Genesis Off Road Dual Battery System

[sn_85]

Looks like Genesis Off Road has a new slick dual battery system for the 5th gen. It's pricey, I know but it's a nice all in one kit that fits 2 Group 25 batteries in the stock position. No need to relocate anything and that still leaves plenty of room for other things in the engine bay. If I didn't already have my Off Grid Engineering setup I may have gone for this one.

https://www.genesisoffroad.com/4RunnerDualBatteryKit-p/181-t4rdbk.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhDPiXjSNpU

 

[e60ral]

$530 + 2 batteries? ouch.

 

[sn_85]

$530 + 2 batteries? ouch.

Well considering the Off-Grid Engineering kit is $850 + 2 batteries that's a steal!!!

 

[delgadtn]

$530 Really is not that bad. If you do the wiring yourself, when you factor in the cost of the Shrockworks kit, ACR/solenoid, wire, loom, heat shrink, lugs (you will need multiple different sizes), crimping tools, and rivet gun (required for Shrockworks kit) you are well above $530; trust me on that one. This looks like a pretty nice kit. Having said that, I am really happy with the Shrockworks kit and I am a big fan of spreading that weight over both sides rather than over the driver side. It depends on how hard you wheel but for my money and as often as I hit the desert living in Utah, I'd rather deal with relocating my SMOG pump than potential metal fatigue and fracture of the factory tray from overloading it. That's just my $0.02 cents.

 

["krax"]

Genesis kit + 2 Group 25 Odessey batteries is $1122 and a total of 110Ah.

National Luna controller kit + 1 Group 31 Odessy + Shrockworks 2nd battery kit is $943 and a total of 168Ah (assuming a Group 34 starter battery).

There's nothing wrong with the Genesis kit, and it may be the better option for someone that hasn't replaced their battery yet, but I'm not convinced it's the best.

 

[Titanpat57]

Honestly....until battery engineering takes a huge leap in technology (and price) I'm holding out for that....less weight, more power. I think we're getting closer daily.

 

[e60ral]

Honestly....until battery engineering takes a huge leap in technology (and price) I'm holding out for that....less weight, more power. I think we're getting closer daily.

simply upgrading the starting battery to a larger capacity AGM is good enough for most needs

but that less weight, more power does exist for anyone willing to spend the kind of money that this genesis kit+ 2 batteries costs. If someone is okay spending $1,000 they should go ahead and just get a LiFePO4 house battery and a charge controller

 

[Titanpat57]

simply upgrading the starting battery to a larger capacity AGM is good enough for most needs

but that less weight, more power does exist for anyone willing to spend the kind of money that this genesis kit+ 2 batteries costs. If someone is okay spending $1,000 they should go ahead and just get a LiFePO4 house battery and a charge controller

Yep....I agree.

I'm just hoping that technology gets so much better that these batteries are less effected by cold....and cost comes down somewhat.

I opted for the 31 and permanent solar panel this time around. I've run two fridges (large and small Dometics and never dropped below 12v for a whole day.

 

[Bootleg]

For someone like me who prefers a ready-made kit and has very little electrical knowledge, this kit is very attractive. Not aesthetically. The kit itself looks like a rats nest. I'm sure they did the best they could with a lot going on in a very small area, but damn....

My concern would be the battery size. Is the accessory battery large enough to run a fridge and maybe a bit of lighting for a weekend camping trip without having to crank and run the rig daily? I think that's the drawback versus two larger batteries.

 

[CrazyMike]

I installed this kit yesterday morning. If I have anything of note, I'll be certain to post about it here.

 

[andrewwhiz]

I installed this kit yesterday morning. If I have anything of note, I'll be certain to post about it here.

Any updates? How do you like it so far? Anything you would've done differently if you were to install this again or any reasons not to go with this?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[CrazyMike]

Any updates? How do you like it so far? Anything you would've done differently if you were to install this again or any reasons not to go with this?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I like it. It's doing exactly what I wanted it to do. I've found that I don't often drive the 4Runner enough to keep the system fully charged. (I commute most days on a motorcycle.)

The business owner shipped parts before fully testing them. In his defense, he found out before I did and tried calling me as I was installing the system. I had to wait another few weeks for the correct part to arrive and re-drill some holes. Other than being certain to get me the correct parts, he wasn't interested in doing anything else for me. I guess I thought he'd be a little better at "taking care of me" for having to deal with all the delays.

