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**FestYboy** · 12-23-2016, 01:02 PM

Bring 2 lawnmower batteries, wire them in parallel with a master switch, and use them... Charge while driving, drain while camping and the car battery is there for reserve and not being used for the main power source. 70$ investment and you'll have nearly the same specs as the aforementioned battery with only a small weight penelty.

**william** · 12-23-2016, 01:32 PM

^ yeah and with the extra savings get a harbor freight solar panel kit and put it on top the car or trailer.

**ryanprins13** · 12-23-2016, 01:50 PM

Originally posted by FestYboy View Post

Bring 2 lawnmower batteries, wire them in parallel with a master switch, and use them... Charge while driving, drain while camping and the car battery is there for reserve and not being used for the main power source. 70$ investment and you'll have nearly the same specs as the aforementioned battery with only a small weight penelty.

My biggest concern with that was how large of a wire i would need going from the front of the car all the way to them to charge them without it getting hot. If i discharged the batteries in the trailer a lot and then flipped a switch in the car to charge them from the alternator or car battery that would be a lot of current trying to flow to them an i would need large wires right? The 1 awg wires going to my inverter cost me enough and their only 9ft each...
Second thing is that even smaller batteries are actually pretty heavy when were talking what you can tow with a festiva. I weighed everything we plan to take and theres some stuff we wont be able to take because itl weigh to much. Add batteries back there and thats other stuff we cant take along. But tell me what you think about the wire, it may be worth it. But i dont want a wire thats small enough that it gets hot.

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**Team Lightning** · 12-23-2016, 02:01 PM

On the cable, have you thought about buying a set of good jumper cables, cutting the ends off and using them to connect your batteries? Also, a deep cycle marine battery sounds like what you need but would be heavy.

**ryanprins13** · 12-23-2016, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by Team Lightning View Post

On the cable, have you thought about buying a set of good jumper cables, cutting the ends off and using them to connect your batteries? Also, a deep cycle marine battery sounds like what you need but would be heavy.

I could, they do typically have thicker insulation, so maybe 8 gauge would work. But it woukd be 20 or 30ft and i would need to make some sort of plug so i could disconnect the trailer from the car. I think a better option would just be properly sized wire, but i dont know how much a discharged battery would actually try to draw. So i cant really figure out what size of wire until i know that. If i put a battery in the trailer i would probably use a smaller deep cycle battery, saw a nice looking 35ah one for $100.

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**Aaronbrook37** · 12-23-2016, 02:58 PM

I have an 800CCA out of an ice cream truck or something that came in my 323 when I bought it. Seems to get the job done, but still didn't crank all that well til the grounds were cleaned up. Thing is absolutely massive!

**ryanprins13** · 12-23-2016, 03:23 PM

Originally posted by Aaronbrook37 View Post

I have an 800CCA out of an ice cream truck or something that came in my 323 when I bought it. Seems to get the job done, but still didn't crank all that well til the grounds were cleaned up. Thing is absolutely massive!

Haha, nice. Next time you open the hood wanna check what the group size is and let me know? The festiva takes a group 35, but group 24 is an upgrade and fits.

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**harpon** · 12-23-2016, 05:29 PM

Geez- I bought one used last spring from craigslist and it had a stcker lable of 5 or 6 months I think- it was only $20 or $25 and was just so huge I wondered if it woyld fit and just took a chance cause it was such a great deal and a premium grade battery htd

I got it home to find that in fact it would not fit in an Aspire or Festiva, but it just barely- barely squeezed into the 95 Escort wagon, albeit up on the edges of the tray and not down into it and then just barely making under the hood with the clamps down- still the best deal I found on Craigslist in some time . Too late to go out and measure them

**harpon** · 12-23-2016, 05:37 PM

I got two "value " level batteries from Walmart, last spring just a month apart or so, because the one failed on the parked festy and I didn't want to spend much money- $50 still, and then the stupid Aspire failed just after and while I was going to buy a better one for that- having just spent the other I thought I'd just get another Value level for another 50.

The first died sitting in the yard late in the summer, and the second one also failed me while I had shifter problems and the Aspire was down parked in the yard in early fall, and I just about had it hauled off thinking it needed a tranny when it was just the shifter.

Anyway- I filled both up with distilled water and BOTH were VERY LOW- too low in water for batteries six months or less.
Anyway- slow floated them both up for days and they both are doing great again- nothing wrong with them really but they had just not filled the water level at the factory I guess.

If I can get a few years out of them in warm Florida , then they're worth it I guess.

**william** · 12-23-2016, 06:14 PM

Check your local welding supply
I got 00 welding leads for 1.12 a foot .
That's what I ran In my race car it's really flexible because it uses lots on very small strands rather then large ones like most battery cables.

**Dragonhealer** · 12-23-2016, 06:48 PM

If you must run 50A or more the lengh of the vehicle, William's advice is sound, the small strands have more surface area and will handle more current per weight, 4ga in this cable will do the trick. Also agree with not putting your faith in one battery. Two batteries up front (where you need the weight anyway ) with aforementioned switch, run the 4ga welding cables to the inverter. If you must use AC current in the car, use a small inverter for that.
isn't the alternator only 55Amp or so?

**FestYboy** · 12-23-2016, 09:41 PM

You can upgrade to the 65A? unit out of the Capri, or go the full Monte and have one built to what you need. Also, the batteries can only draw what the alt will put out... A good battery usually will draw 55-60 while in a heavy charge situation.

**ryanprins13** · 12-24-2016, 12:58 AM

Originally posted by FestYboy View Post

You can upgrade to the 65A? unit out of the Capri, or go the full Monte and have one built to what you need. Also, the batteries can only draw what the alt will put out... A good battery usually will draw 55-60 while in a heavy charge situation.

Yes, with one battery, but it would be hooked up to my starting battery as well as the alternator, and the starting battery would try to charge it as well, which would put out 1000 amps or something

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**FestYboy** · 12-24-2016, 09:18 AM

No, that not quite how that works... And you wouldn't want the starter battery to be doing anything but start the car hence the master switch. The alt does all the charging. If you were to use your starter battery to augment the aux battery, that's all it will do... It won't "charge" the aux battery. There will likely be a small voltage differential between the two and that will slowly push into the aux battery, but that's as far as it will go.

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Whats the biggest battery you can get in a festiva?

Whats the biggest battery you can get in a festiva?

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