2016 Northpoint battery box mod

[klassic]

It’s been a while since I did a Northpoint mod...I’ve been leaving the mods for Tom to do. Lol.
If you have a 2016, you know how bad the battery compartment is.
Two 6volts are all it will hold, unless you go AGM so you don’t have to check the water. And even then, good luck getting them in.

I was beyond frustrated with the 225Ah I had from my two Trojans. With a residential fridge and 520 watts of solar 2 6v wasn’t enough.

I popped off the one side and moved it 5” over and put in 400lb rated shelf slides so I can slide the 300lbs of batteries in and out.

Before and after

[Bookemdanno]

Nice job! [emoji106]

[Mustang65]

Very nice!!!!!
Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[Magnolia Tom]

Sweet! I need to do something like that

[Ladd]

Nice job!

[JohnWedell]

Really nice job, when can you do mine.

[Springhook]

Originally Posted by klassic

It’s been a while since I did a Northpoint mod...I’ve been leaving the mods for Tom to do. Lol.
If you have a 2016, you know how bad the battery compartment is.
Two 6volts are all it will hold, unless you go AGM so you don’t have to check the water. And even then, good luck getting them in.

I was beyond frustrated with the 225Ah I had from my two Trojans. With a residential fridge and 520 watts of solar 2 6v wasn’t enough.

I popped off the one side and moved it 5” over and put in 400lb rated shelf slides so I can slide the 300lbs of batteries in and out.

Before and after

Klassic, did you have to get longer cables for when you slide the tray out?

[klassic]

Originally Posted by Springhook

Klassic, did you have to get longer cables for when you slide the tray out?

I got 2ga welding cable for the cables, I still have to put the lugs on.
It has the flexibility of a wet noodle

[Springhook]

Originally Posted by klassic

I got 2ga welding cable for the cables, I still have to put the lugs on.
It has the flexibility of a wet noodle

Nuther question. Did you use stainless slides. Where did you get them? Thx

[oldmanAZ]

Very nice!

You "... popped off the one side and moved it 5” over and put in 400lb rated shelf slides so I can slide the 300lbs of batteries in and out."

That makes it sound so easy, anybody could do it.

[NorCal Eagle]

Nicely done, excellent batteries too.

[jasum]

Klassic look at all that stuff you now can’t haul around...........LOL

[klassic]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

Very nice!

You "... popped off the one side and moved it 5” over and put in 400lb rated shelf slides so I can slide the 300lbs of batteries in and out."

That makes it sound so easy, anybody could do it.

Lol.
It was too easy.
Just wedge the fold open and it comes apart.

[klassic]

Originally Posted by jasum

Klassic look at all that stuff you now can’t haul around...........LOL

1.666667 cubic feet less

[jasum]

Originally Posted by klassic

1.666667 cubic feet less

LOL........it’ll be fine. [emoji41]

[Springhook]

Originally Posted by klassic

Lol.
It was too easy.
Just wedge the fold open and it comes apart.

Klassic, I want to duplicate your battery box mod. I cannot, for the life of me, determine how you attached the shelf slides to the right side (driver side) wall. I can get behind the propane bottles but I cannot see a way to attach bolts and nuts to that wall. I cannot gain access to the other side. Did you use sheet metal screws? I want to attach the slides at the same level as yours.

[klassic]

I got the slides here Extra-Heavy-Duty Slides - Lee Valley Tools
Cheapest I could find. Accuride makes a nice locking one that has many different mounting accessories, but too expensive for me.

I used 6” pieces of 3/4 ply tucked between the sheet metal and the black trailer frame where the slide mounting holes are (where you are talking about) and screwed it with 1” #12 screws. Make sure the ply is pressed down to the bottom to hold the load. Jayco left some garbage down there I had to fish out. I had to slightly enlarge the slide holes as they are meant for #10 screws. I also had to grind the head of the screw slightly to flatten the heads because the slide would hit the heads.

The other side I put a piece of 3/4 ply and used it to hold a 20”x48” shelf as well.
I had 2 pieces of aluminum angle sitting around that I bolted to the slides to hold a 3/4” ply slide bottom. It is slightly bending (maybe because the ply is running long ways...it’s all I had left)..maybe use 2 layers of ply

Figure out a way to stop the shelf from sliding..when the trailer is nose down, it slides out when the door is opened.

[klassic]

As an update... using locking slides (Accuride) or making a locking system yourself is VERY important.
My first little trip down the road and coming to an easy stop.. the 300 pounds of batteries popped the hatch open like it wasn’t there and slammed it into my bumper while I was turning. Uggg.

I have now secured the sliding tray, and strapped the batteries in case they want to flip forward during a hard lock up.

[ETCrockett]

That is perfect! I want to do the same thing on my 2016 Pinnacle. I have even less room for maintaining the batteries than you had before the mod. I have 2 shelves with 3 12V batteries on each shelf.

[klassic]

It’s ridiculously easy to hook them up and check the water now.
I took out the shelf the first week I had the trailer.
Looked good battery compartment ..but totally impractical. I don’t know how you could hook up your batteries.