[Dave Willis]

My Toyota Hiace has twin batteries as standard. I run my pump directly from one of those batteries. I’ve recently renewed them (they were twelve years old).
So, I was wondering if I bought a new van one day is there any reason why I couldn’t do the same?  Other than most vehicles have a single battery. Would it pay to fit a really super battery instead of the bog standard. Anybody with new vans work the same way?

[Smudger]

My transit jumbo has 2 batts - not sure on the latest version - anywho, why not just get a leisure battery fitted ?

I think some modern vans that have stop/start or other energy saving thingamy jigs require  bit more than just a couple of wires off the terminals

If I were you I'd stick with your Toyota - bomb proof engine - great carrying capacity - very rarely a rust issue what more could you ask for

Darran

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

I have a dispatch 1.6 but fitted the higher capacity battery for the 2.0 version (same size battery compartment and fittings). Current battery about 3 years old, I always fit a top quality unit- no cheapos!!👍

[Dave Willis]

I used leisure batteries years ago and used to go through one every year, waste of money and a pain to charge. So much simpler to run off the van. Toyota has been brilliant and still only done 50k but they don’t make them now. Prob outlast me anyway 🙂

[dazmond]

i have a normal vehicle  battery in my engine compartment with a smart split charge relay on 2 numax batteries to run my system......im not 100% sure but i think the numax batteries are a hybrid and are both starter/leisure batteries combined....

the batteries are nearly 18 months old now and are as good as the day they were fitted up to now(they run 1 pump,diesel heater and electric reel)

[robbo333]

I've got the Hiace too, 177k miles on mine and I love it.
I use separate leisure batteries though as my round is so compact, I hardly do any miles and I thought it would knacker the van batteries. Any miles I do are all in town.

[RPCCS]

Dispatch owner too, have a relay to charge leisure battery, 4 wires 1 to main battery live via 30a fuse, one to body earth 1 to ignition live, one to live of leisure battery. Run a body earth to negative of leisure battery to complete the circuit.

[Dave Willis]

Nobody running direct from battery?

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

Nobody running direct from battery?

Yeah, me, always have done- over 15 years and Three different vans.

[Perfect Windows]

Nobody running direct from battery?

I used to, but a two man setup was taking a little too much out of the batteries so changed to leisure battery and split relay. The big problem was the day we flattened the battery meant not only that we couldn't clean but that we were stuck (fortunately only about a mile from home so the wife came out and we jump-started).

The Hiace is ten years old, 130odd K miles (I bought it at 99,996) and I genuinely expect to get another ten to fifteen years out of it. Bung a non-age-related number plate on it (Irish one £80) and no-one'll know it's old.

Vin

[Smudger]

I used leisure batteries years ago and used to go through one every year, waste of money and a pain to charge. So much simpler to run off the van. Toyota has been brilliant and still only done 50k but they don’t make them now. Prob outlast me anyway 🙂

your soooooooo out of date Dave 

get a quality leisure batt it'll last years

Darran

[s.w.c]

I got a old partner van I run another matched car battery under seat wired direct to main battery no relay but it works.

[Jonny 87]

Using the vans battery works if you do either “quite a lot of mileage” or “not a lot of work”.

I had a vw caddy as my first van, and for the first 6 months i ran direct from vans battery. No problems until one day I jumped in the van at the end of the day and was stranded.

The problem is that you will always have enough battery to power your pump, but not always enough to start your engine.

Now I’ve got a hot water system I have no choice but run leisure batteries in the back.

You can make it easier for charging now though, I’ve got my charger (CTEK) permanently connected up to the batteries, so I just run an extension cable out to the side door of the van and plug in. Takes seconds.

[dazmond]

The smart split charge relay fitted by grippa always puts the main van battery first so no chance of getting stranded with a flat battery....

[Jonny 87]

The smart split charge relay fitted by grippa always puts the main van battery first so no chance of getting stranded with a flat battery....

Thankfully that’s how all smart relays work. Wouldn’t be very smart otherwise.