Travel Trailer Battery Theft Prevention

[Kevin2282]

http://b-drvbatterylock.com/

Here's what I use.

I used these for years on my old TT. A little tricky to put on but the work great.

Kevin

[andrewssteve]

Okay, you fiver guys with your fancy locking battery compartments can ignore this thread.

I bought my third Battle Born battery at the Las Vegas rally, and when they came by to look at the set up, they asked me about battery security. Now that there are around $2500 worth of batteries sitting on the A-frame, I probably should protect them.

Having three batteries on the A-frame makes for a pretty tight fit. I have two platforms for the batteries. The rear one can hold two batteries, and the front platform can hold one. I know there are some fancy metal battery boxes available, but they'd make for a rally tight fit.

Currently, I'm using plastic battery boxes that are pretty durable, but there are no locks on them. I'm thinking about putting locking straps on them to deter a thief. Here's the brand I'm considering:

Locking straps

Do any of you have a solution that you've deployed?

Thanks,

Jim

Or do like I did: 4 ea. L16 6 volt AGM's. 125# each in a custom made well. Take a strong and truly dedicated scoundrel to get even one of those suckers out. I actually built a custom hoist to get 'em in.

-Steve

[TucsonJim]

@Brewhedd - Thanks much for the tip. I received the locks, installed my third Battle Born battery and got them all secured. It was a very tight fit, but I was able to get them installed. A thief would have to work very hard to get these things off.
@srobins - The locks fit good. No mods needed.



Jim

[DaveMatthewsBand]

@Brewhedd - Thanks much for the tip. I received the locks, installed my third Battle Born battery and got them all secured. It was a very tight fit, but I was able to get them installed. A thief would have to work very hard to get these things off.
@srobins - The locks fit good. No mods needed.



Jim

My only concern with mounting LifePO4 outside like that is that they are in black cases with zero air circulation around them, sitting in the sun. Seems like they would stay cooler in the shaded semi-insulated pass-thru with some air circulation.



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[TucsonJim]

My only concern with mounting LifePO4 outside like that is that they are in black cases with zero air circulation around them, sitting in the sun. Seems like they would stay cooler in the shaded semi-insulated pass-thru with some air circulation.



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The CEO of BB was at the Las Vegas rally and stated that excessive heat will not damage the batteries. In fact, he stated that you will actually get more amp hours out of a hot battery. The downfall is that if they are completely discharged at a high temperature, they can experience a shorter life span. I never plan on completely discharging them anyway. And we spend most our our summer camping trips at high altitude and cooler temps anyway.

To me, the bigger concern is if the batteries get too cold and stop charging or shut down completely. However, if I'm going to be experiencing below freezing temps over night, I'll place a portable propane heater a few feet away from the batteries to keep the temps in operating range.

[SolarPoweredRV]

I used a Python Cable Lock from Master Lock. Reasonably priced and if you get them from the same box, they are keyed alike. I simply double wrapped them around the battery box inside the indent so it could not be removed.

[SolarPoweredRV]

To me, the bigger concern is if the batteries get too cold and stop charging or shut down completely. However, if I'm going to be experiencing below freezing temps over night, I'll place a portable propane heater a few feet away from the batteries to keep the temps in operating range.

I don't think you have to do anything special to keep your Battle Born batteries warm in cold temps. The big issue with Lithium batteries and cold weather is that they can not accept a charge when the battery temp is below freezing. Your built-in BMS in the BB Batteries will protect your batteries from accepting a charge if the battery is too cold. You can still draw power from the batteries and they will charge when the temps rise during the daytime. Obviously, if you are experiencing below freezing temps throughout the day, then some method of keeping the batteries above freezing temperature should be deployed.

[tonygoncalves]

I just recently moved my BB battery to the passthrough storage. Now it's more secure, and kept warmer during the colder weather up here in the Great White North.

[Ynot4me2]

I just recently moved my BB battery to the passthrough storage. Now it's more secure, and kept warmer during the colder weather up here in the Great White North.

Vancouver is not the great white north. Its the Canadian version of California. LOL You guys on a rare occasion will get 1/2 in of snow here and there. Not like in Ottawa. Can you sense jealous vibes. LOL
We havent picked up our 22MLE yet cause of the virus but next year our first long trip is the Alberta loop. Drive to Calgary, then Banff, Jasper, Edmonton and head back. The year after will be BC. The only provinces that I havent been to yet is Alberta, BC and Yukon. Been to every other including North West Territories and Nunavut (not with a rig of course).
What type of TT do you have and how much did your setup cost? Your storage bay looks familier.

[tonygoncalves]

Vancouver is not the great white north. Its the Canadian version of California. LOL You guys on a rare occasion will get 1/2 in of snow here and there. Not like in Ottawa. Can you sense jealous vibes. LOL
We havent picked up our 22MLE yet cause of the virus but next year our first long trip is the Alberta loop. Drive to Calgary, then Banff, Jasper, Edmonton and head back. The year after will be BC. The only provinces that I havent been to yet is Alberta, BC and Yukon. Been to every other including North West Territories and Nunavut (not with a rig of course).
What type of TT do you have and how much did your setup cost? Your storage bay looks familier.

Lol, Vancouver itself doesn't get much snow, but we do like camping in the mountains, which is only a couple hours away. Plenty of cold nights there.

I have a 2020 Imagine 24BHS. Got it last fall, was only able to camp in it a couple of nights last season. I didn't get it de-winterized in time this spring before the campsites were closed.

I got the BB during their Black Friday b-stock sale last fall. The inverter was an open box special from Amazon I bought years ago, had it installed in my previous trailer. I plan on buying another BB this fall, and a 2000W inverter/charger with a bypass, and running the whole trailer off that.