Travato Battery Project

[booster]

Yeah, it is hard to know why they do stuff. I can't imagine cost all that much, though, as it could be an extra cost option. Maybe they don't want to wire it for the extra battery, and have that in the base cost, or the floorplan difference eats up the space they would use, who knows. Has anyone gotten the individual rear wheel weights on any of the Promasters yet? That could also be a maybe.

[wincrasher]

One if the early reviews weighed the Travato and found an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution, leaving plenty of capacity left one the rear axle.


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[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Well, I got my 2nd battery installed. It was really tough getting it to fit in there. The space is tight up against the anti-sway bar.

I ended up having a 1/2" gap between the battery and the bar. I think that is enough. I went on a rather long and bumpy ride and it appears that everything is in there solid and nothing is moving around.


There was one bolt nearby for the gray tank pump assembly I removed and then replaced when I had this strap in place.
You can also see some of my wiring in the above pic. Believe it's 2 guage. It's a bit heavier than the existing wiring. I did match Winnebago's color coding - red for pos and black for neg.

Nice idea for installing an additional battery, but for your own safety I have two recommendations:
1) In first photo above that rubber "tarp strap" with s-hooks on the end will eventually rot and break. You should use something more permanent to hold the battery in place.
2) In second photo you have zip tied that red cable to a sharp edged strap. The insulation on that wire eventually will chaff through the insulation and cause a dead short at full battery current. You should use something like the clamp installed by Winnebago in the lower LH corner of the second photo, like this.

[wincrasher]

Thanks for the tips. Other's have beaten you to the punch on that. Looking at the video after I posted it, I came to the same conclusions and will address it when I install the EC-30W.

[Boxster1971]

Glad to know you will take care of it. Others must have PMed you because I saw no mention of issues in the thread - that is why I posted the comments.
Cheers,
- - Mike
2013 Airstream Interstate from 2012 Sprinter 3500 tall & long