Why is the battery box in the rear?

[BillTheHiker]

I ordered a Fleet shell last Fall with the option for one auxiliary battery and a battery box. FWC has a download (Shell Model Camper with Battery Compartment Only.pdf)
on this option which states:

"If the customer does not get a furnace, and does not get a couch in their empty shell model, we can build a very small battery box cabinet in the rear / driver’s side corner for the aux. battery(s) IF the customer orders the Aux. Battery System."

My question is why is the battery box in the rear of the camper and not the front? The file has photos showing it in the rear. The aft location requires about six feet or so more wire when connecting to the truck alternator. My guess is it has to do with the design and structural issues related to the framing and the box built around the wheel well.

A related question is does this auxiliary battery option includes an isolator?

 

[Squatch]

I think only FWC can answer this question for sure. They made that decision.

But my shell also has the propane box, furnace, stove, and the battery in the same place. The camper is physically wider behind the wheel well. Also makes handy access for the propane bottles.

I think putting the stuff in that corner makes for the most open floor space. in the old days a lot of slide in's put the propane above the bed rail behind the driver. Lot of weight up high and really encroached on interior room. Especially with a 20 lb bottle.





If the camper comes from the factory with a battery. I'm pretty sure it will have a separator.
In my shell it's below the drivers side bench. Face is off the cabinet in this pic. loose wiring is factory solar feeds.

 

[shellback]

I'm starting a rebuild on a 1979 Grandby. I plan to have my battery forward of the wheel well in the pick up bed. Basically wasted space there with a camper onboard, and no need for a vented battery box or loss of space in the camper. I plan to use a marine trolling motor plug and receptacle to tie it into the camper electrical system. I'm also doing away with the propane cabinet in the camper, more wasted interior space. They sell a long and narrow 10# bottle and I'll be checking to see if it can fit in front of the other wheel well. Space is precious in a truck camper, I'm not tying it up with batteries or propane. I've had two factory built truck campers so far, this one is going to fit my needs.

 

[BFH4N]

I moved the batteries from the OEM location at the very back to under the front-dinette seats in my Fleet. This is better in all ways: It frees a cabinet for food storage, shifts the weight forward and shortens the wires. It was a big project, though.

- Bernard

 

[Happyjax]

I'm starting a rebuild on a 1979 Grandby. I plan to have my battery forward of the wheel well in the pick up bed. Basically wasted space there with a camper onboard, and no need for a vented battery box or loss of space in the camper. I plan to use a marine trolling motor plug and receptacle to tie it into the camper electrical system. I'm also doing away with the propane cabinet in the camper, more wasted interior space. They sell a long and narrow 10# bottle and I'll be checking to see if it can fit in front of the other wheel well. Space is precious in a truck camper, I'm not tying it up with batteries or propane. I've had two factory built truck campers so far, this one is going to fit my needs.

I totally get the desire to use the wheel wells to minimize interior space use but I am not sure that is a good place for a propane bottle. In case of an emergency, maybe a split hose or something like that, access to the shut off valve would need to be quick and easy. Not so much when moving things around and crawling on the floor poking your arm through the turn buckle doors, dodging the turnbuckle to find the valve to shut it down... Just my 2 cents Propane can be dangerous stuff

 

[Rockcod]

Thanks for all the good points. I've been confused by the locations manufacturers use to locate the appliances and extras. Safety standards indeed play a large roll. My batteries and compressor fridge will be as close to front and center as possible, but I bet there will be a price to pay when it comes to storage.

 

[JaSAn]

I'm starting a rebuild on a 1979 Grandby. I plan to have my battery forward of the wheel well in the pick up bed. Basically wasted space there with a camper onboard, and no need for a vented battery box or loss of space in the camper. I plan to use a marine trolling motor plug and receptacle to tie it into the camper electrical system. I'm also doing away with the propane cabinet in the camper, more wasted interior space. They sell a long and narrow 10# bottle and I'll be checking to see if it can fit in front of the other wheel well. Space is precious in a truck camper, I'm not tying it up with batteries or propane. I've had two factory built truck campers so far, this one is going to fit my needs.

When I did my build, I looked long and hard at how I could use the space forward of the wheel wells. Batteries will fit in the space with the following observations:
FLA will not work there unless you remove the camper periodically to check them or use an auto filler (I don't know enough about LiFePO4 to know it they can be left 'outside'),
Batteries must be tied down to the bed, bouncing will destroy a battery quickly,
Solar charging increases the number of connections you will have to make every time you remove the camper,
You will still want them in an acid proof container, just in case,
You might want to look into Anderson Powerpole connectors; less voltage drop across connector and can handle larger wires.

As to propane in the other space, I couldn't make it work (my camper is on the truck from April to November). The floor pack is a structural part of the camper so you can only cut small access holes, not large enough to fit even a 5# bottle through. If you take your camper off more often than you use up propane it can work. Again, you have to keep the bottles from moving around. And it's another disconnnect you have to remember when removing the camper ('specially for geezers like me).

jim

 

[shellback]

My camper comes off the truck between trips and if camping at one spot for more than a day or two. I have electric jacks, so it's a breeze. I also can get my arm between the bed top and the camper if need be, such as a propane problem. At present I don't intend to use any (built in) propane, just 1# bottles. If I find the need for a larger bottle, I'll give some good thought to how and where to mount a bottle. Maybe a 10# bottle on the exterior rear wall? I have used those Anderson connectors before, thanks for reminding me about them, The connections can be soldered right to them, rather than butt connections at the trolling motor plugs.

 

[RKL]

I Put my two 6 volt batteries in the drivers side rear. However someone in this form suggested that I put them in the front of the camper because of the weight and bouncing. So after a few sleepless nights I decided to rewire and move them to the front. I vented out of the floor pack and I am building a compartment for the batteries soon as I get my battery boxes.