Second battery in a Ducato

[Yorkshire Puds]

Hi all,

I went down to Vanbitz last weekend to have the security systems fitted, along with a splash of solar (200w) to keep the Batteries topped up whilst in storage.

I wanted an extra battery adding too, but the lad who was doing it (I never did get his name) said it was too difficult a job to do as the leisure battery is under the passenger seat on the Ducato, and would need to be booked back in as it’s a minimum 6 hour job, and even more if I changed batteries to LI.

I’d have gladly paid for a couple of LI whilst there for the weekend, but alas they didn’t have the time to sort me out.

That being said, I would like to add another battery to get the best out of the solar in the short term. Probably just another cheap one, or matching pair for now, until I can get a chance to get back down to Taunton for the LI set up And maybe a splash more solar adding.

So my question is, has anyone on here added a second leisure battery under the Ducato passenger seat? Is it a simple enough but time consuming job to do myself in the meantime ? and is it a straight forward seat off, bolt live to live, neg to neg with appropriate cabling And seat back on?

thanks guys.

 

[buntyb]

Does this help

 

[Yorkshire Puds]

Does this help

Thanks for that. Some good basic info.
It looks like there is more room under the ford seats though compared to the Ducato.
if anyone has added a second one in their Ducato I’d be happy to hear your thought.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

I will watch this thread with interest as I am also looking to add a second battery to our Fiat Ducato based Hymercar PVC. We have the captain's chairs swivel seats but for us the battery is under the driver's seat. I did have a look at removing the screws on the swivel mechanism but they are touqued up real tight and I was defeated. They could be a safety concern here if the fixings failed in the crash. There are also the concerns for disturbing some of the wiring. I'm not sure if there is an airbag involved but I think there is the seat belt crash tensioner and I wouldn't want to set that off. I usually find that as I have to find my way these jobs are quite a bit bigger than first thought.

 

[pappajohn]

It doesn't have to go under the seat. If you have a cupboard or couch behind the seat it could go there with suitable size wiring and a couple of fuses

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[andy63]

I cant help with the ducato but I have done the job on a couple of transits and the issues will be similar..
Your battery choice is limited by the size available in the plinth..the seats are a rather heavy and difficult things to be removing so decent maintenance free batteries help rather than flooded..to limit the number of times you have to check them.. i used gel on the last job..and intend replacing with lithium
You will have to make sure they are both well secured as the terminals and wiring are close to the metal plinth.. more so if a second battery is added...
the terminals and connectors will want covering , and on both my installs I finished them off by cutting a rubber mat to cover the battery tops..
On the transit I just modified the securing plate for the single battery to suit both batteries but you may well have to make something up..vital they are secure given the small space and metal surrounds..
Not a hard job if you have the time..
Andy..

 

[klaatu]

I added a second identical battery (Varta LA95} under the seat, it was straightforward, but the swivel seat is heavy. I don’t remember it taking anything near 6 hours.

 

[Minxy]

The Fiat based Globecar campers we had were able to have 2 batteries under the driver seat without an issue (the passenger seat had all the other electric gubbings underneath) so I can't see any reason why you couldn't put 2 under your seat, it may mean moving/modifying the securing brackets for the existing battery but that shouldn't be a problem and it certainly shouldn't take 6 hours!

As mentioned the seat will be heavy so make sure you have a clear place to put it when you remove it and take off the side plastic covers from the base first as they are likely to get scratched/marked/chipped (that's what the idiots did when they installed batteries in one of our Globecars as they must've rested the seat runners on them!)

 

[Kannon Fodda]

It’s not necessarily how long needed to do a job but if they had labour available that day given whatever they had expected to do on your MH and others booked in. Also whether they had the kit in stock - my li upgrade is delayed to mid Aug as Sterling battery wasn’t available. You may also need other kit changed for li compatibly as your charger might not do the right profile.

 

[Yorkshire Puds]

Cheers guys.
I reckon I’ll just bite the bullet and upgrade to LI and a bit more solar to get the job done all in one go.

can any recommend anyone in the Yorkshire region who sell / install the equipment. ? I reckon Vanbitz will still be too busy to accommodate for a good while.

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[Mickey1]

I’ve just had a second battery fitted , they did it on my drive while doing a habitation check, I don’t know about other vans, but all benimars from marquis already have the wiring under the drivers seat ready to fit a second battery if required, it took an hour to fit a second battery.

Mickey.

 

[Yorkshire Puds]

Is yours on the Fiat Ducato Mickey?

