Bongo Fury

Hi.

I've currently got a 44Ah leisure battery that was sitting on some homemade ironmongery tray. I've replaced that with a New Dawn tray.

What size batteries have people managed to squeeze in with that tray? I'm looking at a PowerMax 95AH job which is 354x175x190mm.

Thanks

Your best bet is to measure the tray and the height (with clearance to the underside of the bonnet) and get yourself a battery within these measurements.
Most if not all battery manufacturers / suppliers will state the physical battery size.

Good Luck.

The trouble is it's not easy to measure the actual height. I don't know what the bonnet clearance is.

My one criticism of the New Dawn tray is it could have sat about 30mm lower than it does. There's plenty of clearance below it. This would then have enabled just about all standard 225mm high batteries to fit.

As it is, I'm having a job finding a suitable 190mm low profile one. They are much wider to make up the capacity. The 358mm ones will be right up against the header tank pipework.

Due to the weight, most online companies have a zero return policy and even the few shops near me that sell these only have a credit or replacement policy.

You only need a tape measure to measure the distance (height required), or a sharp piece of string with a hole in it ...Remember that there is a recess in the bonnet structure to accommodate the extra battery on the passengers side.(on both sides for that matter).

Good Luck.

I used an old cardboard box to experiment finding the maximum height, also note that there are "holes" or indents in the bonnet supporting bar for where the terminals should appear so that the clearance is slightly higher than you might think!

Yes, I think the cardboard box method is the only safe way to measure things with the bonnet shut. The recess is quite a complicated shape.

I couldn't think of another way to gauge the clearances. Can't see a tape measure through metal!

Pity my laser measurer hasn't got a delay feature. That would have made life simple.

Thanks for your help.

I've the new dawn tray as well.
My first battery was a yuasa 115amp hr joby.
I drove it to a motor factors and said what you got that fits in here.
don't slam the lid!!!
when i killed it one bank holiday weekend, went to a motor shop in ludlow put it on counter "what you got thats about the same size"
heres 2 try them both (one was same size but wrong polarity) t'other was more AH but central connections.
bought the latter. (ps was cheaper than online)
morale of story try physical places and people they can be surprisingly helpful

dont forget to add for the height of a clamp to hold it in place too if its fitted that way or is the new dawn tray the bottom clamp plate type

The New Dawn one clamps at the top. I very gingerly shut the bonnet the first time after fitting!

I'm finding the local shops just got don't seem to carry much range. I guess this is another area T'Internet has killed off

The two dealers I've found that sell a couple of low profile ones that may fit have a credit or replacement policy on batteries. I even offered to check the fitting in their car parks.

There's a big caravan retailer quite near me. I'll try them at the weekend.

Thanks for all the advice.

My van has the original Mazda battery tray for the LB fitted on the nearside. 175 deep and 190 high would be no problem on this, my LB is 174x190. I did have a problem with width as I didn't want the LB pushed up hard against the rubber-covered relays on the nearside inner wing. In the end I went for a Hankook 85AH battery which is 315mm wide and used a universal battery clamp I had kicking around, with the retaining rods trimmed down to fit. I also wanted to make sure the LB would be easy to lift out without disturbing or chafing any electrical gubbins or pipework between the expansion tank and rad.

mitchelln,if this tray was specifically made for your vehicle contact the supplier they will have ALL the dimensions / heights etc etc.You could also tell them about the 30mm.

Yes, I've passed my comments on to New Dawn.
The height issue especially. 30mm would make all the difference. The tray/z plate bolts are not ideally located either, but my Ikea chopping board mod sorts that out hopefully.

There was no specific battery they could recommend unfortunately. The 2L petrol presents an extra challenge, as there is additional expansion tank pipework which restricts the available width on the right more than a diesel. The standard 354mm batteries will be hard up against a hot pipe. Doing anything that risks cooling pipe issues on a Bongo are best avoided at all cost!

Spooky, I ended up narrowing it down to the 85Ah Hankook as well That should fit fine. Unfortunately that means it's an eBay job and a day off hanging around waiting.

Thanks for all the input. I'll let you all know about the fit. I'm sure it will all work out fine in the end

mitchelln wrote:Yes, I've passed my comments on to New Dawn.
The height issue especially. 30mm would make all the difference. The tray/z plate bolts are not ideally located either, but my Ikea chopping board mod sorts that out hopefully.

There was no specific battery they could recommend unfortunately. The 2L petrol presents an extra challenge, as there is additional expansion tank pipework which restricts the available width on the right more than a diesel. The standard 354mm batteries will be hard up against a hot pipe. Doing anything that risks cooling pipe issues on a Bongo are best avoided at all cost!

Spooky, I ended up narrowing it down to the 85Ah Hankook as well That should fit fine. Unfortunately that means it's an eBay job and a day off hanging around waiting.

Thanks for all the input. I'll let you all know about the fit. I'm sure it will all work out fine in the end

Good choice! I chose it as it seemed to be the best compromise of size and amp-hours.

Just got rid of the naff 70ah Halford's leisure battery and replaced it with a 100ah one from eBay. Used it this weekend and very impressed with the longevity, power and ability to service everything we use in the van. Was told many larger leisure batteries don't fit the 2.0 due to the limited room but the one I chose was 302mm long and fitted superbly no rubbing and distance all round.

I managed to source a low profile 110Ah one in the end. A snug fit, but gives me loads of capacity.