Securing batteries

[LookinUp]

Looking for some suggestions on securing my batteries. I have two batteries in a diy vented box. I want to somehow strap them down so they don't bounce around when I head down bumpy roads.  Just wondering what others have done.
As always, thanks in advance!

 

[MrNoodly]

I have a steel contractor's cabinet that came with the van. I keep the batteries in there. Here's how I anchored them.



You could secure them to the floor the same way.

 

[rvpopeye]

Same method as ^ but I used pieces from a heavy duty plastic cutting board instead of the metal tubing.

 

[highdesertranger]

Mr. Noodly shows an excellent way. I want to make it perfectly clear if you use anything that conducts electricity to hold down batteries you must make sure that it CANNOT come loose and contact the terminals. weather your hold downs are home made or store bought you must be careful. washboard roads will vibrate the fillings out of your teeth, they will loosen the tightest nut. don't ask how I know. highdesertranger

 

[MikeRuth]

A thought I had would be if the top of the battery box is secured well, then placing say nylon bumpers or dense rubber bumpers underneath the lid that just touch the battery case tops before that final closing of the top might work as well. So when closing it up your putting a little pressure on them to keep them put.

My batteries are in a steel frame outside the van and fit very snug in it, but I elected to use nylon straps to make sure they stayed put. You could possibly do the same with your box.

Can you post a picture or two of your box>?

 

[MrNoodly]

My method could probably be used horizontally if you have a strong wall to bolt through.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Mr. Noodly shows an excellent way.   I want to make it perfectly clear if you use anything that conducts electricity to hold down batteries you must make sure that it CANNOT come loose and contact the terminals.  weather your hold downs are home made or store bought you must be careful.  washboard roads will vibrate the fillings out of your teeth,  they will loosen the tightest nut.  don't ask how I know.  highdesertranger

If I were doing it, I would insulate the steel tubing shown above by completely wrapping it with electrical tape.  Probably follow up by wrapping THAT with a layer of duct tape.

 

[LeeRevell]

I would use self-adhesive rubber tape (known in the USAF as "F-4 tape"), as it would provide insulation and abrasion resistance.

 

[MrNoodly]

If I were doing it, I would insulate the steel tubing shown above by completely wrapping it with electrical tape.  Probably follow up by wrapping THAT with a layer of duct tape.

In the case of my batteries, there's about four inches between the steel cross bar and the nearest terminal. So the assembly would need to come completely apart before it made contact. After three years of washboard and bumpy roads, nothing has shaken loose.

 

[sephson]

Here are some commercially available options:





I've used the above tie-downs on various pieces of moving scenery at work.

These I haven't used:




http://www.mcmaster.com/?error_redirect=true#battery-holders/=14zwql3

I got them from McMaster-Carr, mainly because my employer has an account with them. I'm sure you could find them or similar tie-downs elsewhere for a better price.

 

[MrNoodly]

But you would still want to secure them somehow to an immoveable part of the rig.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

In the case of my batteries, there's about four inches between the steel cross bar and the nearest terminal. So the assembly would need to come completely apart before it made contact. After three years of washboard and bumpy roads, nothing has shaken loose.

nothing has shaken loose YET.  And you may go for the rest of your life without a problem.  But "unlikely" isn't the same as "impossible", and other people have reported having threaded connections vibrate loose on rough roads.  And wrapping it with tape would only cost pennies.

 

[LookinUp]

Thanks again everyone! I think we came up with a solution. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

 

[Mobilesport]

If you install a mount over the top of the battery how do you gain easy access to do the specific gravity test when needed?
Mayby just mount something that looks like angle iron on the upper edges of the battery , something that does'nt conduct electric as was stated.

 

[MrNoodly]

If you install a mount over the top of the battery how do you gain easy access to do the specific gravity test when needed?

As I wrote earlier: [font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]My method could probably be used horizontally if you have a strong wall to bolt through.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]But if you got sealed batteries, you wouldn't need to worry about specific gravity testing, adding distilled water or hydrogen venting.[/font]

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If you install a mount over the top of the battery how do you gain easy access to do the specific gravity test when needed?

Might be possible to install it off-center enough to still reach the caps.