tank is up inside the fender area above the wheel well. Going to put one on the drive side too

 

nah , you’ve just never used your winch hard enough to pull 400+ amps.

i melted 0 gauge on a hard pull in spots one day.

i don’t like to show boat but I am a certified automotive electrician and residential electrician. 4/0 is not overkill at all. Check out the charts they will tell you.

tanks on the wheel wells inside the hatch area I assume you mean? Would be nice but I don’t have the room there.

think I’m going to go with a 12 gallon skinny tank behind the seats between the seat and tool box.

thanks for the replies though it’s nice to see you had the same idea!

 

I have pulled it down to where it was only moving about 1 foot per minute. But suit yourself. But don't forget if you have two batteries and two cables, that is only 200 amps each minus any assistance from your alternator, which you should upgrade if you are planning on pulling that kind of load more than once.
My cables run under the molding at the kick plate on the door, then through the firewall along the frame rail to a buss I made for the cables to hook together and accept a 4 gauge cable from my 250 amp alternator

 

yes my friend you do have two batteries interconnected but if you did it correct you have 1 cable running the the front of the vehicle.

it you ran 2 then I guess that is fine but I don’t want to run 2 .

i will come off of a blue sea bus bar after my 4/0 with 2 gauge to the winch, starter, alternator.

so 4/0 connecting the batteries and for the battery chassis ground and 4/0 up to the front for hot only.

everything else 2 gauge so it’s really not costing me anymore and will keep things as neat as possible .

to each their own of course and again I appreciate the replies .

 

Good luck with it

 

thanks.

next time you do a hard pull with your winch check your voltage at your battery and then check your voltage at your winch terminal.

you’ll see a massive drop which would explain why your winch moves so slow under heavy load.

just a suggestion, and if you find voltage drop the cure is upping the cable size.

 

Well, at the time I was stuck on a large rock. Pulled the rock too before it got me on top of it. It was a good pull

 

cool. I didn’t mean anything out of the way I’m just a stickler for electrical being right lol.


what works for you , works, I’m just making sure that when I have a full load on my winch it has all it needs to perform and then some even without a ****** block.

hell I may turn them sideways and mount 4 batteries they are so cheap.

again, this 4/0 thing is just personal preference I guess you could say , no harm meant man.

 

Don't size your cables by Internet lore. Most Cherokees out there that have winches or any other serious accessories are driving around with far more copper than they have any reason to.

Find out your current draw, add 10%, and figure out the length you'll be running, then size your cables by looking up a table or an online calculator. Most times it will be a lot less than you think you need.

And by the way, whether you have a winch or a bazillion watts of extra lights or a 10,000 watt alternator, there's no reason to upgrade the starter cable. It has nothing to do with those other things.

 

i have and my winch draws 467 amps at max

hence the need for at the least 4/0 cable if I want it to be able to perform in case I draw max amperage.

it wasn’t internet lore lol as I said I am an auto electrician.

the starter cable is 2 awg

 

That's Internet lore. If you understood electricity you would understand that the factory 6 gauge is fine. 4 gauge is a nice level of overkill. Anything bigger is just a waste of copper that accomplishes nothing.

 

Just to add to the discussion, auto manufacturers use the least amount of copper they can get away with. Hence headlight harness upgrades etc. Here is one link I have found that says he is right

https://www.altestore.com/diy-solar-...lt-dc-systems/