Charge Wiring Complete

Finally... I am now able to charge all the batteries at once, with very little effort. I completed all the soldering on the truck side connector and then mounted it inside the gas door. It took some time to sort through all the wires and group them to the correct spots ( one set to the under hood batteries, one set to the rear batteries, two sets to the mid batteries ), and then route and attach them. Thank goodness for tie wraps!

Each battery connection has a 30A fuse in line at the battery terminal. This will protect chargers, batteries, and wiring should any shorts occur. These can be seen in the photos. Next I made all the connections from the umbilical cable to the terminal strip on the charge board. I had to cut them a second time to get all the lengths correct. I bought a nice hat hook from Home Depot for the cable to hang on when not connected to the truck.

Once all this was complete, I plugged in the truck and let it charge. I have been keeping the batteries topped off and ready to go. My chargers go to "float" mode when they are complete. My upgraded controller should be back on the truck next weekend and the truck will be ready for it's first road test. I acquired insurance and license tag this week.

My "to do" list is starting to get shorter. I am pretty sure I want to install an on board battery charger so that I can charge away from home. I have not chosen the one to use yet. The truck needs cosmetics. Sanding and painting, some body work, and some minor things to do to the interior. I want to install a removable tow bar on the front, also.

Until next post...it's been a long tunnel, but the light is getting brighter :)