Renno continues…
Snowy and cold, so worked inside.
This will hold two batteries. I will mount them under the dinnet seat, and it will mostly be outside the vehicle.
The top 2x4 frame will be inside on the floor, in the compartment under the seat.
The rest will be under the floor, hanging down. I will cut a hole the size of the inside of the box.
You can see the vent gap to the rear.
Shown without the interior frame. I had to cut the 2x2 steel tubes off for it to fit between the axle and the trailer frame when sliding it into place. They were left over from the other camper anyway.
The frame.
The steel is from a previous RV. It holds 3 batteries, but using it to hold just 2 now.
2x9s to make it more of a box that is rigid for bumpy roads.
The vent is just a gap to the rear.
I will sandwich insulation foam under a board and screw to the 2x4 interior frame. This will both insulate and make a clean seal.
The steel frame gets held to camper with long threaded rods through the floor and into something that will not rip through the floor, probably steel angle iron as space is too tight for more 2x4s.
You can see the holes the rod will go through [which I had to later reposition/re-drill as two ended up directly over the axle.]
This keeps batteries out of the way, easy to access, close to solar wires and on the side of the camper that does not have a lot of weight yet.
The majority of the charging will be from solar, so no need to put it near the trailer hitch.
I am keeping the stock starting battery for the hydro lift in place and will separate with a big diode