Did you buy a dual battery kit or piece it together yourself?

Did a search and saw a bunch of setups but want to know why you chose one over the other.

I don't have what I'd call a "real" dual battery setup. I've pieced together a bunch of stuff I had in the junk pile from previous projects (literally). First I installed my fridge after running some 6awg to the rear from the front of the truck. Kind of overkill but I really wanted to reduce the voltage drop and have potential to add some other stuff later.

After that I realized my truck wasn't going to live long running a fridge on my main starter battery. So...since then I installed an old Schumacher charger/maintainer I had. At home, I plug the truck into a strip so the fridge is then running on 110VAC and the charger tops off the main battery (I've got a relatively short commute). I dug around and added 3 18Ah sealed batteries I had from an old scooter to add a bit of capacity. They're in parallel with the main battery and fused but there's no disconnect (bought a big relay but haven't installed it as an isolator yet).

To try and last a full weekend I finally put an old solar charge controller in the mix. I've got a 50W panel with a long cord and some added legs. I can set that up in direct sun in camp and it's more than enough to run the fridge and top off the battery on longer weekend trips.

Sorry for the long answer. I think a "kit" might take a bit of the guesswork out but few companies have a one-size-fits-all solution that's really going to work for everyone.

Blue Sea 7622. Expensive but idiot proof. I also upgraded all my cable to welding or marine grade #2 AWG.

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I used the cheap isolator method from Expedition Portal, except I went with the 200a isolator and 1/0 gauge cable with 200a fuses, so it wasn't exactly cheap.

Drunner, what engine do you have? How big of a battery were you able to fit, and where did you put it? I'm trying to do a dual battery system in my '07 V-8 Runner. Trying to find enough room for the second battery

I did it simple and cheap. A 200A Continuous duty relay to isolate the aux battery from the main battery. I didn't want the voltage drop of the conventional isolator. About $25 at the parts store.

I have the V6. Stuffed it on the passenger side near the firewall in the corner. I think it's a 24F Marine battery. Can't remember but it's pretty big. It's raining right now but if it stops I can snap a picture of it.

What tray are you using to have the second battery at the front bumper, rather than the firewall? Did you follow someone's writeup?

I'm needing to install a dual battery system, but I've got my compressor in the passenger/firewall corner and am looking for info on how to get mine in the same place you put yours...

Drunner, I'm currently trying to noodle out a way to stuff a battery in the same spot as you did. If you can post a pic of the battery and its method of attachment, I'd be super grateful.

did anyone tried installing a 2nd battery under the truck next to the frame?

I used cheap parts that have worked very well. It took some creativity to move the powr steering res and bend the hold down hooks just right. There is a reinforced pad in front of the fenderwell that the right hand drive vehicles mount their batteries. Tray is an attwood marine from walmart and the hold down bracket and hooks are from a parts store. There are factory holes the hold down hooks will hook into if you bend them just right. I dont have a write up but you can make it work with some patience.

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Thanks for that. I'll see if I can't do similar.

I used this from BudBuilt, but it's for a 5th gen. There's very similar ones out there for 4th gens though. For the relatively low price, it was worth it to just buy that, instead of wasting my time trying to fab something up myself.

I pretty much built / designed my own with off-the-shelf components.

Dirty Parts Tray (very annoying to buy at their asking price)
Blue Sea ACR
Blue Sea Fuse Blocks (engine bay and interior sub panel)
Blue Sea Low Voltage Disconnect
Cut and crimped cables to length
Solar
Bunch of Anderson Quick Disconnects
Bunch of other add-on and accessories

I think it came out pretty nice... been very robust / reliable with use over the past couple years.

I've seen lots of good system... ACR and DC-DC are two really popular routes. It really helps to know what it is you are trying to accomplish but the rest of it past the core wiring and charging controller is really just accessories and personal preference.

I did the same. been running it for many years without issue. it works GREAT. im not sure I would want an auto switching system. I REALLY like how mine works.