I do recommend this system and I love that it puts 2 batteries in the same area as the original battery leaving other areas of the engine compartment for other accessories.

 

[r3apingcha0s]

I like it. It's doing exactly what I wanted it to do. I've found that I don't often drive the 4Runner enough to keep the system fully charged. (I commute most days on a motorcycle.)

The business owner shipped parts before fully testing them. In his defense, he found out before I did and tried calling me as I was installing the system. I had to wait another few weeks for the correct part to arrive and re-drill some holes. Other than being certain to get me the correct parts, he wasn't interested in doing anything else for me. I guess I thought he'd be a little better at "taking care of me" for having to deal with all the delays.

I do recommend this system and I love that it puts 2 batteries in the same area as the original battery leaving other areas of the engine compartment for other accessories.

Any long term update on the system. Like how long the secondary battery lasts on a trip and such before needing to start the truck up to recharge.

Thanks

 

[Agent_Outside]

Any long term update on the system. Like how long the secondary battery lasts on a trip and such before needing to start the truck up to recharge.

Thanks

I’m not the OP and it’s not my system, but you can discharge a deep cycle battery to 50%. The house battery should be left along for starting purposes and the secondary battery should run all the loads. That means you can utilized 1/2 of the amp hour rating of the secondary battery (for AGM batteries) which on a typical group 25 battery, is about 27 amp hours of usable power available.

How long 27 amp hours last is totally dependent on your consumption. It will take a 1 amp load for 27 hours, or a 27 amp load for 1 hour. You need to calculate your power consumption needs to get an idea of how long it will last.

A 65 quart Dometic fridge/freezer has a 1.9ah draw. That will run for 14 hours before the vehicle needs to be charged (assuming no other loads). But a smaller 27 quart fridge with a .75ah draw will last 36 hours.

 

[666HailSanta]

$100 for a battery isolator kit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N15Z5GP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$100 for a C4Fab kit:

2010+ 4Runner Spare Battery Tray (passenger side) | C4 Fabrication

Not sure why anyone would spend that kind of cash TBH.

 

[CrazyMike]

Any long term update on the system. Like how long the secondary battery lasts on a trip and such before needing to start the truck up to recharge.

Thanks

Funny you should make this request today...

Genesis System seems to be working great. I am having an issue with the ARB 50 qt fridge not resetting itself when it senses voltage coming back up within spec. I've got to ship the fridge to ARB to get the fridge checked out.

When I don't drive the 4Runner, I put it on a Noco charger to keep both batteries topped up and to keep the fridge cooled.

 

[Greybeardviking]

$100 for a battery isolator kit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N15Z5GP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$100 for a C4Fab kit:

2010+ 4Runner Spare Battery Tray (passenger side) | C4 Fabrication

Not sure why anyone would spend that kind of cash TBH.

I was curious about this myself.... its been some years since I have ran a dual battery system in any vehicle. There were no kits before. You figure out where you want to mount, fab up your own mounts, buy the relay isolator and wire it up.

I was baffled at the price listed as the method hasn't seemed to change in how to properly do it. I can completely understand the cost of convenience when it comes to wiring harnesses already done rather than having to make your own.

 

[RainGoat]

I opted for the 31 and permanent solar panel this time around.

Where did you out your Group 31? In the OEM spot or as a 2nd battery elsewhere. I’ve acquired a group 31 & the C4 Passenger Side Battery Tray but I only see the truck a couple times a year (it’s my Mom’s). I’m trying to see if I can make the OEM battery (group 34R I believe) & a group 31 work in this setup as I’ll have limited time to get it all installed. Thanks!

 

[Titanpat57]

Where did you out your Group 31? In the OEM spot or as a 2nd battery elsewhere. I’ve acquired a group 31 & the C4 Passenger Side Battery Tray but I only see the truck a couple times a year (it’s my Mom’s). I’m trying to see if I can make the OEM battery (group 34R I believe) & a group 31 work in this setup as I’ll have limited time to get it all installed. Thanks!

The Northstar went in the OEM position...if you look in my build thread (in my sig) it has some details and pics.

 

[DaveSmith]

Updates?

Any updates (Pros, Cons, Issues) and real world experience with the Genesis Dual Battery Kit?

If you have the G Screen Monitor/remote Boost button, where do you have it mounted?