 

[Howard H]

Had it done at Vanbitz ,the fitter said it was all ready prewired for a second battery not a big job but needed 2 people to lift the seat out . Six hours seems a long time

 

[44658]

Hi,
Replaced 2 batteries a week ago, both under the seat, and took about 1 hour. Don't forget the extra live and earth strap, you'll need
First thing, disconnect the seat alarm wiring.
Remove the seat frame first, then the swivel base frame. So that splits the weight 12.5 KG a piece. You'll need a 13mm open spanner, maybe 13mm ratchet spanner and a 13 mm Socket with 4'-6" extension. Swivel the seat to get best access. Also don't tighten fully until all bolts are in, as some get offset, and then have to loosen the frame to get the last bugger in.The bolts are in 2 sizes, write down or marker pen the long bolt holes from the shorter bolt holes. All to do with the sliding part of the seat.
Finally if you have someone strong, to help with the actual weight, as you are well bent over and in an awkward angle. My son was inside, facing the windscreen, and we did the bolts together and then I assisted him and pulling the seat back into the interior. Well that was really easy, but have done it on my own. But to be safer, find a helping hand. Very last thing, use a mat or bit of carpet to rest the frame on, prevents metal marking the venial. Good luck, sounds a lot, but real easy and six hours is taking the proverbial. In and out in 1 hour. Let us know how you got on.

 

[Mickey1]

Is yours on the Fiat Ducato Mickey?

Yes, Fiat Ducato

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[Yorkshire Puds]

Hi,
Replaced 2 batteries a week ago, both under the seat, and took about 1 hour. Don't forget the extra live and earth strap, you'll need
First thing, disconnect the seat alarm wiring.
Remove the seat frame first, then the swivel base frame. So that splits the weight 12.5 KG a piece. You'll need a 13mm open spanner, maybe 13mm ratchet spanner and a 13 mm Socket with 4'-6" extension. Swivel the seat to get best access. Also don't tighten fully until all bolts are in, as some get offset, and then have to loosen the frame to get the last bugger in.The bolts are in 2 sizes, write down or marker pen the long bolt holes from the shorter bolt holes. All to do with the sliding part of the seat.
Finally if you have someone strong, to help with the actual weight, as you are well bent over and in an awkward angle. My son was inside, facing the windscreen, and we did the bolts together and then I assisted him and pulling the seat back into the interior. Well that was really easy, but have done it on my own. But to be safer, find a helping hand. Very last thing, use a mat or bit of carpet to rest the frame on, prevents metal marking the venial. Good luck, sounds a lot, but real easy and six hours is taking the proverbial. In and out in 1 hour. Let us know how you got on.

bang on cheers !

 

[Minxy]

With the layout you've got removing the seat should be a doddle as you don't have any 'furniture' in the way behind it so can get at it easily.

 

[Yorkshire Puds]

Thanks guys, I didn’t think it could have been such a massive job, I did book the time in at Vanbitz to do it at the same time as the solar but obviously they couldn’t make time to do it , possibly as it was a Saturday. Not to worry. It’ll get done eventually.

Ive decided to double the 200w solar to 400w and have 2 LI batteries all in one go. It’s just a matter of finding someone to do it. I’ve tried Vanbitz but they are just too busy to fit me in.

I think I’ll need new controllers too so if anyone wants a couple of week old Bluetooth Victron mppt controllers let me know and you can have them.

Thanks again for your help everyone.

 

[TheCaller]

Not all Ducatos are the same. As standard, they don't have any batteries under the seats. What provision there is for adding a second one will depend entirely on the convertor. Some will already have provision to just drop a second battery in (like the Globecars), while on others, extensive frame fabrication may be needed and some may just not have room for a second one without swapping out the original one as well. If a 2nd battery is a dealer fit option when buying new, then it usually means that most of what is required is already in place.

Just removing the seat is a pain unless you know what you are doing & have the correct tools.

Not relevant in this case, but if replacing both batteries (or an only one), and thus have a choice of battery type, only maintenance-free batteries should be fitted in this position. Not only do you not want to keep taking the seat out to check them & top them up, the equalisation or anti-sulphation charge flooded cell batteries require periodically shouldn't be done inside the habitation area - and especially not when it's your bum that is only 2" above it.

 

[TerryL]

My original battery is in a box under the nearside bench seat, set into the floor in a box so that no storage room is taken up. As it wasn't possible to add another alongside it I simply had another battery box fitted under the opposite seat bench with suitable linked and fused cables - Dave Newell did it for me.

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